Former NFL lineman Kyle Turley said recently he has suicidal thoughts. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Former NFL player Kyle Turley is struggling after retirement. He has trouble sleeping, wakes up in pain after years of playing football and doesn’t know what the future holds.

Turley, a former offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and St. Louis Rams, says he has had suicidal thoughts and takes medicine to control fears of mental issues. Turley also says he recently had about 30 bone chips removed from his left shoulder and his doctor said his shoulder looked like a snow globe.

“I’ve got young kids,” Turley, a father of a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s scary as hell. It keeps me up at night. It’s something that weighs on me heavily.”

More from the Union-Tribune:

The retired All-Pro offensive tackle and former All-American at San Diego State has a message, and it’s flagged as urgent. He takes two pills a day, morning and night, to control a mind he fears will prove degenerative over time. He fights intense impulses that unpredictably come and go. As for where all this is headed, he fears the worst.

“No one in my family has ever gone crazy and killed themselves or thought about that,” Turley said. “I have. It’s not a thought that is fleeting. It’s a thought that goes away when I’m on my medication, and the thought of doing a lot of crazy things as well and making unbelievable decisions.”

Wideout Danny Amendola joined the New England Patriots last month and is already dedicating his support, reports USA Today.

Amendola, who signed a five-year $31 million deal with the team last month, tweeted that he would donate $100 for every catch and $200 for every dropped pass he has this season to support a marathon relief fund. While with the Rams last season, Amendola was hampered by injury and appeared in only 11 games, but made 63 catches. In 2010 when he started in all 16 games with the Rams, the 27-year-old receiver had 85 receptions.

I will DONATE $100 for EVERY pass I catch next season to whatever "Boston Marathon Relief Fund" there is. And $200 for any dropped pass.—
Danny Amendola (@DannyAmendola) April 16, 2013

Jake Long agreed to a four-year, $34 million deal with the St. Louis Rams. (Chris Trotman/Getty)

Former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle, and 2008 first overall draft pick, Jake Long has agreed to a new contract with the St. Louis Rams, according to a report from Pro Football Talk.

SI.com’s Peter King and Albert Breer of NFL.com both confirmed the report. The Rams also confirmed the signing via Twitter after initial reports began trickling out.

It’s a four-year, $34 million deal, according to PFT. With incentives, Long could make as much as $36 million over the life of the contract. $16 million of it is guaranteed, with $4 million more becoming guaranteed in 2014.

Long, 27, was one of the most coveted offensive linemen coming into the offseason. The Rams were able to woo him to St. Louis after a recent multi-day visit. Second-year Rams head coach Jeff Fisher’s job in selling the organization’s long-term vision was said to have convinced Long to leave Miami, according to Breer.

Long is easily the biggest signing for the Rams so far this offseason.

So despite making a huge splash early on in free agency — signing the top available wide receiver in Mike Wallace and stealing linebacker Dannell Ellerbe away from the Super Bowl-champion Baltimore Ravens — the Dolphins were unable to retain perhaps their biggest free agent in Long. In fairness, all reports indicate the Dolphins only made a strong push to keep him after his visit with the Rams was complete.

The St. Louis Rams have reached an agreement with former Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook, according to a tweet by Ben Volin of the Daily Dolphin.

Cook reportedly also attracted interest from the Browns and Dolphins.

BREAKING: #Rams have signed TE Jared Cook, per a source close to the situation—
Ben Volin (@BenVolinPBP) March 12, 2013

Rams signed Jared Cook to a 5-year deal. #Dolphins spent a ton of money on Wallace, Hartline, Starks and Ellerbe, prob couldn't afford Cook—
Ben Volin (@BenVolinPBP) March 12, 2013

Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola will likely head to free agency, according to Ian Rapoport. Amendola went undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2008, eventually signed with the Cowboys and spent the season on their training squad, then went to the Eagles before ending up with the Rams for the 2009 season.

