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  • in reply to: camp day 2, 7/30…tweets, articles, etc. #71506
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
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    Agamemnon

    in reply to: camp reports, 7/29-(?) … & 8/9 scrimmage reports #71485
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    Agamemnon

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    I didn’t see yours, but it makes me no difference who post gets used. I figured it was just Davis being Davis. I don’t pay attention to his stuff.

    Agamemnon

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    I edited your first one. I dunno, maybe you don’t like it this way, but facebook links look like regular links when you put some prose in the same line (eg. adding “link:”).

    It is better your way.

    Agamemnon

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    http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/RamsCamp-LIVE-With-Sean-McVay-and-Alec-Ogletree/22e2929b-7568-4ca9-8f52-2c8700c4bd95

    #RamsCamp LIVE With Sean McVay and Alec Ogletree
    (17:46) Posted 1 hour ago

    Sean McVay and Alec Ogletree join #RamsCamp LIVE to talk about the first day of Training Camp.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Rams Sign DE Caushaud Lyons – Camp Roster at 90 #71409
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    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Rams Sign DE Caushaud Lyons – Camp Roster at 90 #71408
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    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Rams Sign DE Caushaud Lyons – Camp Roster at 90 #71407
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    http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/caushaud-lyons?id=2553341

    Caushaud Lyons
    Tusculum South Atlantic

    Grade
    5.07

    6’5″
    Height
    295LBS.
    Weight

    Analysis
    Strengths Prototype frame to be a 3­-4 end. Extremely athletic with plus explosiveness for his size. Ran a sub 4.9-second 40-yard dash at his pro day with a 10-foot broad jump. Explosive quickness out of stance that can be harnessed with better pad level and more coaching. Shows off agile feet when sliding down the line of scrimmage after a ball carrier. Overwhelmed competition once he took the lead on a snap.
    Weaknesses Very basic use of hands. Needs to learn to punch, extend and shed blockers. Still developing as a pass rusher and will often just try to win with brute force. Motor doesn’t always rev. Often overwhelmed much smaller competition in front of him. Needs to keep pad level down.
    Draft Projection Round 6 or 7
    Bottom Line Big and raw with a tremendous amount to learn about playing the position, but with the athleticism and talent that warrants close inspection. Lyons is lacking many of the basics needed at the position and a team will have to have a plan for him that involves teaching and a great deal of patience. If he can learn to use his hands properly and add a little more nasty, he could become an intriguing 3­-4 defensive end down the line.
    -Lance Zierlein

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Donald misses training camp reporting deadline #71381
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    July 10, 2017 at 2:07 pm
    #70860
    In reply to: Donald looks for new contract, and is impressed with McVay
    link: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/donald-looks-for-new-contract-but-is-impressed-with-mcvay/#post-70860

    Donald and Cox both are represented by agent Todd France of CAA. So Donald’s scenario might mirror that of Cox, who sat out OTAs last year but reported for a mandatory minicamp — avoiding a fine of more than $70,000 — before reaching his deal about 10 days later.

    History indicated that there would be no holdout. There is no way to tell what exactly is going on. I do have to guess that the Rams negotiator is not as skilled as he could be. But, with no details, it is just a guess. You would need to see some exact figures.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Rams sign 4 players, PUP another #71341
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
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    This:

    Collins signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent but was released last month to make room for offensive lineman Demetrius Rhaney, who was claimed off waivers from the Rams

    Funny twist of fate.

    .

    Collins seems stouter than Rhaney. Rhaney might have more speed? This gives them a practice squad player?

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Rams sign 4 players, PUP another #71334
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    Agamemnon

    in reply to: will Kupp come through (the Kupp saga starting 7/26) #71314
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    Agamemnon

    in reply to: will Kupp come through (the Kupp saga starting 7/26) #71313
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    Cooper Kupp Scouting Report
    schlegdaddytv
    3,518 views
    Published on Feb 8, 2017

    6’1.5″ 200 lbs.
    RS Senior
    Eastern Washington

    SIZE: 8.0
    – Adequate height but could add 10 lbs. to fram

    QUICKNESS 8.5
    – Quick in his movements more than explosive
    – Can take a tad to get up to top speed

    SPEED 9.0
    – Not a burner but has enough speed to be a vertical threat
    – Lacks second gear in open field but holds top speed well

    HANDS 9.5
    – Shows good feel for not letting ball get into body
    – Able to catch with his hands consistently on balls away and above
    – Can sometimes struggle to catch fastball with hands

