When the Rams made the jump to Los Angeles this offseason, the presumption was that it meant a new day for a franchise that hasn't given its fans much to crow about in recent years. The last time the Rams made the playoffs in fact, the Opportunity rover had just landed on Mars and "The Hobbit" trilogy was still just an ill-advised twinkle in "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson's eye.
But the intervening years have been a continually frustrating epoch filled with poor organizational decision-making and overall mediocrity for the Rams. Jeff Fisher somehow still remains employed, despite the fact that he has yet to post a winning record since joining the franchise, and the drafting of GM Les Snead has left about as much to be desired as his free agent signings.
Hearing early Monday then, that the Rams were committed to former undrafted free agent Case Keenum as their starter for 2016 was somehow simultaneously shocking and entirely unsurprising. Snead had appeared on NFL Network Monday morning and, according to NFLN reporter Erin Coscarelli, said that "Case Keenum is going to be our starter at the beginning of the season."
For any number of reasons, that seemed like a ridiculous statement for Snead to make. For one, the 2016 NFL Draft is still a month and a half away and while the Rams selecting at No. 15 means it's unlikely they'll find a starter, it's entirely possible that a guy like Paxton Lynch could fall, making Keenum's case for the starting gig anything but air-tight. For another, the NFL free agency period isn't yet over and as was proven last week when the Philadelphia Eagles traded Mark Sanchez to the Denver Broncos, there are plenty of options for upgrade still available.
And finally, Nick Foles remains on the Rams roster. It wasn't all that long ago that Foles was viewed as the future of the franchise. And while 7 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 69.0 quarterback rating aren't exactly reason for excitement, he isn't that far removed from 27 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 119.2 rating.
So no, Keenum should probably not be the unquestioned starter in LA.
But here's the thing - Snead may not have said that after all. And the Rams apparently felt so strongly about it that they actually reached out to reporters to clarify Snead's words.
According to the franchise - there is also video available - Snead said only that Keenum would start Organized Team Activities as the No. 1 quarterback. Which, in the grand scheme of things - or in the ordinary scheme of things - means, well, nothing.
Keenum finished 2015 as the starter for the Rams thanks in large part to Foles' atrocious play and the lack of depth at the position. Some will argue that it's because Keenum played well, but holding down the fort and playing well are two different things. And 76 completions for 4 touchdowns, one interception and an 87.7 rating is very much holding down the fort.
So really, we know about as much about the Rams quarterback position as we did prior to Monday, which is to say, nothing. Keenum will start, Foles will compete and if Snead has an opportunity at all to add a young signal-caller in the 2016 NFL Draft, you better believe he'll sprint to the podium.