The 27-year-old wideout has been prone to injury and missed five games last season due to a broken collarbone and then problems with his left shoulder and heel.  In his 11 games last season, he had 666 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Potential landing spots for Amendola include the 49ers and Pats.

At this point, looks like #Rams WR Danny Amendola is heading to free agency. Rams have their value on him, we'll see if he beats it in FA.—
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2013

On Amendola, I see a market of at least 5 teams. Some to watch: #49ers (He killed them, takes away a rival's weapon) & Pats if no Welker—
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2013

Steven Jackson will void the final year in his contract and become a free agent. Atlanta may be his next destination. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Rams running back Steven Jackson may end up in Atlanta, according to Jim Thompson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jackson plans to void the final year of his contract and thus become a free agent for the first time in his career. The Falcons appear to be likely suitors:

One of the most likely suitors is Atlanta, which according to reports plans to release veteran back Michael Turner. When you’re as close to the Super Bowl as the Falcons, it makes sense adding a veteran running back — even if he has only a couple of more years left — to get you over the top.

Turner, 31, rushed for 800 yards (13.9 yards per game) with 10 touchdowns; Jackson, 29, had 1,042 rushing yards last season and four touchdowns.

The Rams are still talking to Jackson’s agent about a new deal to keep in him St. Louis, but no numbers have been exchanged thus far.

The Rams will not give Danny Amendola the franchise tag. (Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams will not place the NFL’s franchise tag on wide receiver Danny Amendola, according to Gregg Rosenthal at NFL.com. The decision will pave the way for Amendola to test the waters in free agency, as he and the Rams are believed to be far apart in negotiations over a new contract.

Amendola has had a fare share of injury problems over the past two seasons, but has still put up decent numbers since catching on with the Rams in 2009. The slot receiver had 63 receptions for an average of 10.6 yards in 2012-13, a season where he missed five games due to a dislocated clavicle.

Titus Young has been cut by the Rams after nine days with the team (Leon Halip, Getty Images)

Titus Young’s tenure with the St. Louis Rams is over before it even started. According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, the wide receiver has been cut by the Rams after the a round if interviews and physicals in St. Louis on Friday.

The former Detroit Lion made headlines this past NFL season for continued attitude problems and spats with his teammates and the Lions coaching staff. At one point, Young purposely lined up in the wrong spot on the field during an offensive play, an action that led to his removal from the game. Young was later placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Speaking to reporters, Ram head coach Jeff Fisher intimated that it was Young’s attitude, not any physical issues, that led to his sudden release.

“We felt like by claiming Titus we would have the opportunity to spend a good deal of time with him,” Fisher said. “We spent that time with him, we spent probably four or five days with him, and as an organization, at the end of the interview process, you might call it, we felt it was best to go in another direction.”

Young had 33 receptions for an average of 11.6 yards and four touchdown grabs before his benching last season.

The Rams will cut temperamental wide receiver Titus Young, according to sources in a report by The Shadow League’s Rob Parker.

ProFootballTalk.com reports the Rams have are declining to comment.

The Rams claimed Young after the Lions waived him on Feb. 5.

The Lions suspended Young twice during 2012 season, once for lining up in the wrong position in a November game against the Green Bay Packers and later for remaining a problem despite the second chance the team gave him. He also allegedly sucker-punched teammate Louis Delmas.

His release shortly followed Young’s uses of Twitter to dare the Lions to play him more or let him go.

Breaking: Titus Young Cut By Rams, Sources Say He Might Not Play Again: bit.ly/YvGgR5 via @RobParkerLocal4—
The Shadow League (@ShadowLeagueTSL) February 15, 2013

Keep a close eye on St. Louis today. There's a report WR Titus Young will be cut and the Rams are declining comment. More to come at PFT.—
  (@ProFootballTalk) February 15, 2013

Goldman Sachs was hired to see if they can keep the Rams playing in their football stadium. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

An investment banking firm was hired by the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority to help keep the St. Louis Rams football team in the Edward Jones Dome, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

If that plan fails, the firm wants to at least keep the team in St. Louis. The Complex Authority is paying Goldman Sachs $20,000 a month, plus no more than $25,000 in expenses, Dome officials said.