    ROUTE RUNNING 9.0
    – Good set up and sudden movement out of breaks
    – Can round off his route too shallow every once in a while
    – Very effective with double moves when he uses them
    – Strength is his ability on slants, crossing patterns and outs
    – Route tree currently better suited for NFL slot

    SEPARATION 9.0
    – Slippery over the middle
    – Very good body control to make subtle moves on the run
    – Crispness out of breaks can get defenders off balance
    – Could have some trouble with DB’s that can stay physical with him

    CATCH RADIUS 9.5
    – Adjusts body well to ball thrown low
    – Able to extend hands in front of him to catch
    – Able to adjust to balls thrown behind him
    – Works back to the ball in jump ball situations
    – Underrated ability to high point the ball

    RUN AFTER CATCH 9.0
    – Has decent lateral agility to freeze defenders in open field
    – Will run hard and can be tough for CB’s to tackle by themselves
    – Speed is enough that he can rip off some big runs after catch

    DURABILITY 9.0
    – Battled through A/C shoulder sprain during 2016 season
    – Could use a little more bulk on frame, especially if he plays from the slot
    – Did not miss any games during collegiate career

    INTANGIBLES 9.5
    – Most productive college WR in the history of ever
    – Ready to contribute day one as an NFL starter
    – Dad and Grandpa both played in the NFL
    – Known for maturity, leadership, and monster work ethic
    – Did play against FCS level competition
    – Had some nice games against FBS teams
    – Will be a 24 year old rookie

    NFL COMPARISON: Emmanuel Sanders
    FINAL GRADE: 90.0

    GRADING SCALE
    90 – 100 1ST ROUND
    85 – 89.9 2ND ROUND
    80 – 84.9 3RD ROUND
    76 – 79.9 4TH ROUND
    72 – 75.9 5TH ROUND
    68.5 – 71.9 6TH ROUND
    65 – 68.49 7TH ROUND

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Lindsey Thiry and Gary Klein – Podcast #71282
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    Agamemnon

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    NFL Minimum Salaries for 2015 and the Veteran Cap Benefit Rule

    ———————————————————————–

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1640782-the-anatomy-of-a-53-man-roster-in-the-nfl

    Quarterbacks (2)

    The hot trend the past couple of years in the NFL is to only dress two quarterbacks on game day. With most teams employing a wide receiver or running back to serve as the emergency third quarterback, there is no reason to dress more than two quarterbacks.

    Now this number could jump to three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster if the third quarterback is a young talent the team is trying to hide from other teams or develop.

    Teams may also keep three quarterbacks on the roster if the first two quarterbacks are injured or injury-prone.

    ———————————————————————————————-

    https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-average-number-of-quarterbacks-an-NFL-team-carries-on-its-roster

    Jason Charles Dean
    Answered Jan 27, 2016

    With all due respect to Jay, his answer is incomplete.

    The number will change week-to-week, but the majority of teams carry three QBs on their roster, though only two will be active on game day.

    Take Week 15 of 2015 as an example. Eleven teams had two QBs on their 53 man roster. Most if not all had a third on their practise squad or reserve roster.

    Of the 21 who had three, only Carolina had all three active, which is because Joe Webb, listed as a QB, is one of their kick returners.

    I think Orlovsky is strictly insurance in case Goff or Mannion get hurt. He is cheap. Last year he got the vet minimum. It goes up $15,000 Ito $1,000,000 this year. They can guarantee him some money like the Lions did last year. I think about half the teams go into the season with 2 QBs.
    .
    They give him some money to come to training camp and then cut him and tell him to hang around the phone. 😉

    Agamemnon

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    I am not impressed by Allbright, but we will find out soon enough what the deal is.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Woods #71228
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    Agamemnon

    Avatar photoAgamemnon
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    • Wide receiver Robert Woods: Another free-agent signing, the former USC star isn’t a burner and won’t take the top off a defense. But he’s got dependable hands, is a precise route-runner and an able blocker. At 24, he still has upside.

    Even at 25, Woods is still young.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: cap finalized for 2016 at 155+ M #71200
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
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    Hit the Kill button for curtisBAG

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Goff, Donald, McVay – ESPN Podcasts #71169
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
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    Downtown Rams
    Training Camp Preview With Joe Curley And Temarrick Hemingway
    1 day ago

    Training Camp starts next week and Blaine and Jake are ready to talk about it. What should Rams fans watch for when camp starts? Plus, Rams beat writer Joe Curley guest hosts through the entire show to give his thoughts on the team and what storylines to keep an eye on during camp. The guys also interview Rams tight end Temarrick Hemingway.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Goff, Donald, McVay – ESPN Podcasts #71168
    Avatar photoAgamemnon
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    Rams head coach Sean McVay explains what Goff needs to prove in order to remain the starting QB, the arrival of Robert Woods, the process heading into training camp and what stood out the most about Todd Gurley,

    These podcasts are from 7/20.
    This seems like it was posted before, but I leaving it here.

