wv wrote:

My optimistic moments come from the new defense. I cant wait to see it. I mean, its not crazy to think it might be the best Ram defense we’ve seen in the modern-era. Its not crazy to wonder if it could be in the same tier as, say, the 2000 Ravens, or the great Tampa defense.

It may not be ‘likely’ but its not crazy to think it might be.

yeah. it might not happen. but it could. it’ll be the main storyline i’ll be following this season. everything so far sounds like they’re on track.

zn wrote:

Cayden Kubler@CaydenKubler
Overall, the best day of practice for the Rams.

The defense started out absolutely lock down, then the offense turned it up in the second half and made their mark.

Feels like the Rams are pumped at the position they are in as a team right now.

could be reading into it too much. and i don’t want to get ahead of myself but it really feels like each unit continues to rise to the challenge that the other unit presents. very competitive practices that will force each individual and unit to improve themselves. still too early but can’t wait to see what this season brings.

• This reply was modified 5 days, 5 hours ago by InvaderRam.
• This reply was modified 5 days, 5 hours ago by InvaderRam.

zn wrote:

Daniels is making noise in practice and drawing attention from fans and coaches. McVay called him a “mature rookie” once again and said he’s excited to watch Daniels in the preseason.

i’ll definitely be watching daniels in preseason games although i get this feeling we’ll see him for one game and then mcvay will pull him for the rest of the preseason.

zn wrote:

Daniels had that vibe when they drafted him. Hope he keeps it up and turns out to be the real thing.

i remember seeing puka his rookie year in training camp. i had that same feeling.

12, 17 and 95 warming up together at Rams camp pic.twitter.com/t6UvFtA1Aa

— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) July 26, 2026

zn wrote:

Tired: Terrance Ferguson only had 11 receptions last season.

Wired: They were a FUN 11 receptions.

ferguson is the x factor on offense for me.

zn wrote:

@RamsNFL @PoonaF_95 always a place in this league for players like Poona..Strong as an Ox; healthy as a horse; heart of a lion! #BaldysBreakdowns

if donald comes back, and i know this has been mentioned before, but if he does come back, it’s not just garrett and donald. you got turner and ford and young. plus fiske. that could form a special special dline.

wv wrote:

I cant remember a great DLineman in his mid thirties coming back from a two year layoff, btw.

there’s some hope. the closest comparison i could find is reggie white.

he retired after his age 37 season and came back one year later in his age 39 season.

1998 age 37 season he had 16 sacks.

2000 age 39 season he had 5.5 sacks.

so he actually retired at an older age with 216 games under his belt at the time. aaron donald retired at his age 32 season with 154 games under his belt. so donald retired at a significantly younger age with significantly less games played and you’d think less wear and tear. if he does come back, he will actually be younger than white was when he retired the first time by two years.

the only question is how much does the extra year off affect his body. does he lose the power and explosion and speed or does his body benefit the extra year of rest compared to white’s one year away from the game? and how long does it take to regain that with conditioning if it is possible?

another example although quite different is michael jordan. he took off nearly two years. and he had to completely change his body and skill set. but he did successfully make a comeback at a much less physically demanding sport. he was also significantly younger than donald retiring the first time at age 29.

sports science is more advanced now than it was back then so there’s that as well.

i would like to see donald come back. it wouldn’t necessarily color my view of what he was back then. maybe we could even see a different version of aaron donald who is equally compelling.

and to see myles garrett and aaron donald playing together… i never saw deacon jones and merlin olsen play together, but they could be this generation’s version of that duo.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by InvaderRam.
• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by InvaderRam.

zn wrote:

People forget how good Marshall Faulk was…

More career games with 250+ scrimmage yards than Jim Brown & Julio Jones

one of the most gifted running backs i’ve seen. i’d put him on par with barry sanders. really. especially when you factor in his receiving ability. his intelligence. his attention to all aspects of the offense including blocking. he’s at the level of aaron donald when i think of the greatest rams of all time. only negative i can think of is he didn’t spend his entire career with the rams. but his career as a whole would definitely put him as one of the best players of all time.

wv wrote:

How do you even approach this if you are the Rams?

i would slowly onboard him. start him with just pass rushing situations and ramp it up depending on how he responds to those reps. hopefully by the end of the season the rams are in playoff contention and his body is acclimated to a heavier load.

jordan took one full season and most of a second season off before coming back and he wasn’t quite able to get all the way back that second season until the playoffs. so i imagine donald could do something similar? but he was also only 31 at the time. on the other hand that was a little over thirty years ago and sports science is more advanced now. i think that getting donald back into game shape would be more informed now.

it won’t be easy. i think strength wise he should be fine. but speed, explosion, and flexibility are something else. colliding with other massive humans is something else. they should ease him into it. but again. going to the jordan comparison. he played 17 regular season games and struggled. but then the playoffs came and he took off.

i think the rams and the training staff could come up with a plan to get the best donald possible by the end of the season.

Aaron Donald spent this afternoon on the Rams practice field.
Told he went through several drills over about an hour and looked gassed walking off the field.
This comes amid talk the retired NFL superstar could make a comeback.
One workout at his old stomping grounds doesn't… pic.twitter.com/8Dnl3wVaiX

— michael j. babcock (@michaelbabcock) July 11, 2026

Aaron Donald has never teased like this since retirement.. he commented the “👀” emoji on this post on IG posted by (clutchpointsnfl) I don’t wanna say it’s official.. but I would call it official for all this teasing from Mr. “The cup is full” seems like the cup is not full.. 👀 pic.twitter.com/IZVQuT0EKd

— Rams Tapes 🇵🇷 (@RamsTapes) July 4, 2026

Zooey wrote:

Where is SJ39?

he came in at 49.

49. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams, 22 points

zn wrote:

I like in the vid where Long says that lining up with 3 TEs increases the number of run gaps the defense has to account for, while also of course threatening defenses with the pass. He spoke as a defensive player there. He said that the 3 TE line up “makes you have to think, and we don’t like to think”– the “we” of course being defensive players, who basically just want to react without hesitation.

so it’s not just running the same plays. it’s how the defense had to defend those same plays. i guess defenses will be figuring out a way to adjust this offseason. and it’ll be up to the rams to adjust to the adjustment.

and also ferguson and klare from a personnel standpoint could add a level of athleticism and versatility they didn’t have last season. no disrespect to allen but he doesn’t compare to either of them from a purely physical standpoint.