JT NFL chat, selections (5/16 & 5/23) & Klein mailbag (5/27)

NFL chat with Jim Thomas (selections)

http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_64?Page=3

JT 5/16

Rams are saying they want Tavon in the Desean Jackson role. Tavon had 2 more receptions last season that Desean, but 1/2 of the yards. How do see that working out? Thanks
by Paul May 16 at 2:44 PM

JT: For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like Austin can get consistently open running deep patterns like Jackson. His yards per catch has never been that high (9.1 over his career, above 10 yards per catch only once over a full season).

The NFL has a serious void of QB talent but there is no way that there are not capable QBs who come out of college with the basic characteristics of an NFL QB but who need more maturation. Does anyone run a post-college quarterback program that takes “project” QBs with some NFL skills and tries to polish them? Sort of like an MBA program for QBs.
by Tackleberry May 16 at 3:03 PM

JT: There are plenty of QB-type gurus who work on quarterbacks during the pre-draft process. But you’re talking about only a couple of months worth of work to work on footwork, lining up under center, etc. That’s not really enough time to completely polish up a QB for the pros. Once a QB is in the league, it’s a little tougher to get that offseason technique and fundamental work in given the limitations on how much the players can work with their NFL teams. But we’ve seen some QBs work on the side with the “3DQB” group (Tom House and Adam Dedeaux). Again this work is done largely from the end of the NFL season to the start of the particular team’s offseason program. Matt Ryan did it prior to last season, and Jared Goff has done this this offseason.

Please excuse if this has been asked previously. Jim, do you think it’s a big red flag that Wade Phillips and the Rams are installing the 3-4 defense without regard to their roster? It seems to me the best coached teams adapt their coaching somewhat to their players. I’m concerned the Rams are “ram”rodding their scheme through, even though it might not be the best fit? What do you think?
by ifilrxz May 16 at 3:29 PM

JT: It’ll be interesting to see how much pure 3-4 we actually see. Most defensive schemes are hybrids these days, and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see Robert Quinn lining up with his hand in the dirt, like a defensive end, in passing situations.

On another Goff note, does McVay have a shorter lease as he did not draft him? If the rams are sitting at 1-5 or 2-7 what does he have to lose? Or, will the Rams ride it out to get him experience hoping that a light will come on.
by Vernon May 16 at 3:37 PM

JT: Do you mean, a shorter leash on Goff? I would think McVay and the Rams are all in on Goff at this point. ‘

Jim, what do you think the NFL audience will be this year? Is the trend going down or back up?
by Rams fan in Texas May 16 at 3:55 PM

JT: A part of me thinks it goes back up, seeing that we’re out of that wild election year. But I also wonder what happens now that there are three top 30 markets without NFL teams in St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland (sort of).

JT 5/23

Did I hear this right: the No Fun League is loosening its restrictions on player celebrations? Would the Bob ‘N’ Weave be allowed again?
by Johnny Futbol May 23 at 2:06 PM

JT: Yes, you did. Seventeen years after Competition Committee chair Dennis Green spearheaded the move to ban the “Bob ‘N Weave” group celebrations will be allowed next season. How about that. Remember, just two months earlier, the Rams had Bobbed ‘n Weaved 7 times on Green’s Minnesota Vikings in a 49-37 playoff victory.

The ONLY reason they relaxed the celebration policy is because the Rams are back in LA. Had they still been located in St. Louis, no way no how would they ever have allowed them to revert back to those halcyon days of the Bob ‘n Weave that made fans so darned happy. It is simply a function of the Rams’ return. And maybe the NFL was sick of being called the No Fun League.
by exfan May 23 at 2:57 PM

JT: I really don’t think it has anything to do with the Rams and LA. I think it’s a sign that the league is worried about ratings. Maybe they can have Monster Truck shows at halftime.