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 7 months ago by Avatar photoAgamemnon.

    Agamemnon

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    i hope mcvay kicks him off the sideline.

    LMAO

    Agamemnon

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    I don’t believe a RB can be the focus of your team. 16 games is too much punishment for a RB to sustain. imo
    .
    I believe in Mannion, but Goff is the QB until he gets hurt. Go ahead and let Goff take the bumps and bruises while McVay gets his offense going. 😉
    .
    I am not a fan of Dickerson, the sports personality.

    Agamemnon

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    CBS has 4 or 5 first round OTs, then draft Center Frank Ragnow in the second.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: Rams sign vet QB – Dan Orlovski #71112
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    Agamemnon

    in reply to: I think its time for some predictions: Nine wins #71096
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    I like what the Rams have done. But there are too many moving parts and too many new parts. I don’t see how they can do better than 8 – 8. I think they will have a top 10 pick in the draft.

    Agamemnon

    in reply to: college Air Raid qbs in the pros #71079
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    http://newsok.com/article/5444603

    OU Football: The story behind Hal Mumme’s Jedi mind trick that still mystifies defenses
    By BERRY TRAMEL Published: September 4, 2015 3:01 PM CDT Updated: September 4, 2015 3:06 PM CDT

    Hal Mumme is 63 years old and coaching at Belhaven, a Division III school in Jackson, Miss., close in geography but far in status from the bright SEC lights under which he once flourished. But make no mistake. Mumme is having fun.

    How could he not be? He’s still coaching the Air Raid. Still emperor of the offense that took the college football galaxy, particularly the American Southwest, by storm.

    “Pure fun,” Mumme said of the offense he invented and is being re-installed at Oklahoma by new Sooners offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley. That offense debuts on Saturday when the Sooners play Akron in a 6 p.m. home-opener (pay-per-view).

    ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg profiled Mumme a year ago and wrote, “Talk all you want about the gridiron genius of Nick Saban, Gus Malzahn or Chip Kelly. But it’s Hal Mumme who brought you the game you’re watching today.”

    Mumme was born in San Antonio, played high school football at Thomas Jefferson in Dallas and graduated from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. But the offense Mumme bred has stretched all across America. Here’s how it happened.

    ***

    Hal Mumme sat in his Texas-El Paso office one day in 1983, when Mouse Davis appeared. The United States Football League had just finished its first year, and Davis, with the Houston Gamblers, was out scouting. “Sat there and talked to me for seven hours,” Mumme said. “That’s where all the ideas started.”
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    That’s what this Air Raid business is all about. Ideas. Stretch your imagination and stretch the field.

    Davis ran the run-and-shoot, another new-age offense that rebelled against convention. Mumme was the UTEP offensive coordinator, running a traditional I formation.

    Mumme says he couldn’t have switched offenses even had he wanted to. Head coach Bill Yung wouldn’t have allowed it. But you can’t stonewall ideas.

    ***

    Mumme sat in a Brigham Young football office in 1986. The UTEP staff had been fired. Mumme had landed at Texas’ Copperas Cove High School. But at least he was a head coach. He could do what he wanted. And he wanted to mimic BYU.

    “Best thing that ever happened to me,” Mumme said of getting fired in El Paso. “I couldn’t get a college job. But we had beat BYU that year, and it kind of opened some doors for me for those guys.”

    Those guys were Lavell Edwards assistants Norm Chow, Roger French and Robbie Bosco. Mumme regularly drove the 900 miles to Provo, Utah, picking their brains about their throw-it-around offense.

    “Hal was here all the time,” Bosco told Tim Layden for his book, “Blood, Sweat and Chalk”.

    ***

    Mumme sat in his Iowa Wesleyan office in 1991, with a dilemma. He had coached the Tigers to a record of 14-9 after two years, but his ’91 team figured to be overmatched in talent. Not that you can get all that overmatched as an NAIA independent, playing the likes of Missouri-Rolla.

    But Mumme liked to win. He wanted to give his team the best chance possible. So he and his lieutenant, an idea man himself by the name of Mike Leach, hatched the plan to run their BYU offense uptempo. No huddle. Go fast.