Goldman Sachs says they have financed or advised on the financing of every NFL stadium recently built. The Rams have played in the dome since 1995, the year they moved from Los Angeles.  Last year, Time Magazine rated the Edward Jones Dome as one of the worst stadiums in the United States.

Goldman will prepare a plan “on existing and alternative methods for maintaining or renovating current facilities, and/or constructing new facilities sufficient to retain a National Football League franchise in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area,” according to the resolution unanimously approved by the Authority board Monday afternoon.

At an arbitration ruling this month, an estimated $700 million in renovations to the Dome was deemed“unworkable.”

The Rams have interviewed Mike Singletary for their open defensive coordinator position. (Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams interviewed Mike Singletary for their vacant defensive coordinator job, according to reports in CBS Sports and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Rams’ defensive coordinator position is the only coordinator job left open in the NFL.

Singletary and former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron appear to the favorites for the position. Jauron interviewed with the Rams last week.

The Rams reportedly had settled on former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for the vacancy. But they then abruptly announced that he wasn’t a fit with their scheme, and he signed with the New Orleans Saints.

Singletary, 54, has spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings as the team’s linebackers coach. He was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for parts of three seasons from 2008-10, but he has never been a coordinator in the NFL.

Singletary interviewed with the Chicago Bears for their head coaching job earlier this offseason, and he has said he would like another shot at becoming a head coach.

Former Rams running back Marshall Faulk believes the Patriots cheated in the 2002 Super Bowl. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images Sport)

Former St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk said he believes the Patriots cheated to win the 2002 Super Bowl, reports CSNNE.com’s Tom Curran.

Faulk told Curran he thinks the Patriots videotaped St. Louis’ walk-through before the game.

“Am I over the loss? Yeah, I’m over the loss,” Faulk said. “But I’ll never be over being cheated out of the Super Bowl. That’s a different story.”

Since the Spygate scandal in 2007, when the Patriots were caught videotaping the Jets’ signals during a game, theories that the Patriots illegally taped the Rams have floated. But there has never been any evidence.

The Rams, heavily favored in the game, fell 20-17 to New England on Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning kick. It was the first of three Super Bowl wins in four years for Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Faulk said his experience playing in the game is what has him convinced New England cheated.

“I understand Bill (Belichick) is a great coach,” Faulk told Curran. “But No. 13 (Kurt Warner) will tell you. Mike Martz will tell you. We had some plays in the red zone that we hadn’t ran. I think we got to fourth down — we ran three plays that we hadn’t ran, that Mike drew up for that game – Bill’s a helluva coach . . . we hadn’t ran them the whole year (and the Patriots were ready for them)…

“I know, in that game, in the red zone, the plays we ran, most of them we hadn’t ran most of those plays that year. And a couple of plays on third down that we walked through also . . .  Any time that I was offset, I was always stationary. And we had creating motioning in the backfield at the same depth on the other side of the field. And they created a check for it. It’s just little things like that. It’s either the best coaching in the world when you come up with situations that you had never seen before. Or you’d seen it and knew what to do.”

The St. Louis Rams’ search for a new defensive coordinator is expected to focus on fired Cleveland Browns DC Dick Jauron, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Rams reportedly hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan on Thursday before announcing Tuesday that he wasn’t a fit when it comes to schemes.

Jauron was officially fired by the Browns on Monday, 10 days after new coach Rob Chudzinski hired former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton.

Jauron, the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills (2006-09) and Chicago Bears (1999-2003), also has terms as defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions on his NFL resume.

