EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Measuring a team's overall speed is a task that's nearly impossible since playing speed and timed speed are two very different things. Still, 40-yard dashes can serve as a sort of baseline for a team's speed, especially when it comes to the skill positions on offense and perimeter players on defense.
Over at Grantland, NFL writer Bill Barnwell attempted to come up with -- using a fairly arbitrary method -- a ranking of the NFL team's from fastest to slowest. Barnwell's method took the 40 times of quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends, cornerbacks and safeties and came up with an average.
What Barnwell came up with is a list that placed the St. Louis Rams in a tie with the Indianapolis Colts as the league's sixth-fastest team.
The rankings put Rams coach Jeff Fisher's former team, the Tennessee Titans, as the fastest and the New England Patriots as the slowest. Barnwell's takeaway was that speed isn't necessarily an indicator of success though he also acknowledges that his measure isn't an exact science.
Regardless, for the Rams to rank near the top of the league in any measure of team speed is a far cry from what the roster provided just a few years ago. Players like Tavon Austin, Brandon McGee, Chris Givens and Janoris Jenkins boast top end wheels. Of course, none of that speed matters much until it turns into consistent production.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Monday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... We began the day with this week's roster projection, including some changes at a few noteworthy positions. ... In the Ram-blings, we took a spin around the coverage of the team with a focus on Rams' fantasy projections. ... From there, it was our second Rams rookie review with snap counts and productions of the draft class and a few undrafted rookies. ... With the #NFLRank project underway, we checked in with linebacker James Laurinaitis' appearance at No. 93 on the list. ... Finally, we set the table for a busy third week of preseason football with the Rams headed to Cleveland this weekend.
Elsewhere:
In the sports news world, the Rams did well by offering free tickets to some high school football players in the Ferguson, Missouri area last weekend.
At TheMMQB.com, Robert Klemko offers a strong read on Bears defensive end David Bass, who grew up in the Ferguson area.
At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas takes a look at the Rams and preseason penalties.
This week's edition of rookie diary with linebacker Aaron Hill.
At 101sports.com, cornerback E.J. Gaines discusses how he's settling in with the Rams.