    “Got stuck with an impossible schedule, so we started playing fast,” Mumme said. “That’s probably been the thing that’s set us apart. Mike Leach actually came up with the term Air Raid. All of a sudden it looked different.”

    ***

    Mumme sat in his office at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, in 2011, chatting with Dana Holgorsen, one of the great Air Raid legacies. At Houston, OSU and eventually West Virginia, Holgorsen would enhance the Air Raid. New OU coordinator Lincoln Riley, too, adding all kinds of run-game wrinkles.

    That was a little foreign to Mumme and Leach. “Mike (Leach) and I, we always kind of considered runs a wasted play,” Mumme said. Mumme’s Kentucky teams were SEC offensive terrors in the late 1990s, so much so that when Bob Stoops got the Oklahoma job in December 1998, he brought along Leach.

    Mumme’s and Leach’s offenses never slowed. Their coaching careers did. Mumme lost his Kentucky job amid NCAA violation allegations in 2001; Leach lost his Texas Tech job in 2009 amid conflict with university brass. Leach would eventually land at Washington State. Mumme would take the Air Raid to New Mexico State, McMurry and Belhaven.

    But their proteges would live on in more influential places. Houston. College Station. Lubbock. Berkeley. Stillwater. Norman.

    AIR RAID EVOLUTION

    Hal Mumme’s Air Raid offense is ranks among the most unique passing offenses invented over the last 60 years. Here are the notables, with descriptions from Tim Layden’s great book, “Blood, Sweat and Chalk; The Ultimate Football Playbook: How the Great Coaches Built Today’s Game”:

    AIR CORYELL

    • Patriarch: Don Coryell

    • Origin: 1959, Whittier College

    • Disciples: Joe Gibbs, Norv Turner, Mike Martz, Jason Garrett

    • Beneficiaries: San Diego State’s Don Horn, Dennis Shaw and Brian Sipe; St. Louis Cardinals’ Jim Hart; San Diego Chargers’ Dan Fouts; Dallas Cowboys’ Troy Aikman and Tony Romo

    • Description: “Combined technical simplicity with daring downfield strikes written into almost every play. Pass routes were numbered in a basic 1 through 9 ladder. Quarterbacks were instructed to read from deep to short and to get rid of the ball quickly. Formations with four wide receivers became common, and eventually, players in motion became routine.”

    RUN-AND-SHOOT

    • Patriarch: Tiger Ellison

    • Origin: Middletown (Ohio) High School, 1959

    • Disciples: Mouse Davis, Jack Pardee, John Jenkins, June Jones

    • Beneficiaries: Portland State’s Neil Lomax, the Houston Gamblers’ Jim Kelly, Houston U.’s Andre Ware and David Klingler, Houston Oilers’ Warren Moon

    • Description: “All the elemental run-and-shoot plays involved option — or readable — pass routes, where the receiver is reacting to the defense and the quarterback is reading the receiver … Each receiver determines his next cut, based on the reaction of the defense. The quarterback is throwing to a spot where the receiver should be.”

    WEST COAST

    • Patriarch: Bill Walsh

    • Origin: 1970, Cincinnati Bengals

    • Disciples: Mike Holmgren, Sam Wyche, Mike Shanahan

    • Beneficiaries: Cincinnati Bengals’ Ken Anderson, San Francisco 49ers’ Joe Montana, Denver Broncos’ John Elway, Green Bay Packers’ Brett Favre

    • Description: “First pass offense in which timing was the critical element … More emphasis on shorter, more horizontal routes … Before Walsh, the forward pass came with significant risk; since Walsh, it has been a much more reliable chain-moving tool. It was the first offensive system to assign and incorporate … ‘hot’ receivers … into the void vacated by a blitzing linebacker.”

    AIR RAID

    • Patriarch: Hal Mumme

    • Origin: Iowa Wesleyan, 1991

    • Disciples: Mike Leach, Dana Holgorsen, Kevin Sumlin, Kliff Kingsbury, Sonny Dykes, Lincoln Riley

    • Beneficiaries: Kentucky’s Tim Couch, Oklahoma’s Josh Heupel, Houston’s Case Keenum, West Virginia’s Geno Smith, Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury and Graham Harrell

    • Description: “Everything in the (BYU) offense was run from a spread formation, with wide line splits.” Then uptempo, no-huddle was added by Mumme and Leach in 1991, and the Air Raid was born.