Rams expected to reach out to recently fired Cleveland defensive coordinator Dick Jauron for their now vacant DC job.—
Jim Thomas (@jthom1) January 29, 2013

Rob Ryan was hired by the Rams to be their defensive coordinator. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams have hired Rob Ryan to be their defensive coordinator, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday. Ryan previously held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys and was fired on Jan. 8 after a lackluster 8-8 season.

Last season, the Rams’ defense was coached by a handful of assistants after defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended by the NFL for his role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.

After he was fired, a nonchalant Ryan said he would be out of work for “like five minutes.”

Ryan, the brother of New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan and son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, started as an NFL assistant in 1994 with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cowboys missed the playoffs both seasons Ryan was in Dallas. The Cowboys ranked 14th in yards allowed in 2011 and 2012. This year’s team finished 23rd in points allowed. It gave up 31 points a game in the team’s final two games, when the Cowboys were fighting for a playoff berth.

Rams running back Steven Jackson is expected to decline a $7 million option for next season. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson told the NFL Network on Friday night that retirement is an option if he doesn’t get the deal he wants from the team.

Jackson said he was thinking of Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, who retired when he was less than 1,500 yards from becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. He said he didn’t want to extend his career too long.

Jackson, 29, is expected to decline his $7 million player option for the 2013 season, which would make him a free agent.

Jackson had 257 carries for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns this season and has rushed for 1,000 yards or more in each of the past eight seasons. In his nine-year NFL career, all with the Rams, Jackson has rushed for 10,135 yards and 56 touchdowns.

It took a quite a bit longer than “five minutes,” but fired Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has been hired by the Rams, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post via Twitter.

Ryan was fired Wednesday after his Cowboys defense finished 19th overall, 17th against the run and 21st against the pass, while missing five starters due to injuries and two backups who had become starters.

Ryan, the brother of Jets head coach Rex Ryan and son of former Bears defensive coordinator and Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan, was surprised by the firing.

“I inherited a team that was 31st in the league in defense and made them better,” Ryan told ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon. “I (expletive) made them a hell of a lot better. I’ll be out of work for like five minutes.”

“I think I did a good job and I think our staff did a good job on defense trying to compete with what we had at the end of the year,” Ryan told MacMahon. “But the best job we did was when we were able to coach our starters.”

Cowboys officials reportedly had been leaning toward firing Ryan long before he managed to patch the team’s injury riddled defense during a late unsuccessful bid to make the playoffs. Cowboys executives thought Ryan focused too much on his scheme, at the expense of forcing turnovers and fundamentals such as tackling. The 2012 Cowboys forced a franchise-low 16 turnovers, the league’s fourth-worst total, and a league-low seven interceptions.

The Rams were looking for a new defensive coordinator after the team fired Gregg Williams who remains indefinitely suspended for his role in the Saints bounty scandal.

Source: Rob Ryan has been hired by the Rams as their new defensive coordinator.—
Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) January 12, 2013

The Jacksonville Jaguars have requested permission to interview St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for their head coach job, according to a league source via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Schefter earlier revealed Schottenheimer and San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman to be candidates for the Jaguars head coach opening, now that the team has hired David Caldwell as general manager.

Schottenheimer also interviewed with the Jaguars last year — while still the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets — before Jacksonville hired Mike Mularkey. The Jets fired Schottenheimer in January 2012, after which he joined the Rams under head coach Jeff Fisher. The Jaguars fired Mularkey Thursday after a 2-14 finish in his first year as head coach.

Schottenheimer has received positive reviews for his work with quarterback Sam Bradford but the Rams still finished near the bottom of the league’s offensive statistics in scoring average, touchdowns and yards from scrimmage.

Schottenheimer, the son of former Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers head coach, Marty Schottenheimer, was an assistant for several NFL teams before becoming the quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins in 2001.