Jman, just want to get your thoughts on McVay’s offensive system and its complexity? It’s already been shown that TayBirdbrain and GBlockhead are not the sharpest knifes in the drawer. It took them both A LOT of time to pick up the previous system, how do you think they will fair with McVay’s? Not to mention rookies always struggle with the jump to NFL offenses.
by eman May 23 at 2:12 PM

JT: That’s a good question, and I don’t really have a good answer for you. There’s always an adjustment period for aknew offense. And the pass protection schemes for the O-line can be an entirely different thing from coach to coach. I noticed that Goff said yesterday that he was picking up this system more quickly than the system from the Fisher-Boras staff. Wonder if that’s the case throughout the offense?

Relaxing the celebration policy is a good move, but why doesnt the NFL let all 53 players be active on gameday? Can not be a money thing, like most of the moves seem to be.
by Paul May 23 at 2:33 PM

JT: I think the feeling is that dressing all 53 gives an unfair advantage to teams that have more injuries than others. I think it would also put a lot of pressure on teams to play players that are iffy injury-wise. I would at least like to see the game day roster kicked up by a couple of players _ say to 48. That way you still account for five injured players while getting a couple more players in uniform for games.

The “rule” that teams must have played in their stadium for at least 2 years will be enforced by the NFL just like the dual ownership criteria was enforced for Kroenke.
by bobbyjoeconrad May 23 at 2:37 PM

JT: Since both the Rams and Chargers will be playing in the stadium in 2020, I’m sure Kroenke/Demoff will argue that you’re getting two year’s worth of dry runs in a year’s time. Keep in mind, the league waived its weather (temperature) requirement to have an outdoor Super Bowl in New York a few years back, so there is a precedent for bending these Super Bowl “rules.” As is usually the case, regardless of the issue, the league has no qualms about bending its rules or guidelines to do what it wants.

What does the NFL mean when they say — as they did earlier today — no more cut down to 75 players? Do they have to cut personnel all the way down, all at once?
by exfan May 23 at 2:41 PM

JT: Did that pass today? If so, yeah, it sounds like just one massive cut. Here’s the thing about the cut to 75. With most teams resting many or all of their starters for the final preseason games, it doesn’t leave a ton of players at their disposal for that game. Why not keep all the players through the final game and get one more look at them before cutdowns.

Do you think Donald will miss the voluntary elements of the off-season but report for compulsory training camp work or could he and the team be digging in for a longer term battle?
Thanks again Jim, Gavin in Newcastle, UK
by Gavin May 23 at 2:48 PM

JT: Players under contract are allowed to hold out whenever they want. There are no repercussions for Donald at this point since the OTAs _ the spring practices _ are voluntary. if it was a mandatory minicamp, or training camp, the player can be fined if he’s under contract. I will be very surprised if Donald isn’t under contract by the start of training camp at the end of July. The Rams have two months to get there. Donald is clearly their top player. They realize they’re going to have to pay up, and stated that on more than one occasion. By not showing up for OTAs, Donald has given a pretty clear indication he wants something done now.

Looking back at the poor quarterback play in recent years, do you feel Mark Bulger got a bad deal even though the guy performed at a high level?
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 3:02 PM

JT: Well. Bulger had an extremely tough act to follow obviously in Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show teams. Bulger did make two Pro Bowls. The talent around him deteriorated _ really, on both sides of the ball _ as his tenure progressed and the team cratered into that 15-65 abyss from 2007-2011.

What are the chances we hand Donald such a big contract, that the Rams handcuff themselves and can’t afford any other quality players for the next 5 years (Like Flacco did to his Ravens)? Does a team then not live and die off its drafted players (because of cost)?
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 3:13 PM

JT: The Rams still should be in pretty good cap shape even with a mega deal for Donald. But keep in mind also, it’s getting to be about that time to pay Ogletree as well. Although he won’t command a Donald-like salary, I think we’re still talking north of $10 million per.

We can only hope that, like ClevelandGary observed, that the Rams handcuff themselves with an out-of-this-solar-system contract for Donald. That will make the losing all the more sweet. Can you tell that I’m bitter?
by exfan May 23 at 4:15 PM

JT: Again, I think they have enough cap room so that that won’t be a problem. But if they re-sign Donald, and Ogletree, and Johnson, then you might have a problem.