    Compiled by Berry Tramel

    ———————————-

    AIR RAID TIMELINE

    A look at the developments that led to the Air Raid offense making a resurgence this season at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State:

    • 1930s: TCU coach Dutch Meyer, with great quarterbacks Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh, created the first spread, splitting out his two ends.

    • 1950s: Tiger Ellison, a high school coach in Middletown, Ohio, spread out his linemen and started throwing passes on most downs. Ellison called his offense the run-and-shoot.

    • 1970s: Brigham Young offensive coordinator Doug Scovil, incorporated run-and-shoot formations and concepts to a vertical passing game.

    • 1983: Mouse Davis, offensive coordinator of the USFL’s Houston Gamblers and a run-and-shoot aficionado, visited Texas-El Paso offensive coordinator Hal Mumme. They talked for seven hours, and ideas began exploding in Mumme’s brain.

    • 1986: Mumme is named head coach at Copperas Cove High School in Central Texas and installs the BYU offense.

    • 1989: Mumme is named head coach at Iowa Wesleyan and hires a 30-year-old assistant named Mike Leach.

    • 1991: Facing a tough schedule, Mumme and Leach decide to play uptempo, no-huddle with their BYU offense. The Air Raid was born.

    • 1998: Remembering the 406 passing yards and five TD passes his Florida defense allowed to Leach’s Kentucky offense, new OU head coach Bob Stoops hires Leach as offensive coordinator.

    • 2000: New Texas Tech coach Leach unveils the second Air Raid attack in the Big 12, and the lid is off offenses in the traditionally run-bound league.

    • 2008: Leach disciple Dana Holgorsen is hired as offensive coordinator at Houston U., and Holgorsen adds a run-game emphasis to the Air Raid, which he also took to OSU in 2010 and West Virginia in 2011.

    • 2012: Kevin Sumlin, Holgorsen’s boss at Houston, goes to Texas A&M and inherits quarterback Johnny Manziel, who wins the Heisman Trophy with Sumlin adding QB runs to the Air Raid.

    ———————————-
    AIR RAID TERMINOLOGY

    A few of the classic Air Raid pass routes and plays. Most are from the Hal Mumme/Mike Leach playbook and might have different names in Lincoln Riley’s and Dana Holgorsen’s versions:

    • Hitch: A route in which the receiver runs downfield, stops suddenly and turns around.

    • Corner: A route in which a receiver runs downfield, then makes a diagonal break toward the sideline.

    • Wheel: A route in which a halfback, or possibly a wide receiver in motion, zips to the sideline and heads straight upfield, designed to create confusion from a zone defense that might find its original territory empty.

    • Post: A route similar to a corner, except the receiver breaks off diagonally toward the goal post.

    • Dig: A route in which a receiver breaks off a post route and cuts straight across the field

    • Smash: A two-receiver combination, with the outside receiver on a 6-yard hitch and the inside receiver on a 12-yard corner route. Designed to defeat Cover-2 defenses, in which two safeties play deep and each take half the field.

    • Mesh: Perhaps the most iconic Air Raid play. A receiver on each side runs a short crossing pattern, close enough that defenders have to go around them. Meanwhile, running backs float into the flat on each side, and a wide receiver on one side runs a corner route, which creates a triangle on that side.

    • Shallow Cross: A play in which the two outside receivers run deep, trying to open the field, an inside receiver runs about seven yards upfield and cuts across the middle and the other inside receiver, on the opposite side, goes one yard upfield before cutting across the middle. A halfback darts outside, opposite the inside receiver running the shallow route. The play is designed to open the middle.

    • Four Verts: A play in which four receivers, or three receivers plus a halfback, run straight down the field, forcing a defense, set up to stop the crossing patterns, to get back deep and quickly.

    • Y-Cross: A classic Air Raid play — an outside receiver runs deep, the opposite inside receiver runs a deep cross (almost a corner route from across the field), the other outside receiver runs the dig route into area perhaps opened by the deep cross, while halfbacks flood into the flat on each side.

    • Stick: A basic Air Raid play. An outside receiver goes deep, the inside receiver on the same side runs a “stick” route, 5-6 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, in which he curls into an open void between the linebackers. On the other side, the inside receiver and outside receivers both run slants, as quick options against the blitz.

    • Y-stick: A Dana Holgorsen addition to the Air Raid, with the offensive line blocking a draw play, the two outside receivers going deep and two inside receivers on the same side, one running an out pattern and the other a hitch to the outside of the linebacker, who has to decide between playing the draw or the pass.