Jaguars requested permission from Rams to interview OC Brian Schottenheimer for their HC job, per league source.—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2013

Two candidates for the Jaguars HC job are expected to be 49ers OC Greg Roman and Rams OC Brian Schottenheimer.—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2013

The St. Louis Rams have fired linebackers coach Blake Williams, son of suspended defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver is reporting. Blake has been telling other coaches that Gregg Williams will also be “gone,” according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, although Gregg has yet to be reinstated.

Blake Williams, 27, served as the team’s de facto defensive coordinator in his father’s absence, including taking over play-calling responsibilities on game days. He previously coached under his father in Washington, Jacksonville and New Orleans.

Blake’s “brusque, tactless style” played a role in his firing, according to Silver.

According to a high-placed Rams source, linebackers coach Blake Williams has been fired, Y! Sports has learned…—
Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 02, 2013

Blake Williams, according to the source, was fired in part because of a brusque, tactless style in dealing with colleagues and players…—
Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 02, 2013

Gregg Williams, the central figure in the Saints’ bounty program, remains under indefinite suspension. According to Silver, head coach Jeff Fisher has not yet decided on what to do after Gregg is reinstated.

Fisher and Williams have a close relationship that dates back to their days on the Houston Oilers coaching staff together in the 1990s.

Gregg Williams, suspended indefinitely for his role in the Saints' pay-for-injure/performance scandal, has not yet been reinstated…—
Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 02, 2013

…thus Rams coach Jeff Fisher has not communicated with Gregg Williams and has not yet decided what will happen after his reinstatement…—
Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 02, 2013

In Fisher’s first year at the helm, the Rams improved from 2-14 last season to 7-8-1 this season. Their defense in particular made significant improvements, allowing 21.8 points per game compared to 25.4 in 2011 and recording a league-high 52.0 sacks.

Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola is doubtful for the game against the Cardinals on Sunday, and he remains in a walking boot, reports Jim Thompson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Looks like no Amendola (foot) against Arizona. Rams wide receiver still in walking boot, did not practice all week, and listed as doubtful.—
Jim Thomas (@jthom1) November 23, 2012

Amendola battled back from a collarbone injury faster than expected, but he went down again with a foot injury in the second game of his return.

Amendola, 27, will be a free agent at the end of the season. He has 538 receiving yards (10.8 yards per reception) and two touchdowns in seven games this season.

The NFL admitted errors were made on two officiating calls on Monday, including one that allowed a touchdown to stand and another one which allowed the game clock to run for more than a minute, reports NFL.com. 

The first came in Denver’s 36-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers when Denver punt returner Trindon Holliday ran a punt back 76 yards and fumbled before he reached the end zone.

“Because the video showed that Holliday lost possession of the ball before it broke the plane of the goal line, (replay official Bob) Boylston should have stopped the game to initiate an instant replay review,” the league said in a statement.  ”Had that occurred, (referee Alberto) Riveron would have had the indisputable visual evidence necessary to overturn the on-field ruling. The result of the play should have been a touchback — not a touchdown — with Carolina gaining possession at the 20 yard-line.”

In the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams, more than a minute of game clock ran off when officials brought out measurement chains. The NFL said the clock operator was at fault, not the officials. The game ended in a 24-24 tie.

“No member of the officiating crew recognized that the clock was incorrectly started by the clock operator during the measurement,” the statement said. “Once the next snap occurs, there is no mechanism to adjust the clock. Matters of timing are not reviewable by instant replay.”

Rams executive Kevin Demoff fainted and was taken to the hospital. He was taken to hospital and is expected to be fine. (Getty Images)

St. Louis Rams executive vice president Kevin Demoff fainted while in his general manager’s office early Friday afternoon and was rushed to the hospital, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Demoff fainted while in Rams’ general manager Les Snead office. The paramedics  rushed to the scene and Demoff left the scene on a stretcher, sat up and was alert.

The paper reports that Demoff’s condition is not thought to be serious and Demoff will undergo testing after being taken to the hospital.