Amazing how the NFL managed to bestow upon the Loser Rams one of the easiest schedules that they’ve had in a long time. That bunch of cheats, frauds and liars would do ANYTHING to make StanK’s team a success. What say you?
by exfan May 23 at 3:15 PM

JT: The schedule no longer is as weighted by a team’s won-loss record as it once was. Only 2 games per team are scheduled each year depending on where that team finishes in the prior year. And keep in mind, the NFL can be so unpredictable from year to year that a schedule that looks easy on paper in May could turn out to be totally different come Oct. For example, Dallas went from 4-12 in 2015 to 13-3 on 2016. Carolina was 15-1 in 2015 and 6-10 in 2016. .

With all the “Coach speak” that goes on this time of year. Have you, in your years of reporting expertise, developed any skills for reading between the lines? Any hunches or instinctual opinions that you’re most proud of (because you saw it when others didn’t)?
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 3:23 PM

JT: Well, this certainly is the rose-colored glasses time of the year. As is most of training camp. It’s hard to get any kind of a reading on a team at this point for at least a couple of reasons. 1.) Very little of these OTAs are open to the media. 2.) Nothing resembling full contact is allowed. I always said it took me about three weeks into camp to start to get a feel for a team. So it’s not as if I’ve had any great hunches in the past. I could tell that Aaron Donald was going to be a great player just by how he dominated at the Senior Bowl practices. But that obviously wasn’t a tough call. I came away from the first weekend of Rams training camp last July in Irvine thinking it was a 5 or 6 win team. Turns out I oversold them. Again, not a great prediction given recent track record. And I’d be a liar if I told you I saw anything special in Kurt Warner during those training camp practices in 1998.

Can Tavon Austion match Desean Jackson’s skill set? They’re both speed guys, but with completely different statistics, thus far.
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 3:29 PM

JT: Austin has only so-so hands. And Jackson, despite all that speed, is also a pretty good route runner.

Gurley returned from Mt. Olympus last year, and taught everyone he too can become an average back without an offensive line. How is it that Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson can overcome, what many considered, weak line play and still be great?
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 3:45 PM

JT: I think the problem had as much to do with Gurley’s approach to the season as any shortcomings on the offensive line.

Jim, I agree that Gurley did not train properly in preparation for the 2016 season, but he never got better as the season progressed. Did he give up?
by Fred May 23 at 3:50 PM

JT: He just didn’t seem to run as violently as he did as a rookie. But in terms of endurance, strength, etc., most of that is done in the offseason. Once the season begins, you’re just trying to maintain in terms of strength, conditioning, etc.

Did the Rams miss the mark on Benny Cunningham? I can’t think of a better bargain 3rd down back, who is also solid (not spectacular, but solid) on kick returns. Plus I just loved yelling “BENNNYYY” at my TV when he’d break tackles and pick-up the impossible 1st down.
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 3:47 PM

JT: I’m with you. I really liked Cunningham. He almost always made the first guy miss as a receiver, and was very good on pass protection and blitz pickup. But each staff always has it’s own view on personnel, and the new staff obviously thought it could do better with Dunbar.

Greg Robinson = Alex Barron
by jimmyburson May 23 at 3:54 PM

JT: Right now, I’d say Barron had a better career. He seemed to play up to the competition, and play better against the better defenders.

A levity question to change gears: If you were stranded on deserted Island with 1 Ram player or Coach, present or past, whom would that person be, and why?
by ClevelandGary May 23 at 4:11 PM

JT: Tough, tough, tough. I would say. . . .Mike Martz and Isaac Bruce. Bruce because he’s the quintessential St. Louis Ram. The longest-tenured St. Louis Ram. The first St, Louis Rams star. And a person that continues to be active in the community. And Martz. A fascinating personality. And clearly the coach I got to know best in St. Louis.

Did the Rams players “give-up” last year in the last few games giving Goff the 0-7 record?
by S(a)tan K May 23 at 4:13 PM

JT: For the most part, they still looked like they were playing hard to me.