Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
#Rams G.M. Les Snead: “Aaron Donald is in the budget” (and so are all the #Rams young stars). “We didn’t do all this and forget about him for sure.”
Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez
Rams GM Les Snead: “We have plenty of space over the next two years to lock up these guys long term and have this core together. And that’s the goal.”
Snead: “We have plenty of (cap) space over the next few years to lock up these guys.”
Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
Biggest smile from Brandin Cooks today? When Sean McVay mentioned how he was “balling” at Oregon State with Sean Mannion.
Felt the earthquake at the Rams facility. Just figured it was @NdamukongSuh shaking hands with @AaronDonald97, amirite? @DowntownRams @CVRamsClub
Snead says his wife showed him the Aaron Donald knife training video. “Is it fake? Please tell me it’s fake.”
Snead jokes he had to go over his head to ownership to add the Suh contract. “Can we get a little more allowance this week?” @DowntownRams
“We’re gonna give up all our sixes for somebody’s first.” — Rams GM Les Snead jokingly gives up his plan for the NFL Draft. The Rams now have four sixth-round picks after moving one earlier this week. @usatodaynfl @CVRamsClub @DowntownRams
“Just because we’ve had a flashy 2018 offseason doesn’t mean we’re any better.” — Les Snead
McVay refutes story that Jared Goff and Brandin Cooks have been working out together. Cooks was asked the question and he said they have the same agent but he’d need a few weeks to speak about catching balls from Goff.
McVay says it was a priority to go out and get someone “to fill that void left by Sammy (Watkins leaving for Kansas City).” @CVRamsClub
“I’ve been fortunate to play with two great quarterbacks… Guys that taught me the game.” — Cooks on Brees and Brady
Snead confirms the Rams had interest in Cooks before the 2017 season: “New England had a first-round pick, we didn’t. So New England won the trade that way.”
“He’s going to be a big part of our offense.” — Sean McVay on Brandin Cooks
Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez
New Rams WR Brandin Cooks did not speak ill of the Patriots. Bill Belichick called him hours before the trade went down to give him a heads up. “I have a ton of respect for him,” Cooks said, “and we have a ton of respect for each other.”
Two things revealed to be untrue today: Sean McVay being at the same coches’ clinic with Bill Belichick didn’t do anything to consummate this deal, and Brandin Cooks has not been working out with Jared Goff.
Sean McVay, on how Brandin Cooks fits into the Rams’ system: “He fits kind of in any system. But I think specific to some of the things that we look for with the traits and the characteristics from our ‘X’ receiver — being able to take the top shelf off the coverage, being able to win on some underneath isos when you’re getting bump coverage. He’s put that on tape really over the last four years, and that’s something that we were excited about.”
Brandin Cooks has gone from Drew Brees to Tom Brady to, now, Jared Goff, who has some work to do to get to that level. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world, those opportunities, coming in as a young guy, playing with Drew and Tom, the guys that taught me the game as a young athlete. And then now being able to grow with a guy like Jared — I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to be able to grow with a young guy. I’m young myself.”
Rams GM Les Snead, following up: “I told Brandin, and I was honest when I told him, ‘If my son could grow up to be half as respected as this guy was during the vetting process, I’d be a jacked father.”
McVay on Cooks: “I’m hard-pressed to remember a player who has had so many positive things said about him from different people that he’s been exposed to.”
The Rams’ immediate challenge is to create the space necessary to fit Brandin Cooks into the salary cap, since those extensions probably won’t be done soon. Will be interesting to see how they go about it. I’m not smart enough to figure that out. They prefer to mitigate the overage with extensions — for Donald. Joyner, Cooks — not restructures.
Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
I wouldn’t get my nose too bent about anything Robert Quinn said. Sounded to me like the “suffocating” comment was related to living out here. He’s a smart guy. If he wanted to rip the Rams, he could have done it.
Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Rams GM Les Snead on Aaron Donald training with knives that are not real: “If you can avoid knives, that’s good.”
Snead on McVay: “A player could have vetted our team, heck, after the first team meeting, especially end of OTAs… before he even won a game in ‘17, and I think our players would have said, ‘Look, if you got a chance, you want to come play for this guy and his staff.”
McVay on Cooks: “The thing that makes this such a unique opportunity is clearly the production speaks for itself.”
J.B. Long@JB_Long
If you’re projecting his #LARams future: Brandin Cooks is younger than Cooper Kupp. And he’s one year older than Calvin Ridley, regarded as the top WR in the 2018 class.
Welcoming Brandin Cooks to @RamsNFL with an earthquake. How we do in LA.
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