I guess fainting the day after going over .500 isn't exactly acting like you've been there before.—
Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) October 05, 2012

Rams leading wide receiver Danny Amendola is reportedly going to miss 6-7 weeks with a collarbone injury. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams’ top wide receiver Danny Amendola is expected to miss six to seven weeks with a shoulder separation, NFL.com.

Amendola was injured in the second quarter of the Rams’ 17-3 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night trying to make a diving catch. He was later seen with a sling on his right arm on the sidelines.

Amendola, who has 31 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns this season, had major elbow injury that cost him most of  the 2011 season.

“Ya, it’s big, I’m not gonna lie,” Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said on the thought of losing Amendola. “Obviously, he’s a big part of the offense. A lot of what we do runs through him. He went down last year, and it really hurt us. I feel confident about our guys we got this year, and I think it just opens up a spot for someone to step up and make some plays.”

Source said #Rams WR Danny Amendola (dislocated clavicle) is expected to miss about 6-7 weeks. Better news than expected.—
Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) October 05, 2012

Steven Jackson will become a free agent a year early. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams have voided the final year of Steven Jackson’s contract, allowing the running back to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season, according to Pete Prisco of CBS Sports.

Even though Jackson didn’t reach the required incentives to void out the final two years of his contract, the team has decided to allow him to void the final year (2013) anyway, which means Jackson will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season.

The Rams’ 2004 first-round draft pick rushed for 1,145 yards in 2011 but did not meet the incentives required to void his 2013 contract and base salary of $7 million.

The incentives Jackson needed to reach to void the years, according to a league source, was averaging 1,200 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards from 2008-2011. He hit the rushing numbers, but fell short on the receiving averages.

But this is a strange move when you consider the Rams had him under contract and now are willing to just let one of the team’s long-time stars walk without even the possibility of trading him or asking him to take a cut this year for letting him out of the deal a year early.

Say this for Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan: He hasn’t put a muzzle on his rookie quarterback. On Wednesday, Robert Griffin III said that the St. Louis Rams crossed the line with some of their tactics in Sunday’s game.

“There was some extracurricular stuff after plays,” Griffin said, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. “They were doing a lot of dirty things. The game was unprofessional.”

El-Bashir cited two examples that RGIII might have been referring to: On one, linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar delivered a forearm to Griffin’s head after Griffin released the ball. On the other, Griffin took a high hit from safety Quintin Mikell that Griffin thought was helmet-first.

“Some of the shots were cheap, of that nature,” Griffin said. “It’s nothing I can control. Teams are going to try and hit me because they don’t think that I can take a hit. I think I’ve proved over my career that I can. It’s football.”

Cortland Finnegan praises the replacement refs for letting players play. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

The NFL replacement refs have been catching a lot of flack as of late.

In the past week, one sideline ref was notified hours before a Carolina Panthers-New Orleans Saints game that he could not report to the game that he had been scheduled to officiate: pictures of him donning Saints gear while tailgating at a preseason Saints game had been found on Facebook.

Then there was the ref who supposedly told the Eagles’ LeSean McCoy in the middle of a game that he needs him to play well for his fantasy team.

But one player who is actually singing the praise of the highly criticized replacement refs is the St. Louis Rams’ Cortland Finnegan. His compliments may not come as much of a surprise given that it was Finnegan who seemed to escape from a penalty after bumping the Washington Redskins receiver Josh Morgan, who responded by throwing the football at Finnegan. Morgan got flagged with a penalty and Finnegan walked away without repercussion. The Rams ended up winning 31-28 in their Week 2 matchup.

According to The St. Louis Dispatch, Finnegan said he appreciates that the replacement referees let the players play:

“They just let you play football,” Finnegan said. “They let you play football out there, and that’s one of those things you enjoy.”

He went on to take a jab at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, saying that it is because of the him that the league’s style of play has taken a turn for the worse:

“I admire the old-school players. The [Jack] Tatums, you know, the Mean Joe Greenes. Those guys played football. . . . That was football. It’s been watered down since, with the commissioner and the rules.”

Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis agreed to a five-year extension with the team worth $41.5 million (Jay Drowns/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams and middle linebacker James Laurinaitis agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $41.5 million with $23.5 million guaranteed, the team announced Saturday.

Laurinaitis, a second round selection of the 2009 NFL draft, will be under contract through the 2o17 season.

Laurinaitis has started all 16 games in all three of his seasons with the Rams. Laurinaitis had 142 tackles and two interceptions last season.

The New York Jets have acqured offensive tackle Jason Smith from the St. Louis Rams in exchange for tackle Wayne Hunter, ESPN.com Jets beat writer Rich Cimini reported on Twitter Monday night.

#Jets have confirmed that they’ve agreed to Hunter-Smith deal. Players take physicals tomorrow.

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 28, 2012

The trade is an exchange of two offensive tackles whose respective teams weren’t happy with their performances.

Smith, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, is widely regarded as a bust. Recently, he lost his starting job to fifth-year tackle Barry Richardson. According to the Football Outsiders Almanac (via NFL.com), Smith was near the league lead in so-called “Blown Blocks,” which lead to sacks, intentional grounding or holding calls.

In April, Smith took a pay cut that dropped his 2012 salary from $10 million to nearly $4 million.

Meanwhile, the Jets recently benched Hunter and were growing increasingly fed up with him as their starting right tackle. Third-year tackle Austin Howard performed well in his starting debut Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, not allowing a sack.

The St. Louis Rams brought in DEs Vernon Gholston and Andre Carter for workouts this week, and on Wednesday announced that they had agreed to terms with Gholston.

#Rams have signed DE Vernon Gholston to a contract.—
St. Louis Rams (@STLouisRams) August 22, 2012

Gholston, still just 26, was the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, by the New York Jets, and is considered one of the bigger busts in recent draft history. He was a classic workout warrior (at 6’3″, 266 pounds, he ran a 4.58 40-yard dash and had a 41-inch vertical) and never produced during his three seasons in the Big Apple, tallying zero sacks while shuttling between outside linebacker and defensive end. He signed last summer with the Chicago Bears but was cut before the regular season.

The Rams have Chris Long, James Hall and Robert Quinn as their top three DEs but obviously want more help for their second unit. Carter is coming off a quadriceps injury that ended his 2011 season with the New England Patriots.

The National Football League is looking for another team to play a regular season game in London over the next few years after the St. Louis Rams announced on Monday that they have scrapped plans to play one regular season game in the U.K. in 2013 and 2014.

NFL vice president of international business Chris Parsons told SBNation on Monday that the league will find another team to play in London in 2013 and that the decision would come in the next few months:

“We appreciate the Rams support for our international growth strategy. We are currently working to add a second game in the UK, potentially for the 2013 season, in response to the growth in popularity of our sport. We hope to finalize these plans in the months ahead.”

The Rams and the NFL reached an agreement in spring 2012 to play a regular season game in London for the next few seasons but the team’s vice president of football business operations said in an email to season ticket holders that those plans would no longer move forward “in an effort to focus on the Edward Jones Dome First Tier Process.”

“We wanted to let our season ticket holders know that in an effort to focus on the Edward Jones Dome First Tier Process with the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, the St. Louis Rams are withdrawing our commitment to play a home game in London in each of the 2013 and 2014 seasons,” Demoff’s email read.

The Rams will still play the New England Patriots in October at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Rams announced today that the Club will not play home games in London in 2013-14 to better focus on First Tier Process in St. Louis.—
St. Louis Rams (@STLouisRams) August 13, 2012

St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn was arrested July 10 and charged with DUI. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of drunk driving, according to a report from KSDK.com.

According to Officer Andy Haarmann, a police spokesman, the incident occurred just before 5:40 a.m. on July 10. Police were responding to a single vehicle accident on the exit ramp of eastbound I-270 at Washington/Elizabeth.