    • Shakes: Another play designed to dent the Cover-2. The outside receiver runs a deep corner route, and the inside receiver on his side runs virtually straight down the field, putting pressure on the deep safety on that side. On the other side, the outside receiver runs a deep corner, keeping that safety at home. Each halfback swing into the flat.

    Agamemnon

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    I am ready to move on from Johnson. Besides, I don’t think the Rams can keep everybody next year.

    so who on the defense would you want to keep?

    of the ones who will become free agents of course.

    correct me if i’m wrong, but that would be joyner, alexander, ogletree, barwin.

    Agamemnon

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    I am ready to move on from Johnson. Besides, I don’t think the Rams can keep everybody next year.

    Agamemnon

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    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/07/13/ranking-nfl-special-teams-kickers-punters-returners-rams-chiefs/469321001/

    Ranking NFL special teams: Punter Johnny Hekker, Rams don’t get enough credit
    Nate Davis , USA TODAY Sports Published 8:33 a.m. ET July 13, 2017 | Updated 4:12 p.m. ET July 17, 2017

    Today’s positional group: Special teams

    1. Los Angeles Rams: It’s time Johnny Hekker got his due — and for a team that so badly needs his services. His 51 punts inside the 20 easily led the NFL, yet Hekker only committed one touchback — sublime precision. His 46 net yards per punt were nearly 2 better than any of his peers. And Hekker’s background as a quarterback makes him dangerous on fakes whether he’s punting or holding for K Greg Zuerlein. The Rams also deployed the league’s top coverage teams and limited punt returners to a league-low 4.3 yards per chance. Zuerlein rebounded from a poor 2015 but needs more opportunities from the offense. Tavon Austin and Pharoh Cooper are highly capable return men.

    2. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyreek Hill was the NFL’s pre-eminent punt returner as a rookie, no one eclipsing his two TDs or 15.2-yard average. But his new role as the featured receiver could limit his opportunities, and the Chiefs no longer plan to use him on kickoffs. Dustin Colquitt’s 38 punts inside the 20 paced the AFC, and he rarely allows chunky returns. Cairo Santos’ 88.6% FG rate ranked fifth in the league.

    3. Oakland Raiders: Entering his 18th year, Sebastian Janikowski looks to extend his career record for FGs from 50-plus yards (55). P Marquette King has a huge leg but does tend to outkick his coverage. Cordarrelle Patterson adds an explosive element after leading the league with 31.7 yards per kickoff last year.

    4. Atlanta Falcons: They’re understandably overshadowed. Yet it’s always been that way for K Matt Bryant, one of the best in the business for 15 seasons. In addition to solid punting — though he’s rarely needed — Matt Bosher capably handles kickoffs, leading the NFC with 65 touchbacks last year. Newly signed Andre Roberts improves the return game.

    5. New Orleans Saints: Sean Payton doesn’t give his kickers much rope, but Wil Lutz stabilized the position in 2016. P Thomas Morstead remains entrenched and can handle kickoffs, though Lutz assumed that role. Ted Ginn should jolt the return game.

    6. New England Patriots: Last year was the first since 2011 that K Stephen Gostkowski failed to lead the league in points. Matthew Slater has long been one of the NFL’s special teams aces. P Ryan Allen isn’t a boomer but allows few return yards. The Pats could use more production on their own returns.

    7. Baltimore Ravens: Did any team rely more on its kicker? Justin Tucker had a league-high 38 FGs, including 10 of 10 beyond 50 yards, and is now the most accurate man in NFL history (89.8%). Among a combined 66 FG and PAT attempts, he missed just once in 2016. Sam Koch equates his creative punts to golf shots but comes off a bit of a down season. Special teams guru John Harbaugh would surely welcome more impact from his returners.

    8. Houston Texans: Only Tucker had more FGs than Nick Novak’s 35. Shane Lechler is one of the top punters in NFL history. Will Fuller’s speed made him a terror on punt returns.

    9. Detroit Lions: Pro Bowler Matt Prater was a valuable component for a team that lived on the edge and hit all seven of his FG tries beyond 50 yards. Sam Martin was just as good, finishing second in the league with 44.2 net yards per punt. Andre Roberts wasn’t re-signed despite scoring twice on punt returns.

    10. Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown always lurks as a threat to take a punt to the house. Since coming aboard in 2015, K Chris Boswell has proven a nice solution. He scored all 18 of Pittsburgh’s points in last year’s playoff win at Kansas City. The Steelers struggled to cover kicks.

    Agamemnon

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