Quinn was charged with DWI and two additional traffic charges. He was released from jail that morning after posting a cash bond and the police spokesman said he cooperated with police.

Quinn was drafted 14th overall in 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of North Carolina. Quinn started one game in 2011 recording 23 tackles and five sacks.

Suspended former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams says he will coach again. (Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images)

Former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is currently serving an indefinite suspension from the National Football League because of his role in the bounty scandal. But that’s not stopping him from thinking about getting back into coaching.

Williams showed up at this annual charity golf tournament in Excelsior Springs, Mo. on Friday and declined comment when asked about the bounty scandal, according to ESPN.com.   He said the golf tournament was “all about the kids.”

“I will coach again,” Williams said when he was asked about his future.

Williams, 53, has been an NFL coach since 1990 with previous stops in Tennessee, Buffalo, Washington and Jacksonville. He was hired as the St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator in February before being suspended by the NFL.

St. Louis Rams tight end Brody Eldridge has been suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league’s banned substances policy, the Sports Xchange’s Howard Balzer reported on Twitter Monday.

Rams TE Brody Eldridge suspended first four games of season for PEDs. Acquired on waivers in offseason from Colts.

— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) July 2, 2012

A league spokesman later confirmed to NFL.com that Eldridge had indeed been suspended. From NFL.com’s report:

According to the league spokesman, Eldridge will be able to participate in all offseason and preseason practices and games. The Rams can add him to their active roster the Monday after a Sept. 30 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

Eldridge was a fifth-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2010 out of Oklahoma. He caught 14 passes for 84 yards in two seasons with the Colts before the team waived him this offseason, but he’s most effective as a blocking tight end or in three tight-end packages. The Rams picked him up off waivers after the Colts dropped him.

Despite struggling last season, Ochocinco apparently will still draw widespread interest from around the league. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Interest apparently remains high in wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, even after he was cut by the New England Patriots on Thursday following a miserable 2011 season. Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com reports that several teams are evaluating film of Ochocinco to see what he has left, and “the name that keeps coming up as a suitor is Jacksonville. That’s the odds-on favorite, at least according to people around the league.”

Freeman’s sources also mention the St. Louis Rams as a possibility, with Freeman saying not to count out the San Francisco 49ers.

Another general manager told Freeman that the Carolina Panthers, the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills would be the only teams interested in Ochocinco, in that order.

So it sounds as if the Twitter star will have no trouble getting a chance to resurrect his career elsewhere.

The St. Louis Rams’ proposal to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome was rejected by the city on Friday morning. (Whitney Curtis/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Rams’ proposed plan for $700 million in upgrades to the Edward Jones Dome was rejected by a city agency on Friday morning, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Pro Football Talk reported the rejection was expected.

The St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission and the Rams have gone back-and-forth on proposed upgrades. The team rejected a $124 million proposal from the city and submitted the $700 million plan as a counteroffer.

The two sides can continue to negotiate for two more weeks, but if an agreement is not reached by June 15, the matter will go to arbitration.

“It was expected,” Jeff Rainford, the chief of staff for St. Louis mayor Francis Slay, told the Post-Dispatch. “I think the Rams probably expected it … and are preparing for arbitration.”

The Rams moved to St. Louis before the 1995 season. They had previously been the Los Angeles Rams.

The St. Louis Rams have agreed to a one-year deal with former Titans defensive end William Hayes, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN:

Rams reached agreement on a one-year deal with former Titans DE William Hayes, who reunites with Jeff Fisher.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 06, 2012

Hayes had 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks for the Titans last season; he amassed 77 career tackles and eight sacks in his four years with the team. He was originally a fourth-round draft pick by the Titans in 2008 out of Winston-Salem State.

In St. Louis, Hayes is reunited with Jeff Fisher, who was the Titans’ head coach until the two parted ways in 2011. Fisher agreed to become the Rams’ next head coach back in January.