zn wrote:

Seattle looks like they bounced back. Good for them…I hope they win.

PA Ram wrote:

Oh sure–you’d feel that way. Disposable kickers,huh? Just throw them away like a used diaper, huh?

What happened to your Amish roots? What happened to the value of things? What happened to taking a pair of old shoes to a cobbler? You move up north and suddenly you’re just tossing away kickers.

Get with the times, dude.

The Amish have finally embraced the consumer ethos of their English neighbors.

This may or may not be a big deal. Have to wait and see.

The Rams did try out 10 kickers before they decided to go with Ficken.

So they must have seen something they liked.

And Ficken has never kicked in the NFL, but it’s not like he hasn’t made big kicks in meaningful games before. He played for Penn State.

It’s not like he played for West Virginia, where the biggest kick of his career would have been to erase a goose egg late in the 4th quarter against a McNeese State team that was up by 40.

Apparently he’s been battling the back injury all year…

Link: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LA-Rams-Place-Pro-Bowl-Kicker-Greg-Zuerlein-on-IR-Ending-Season-465547373.html

After everything that’s happened this season, how surreal would it be if the Chargers went to the playoffs and the Rams didn’t?

wv wrote:

This of course is just the beginning.
w
v
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corporotacracy:http://www.businessinsider.com/security-robots-are-monitoring-the-homeless-in-san-francisco-2017-12

Robots are being used to deter homeless people from setting up camp in San Francisco

A security robot has been put to work in San Francisco in an attempt to deter homeless people from forming tent cities.

The robot uses lasers and sensors to monitor an area for criminal activity. Rather than intervene during a crime, it alerts human authorities.

The robot’s owner, the San Francisco SPCA, said it has seen fewer tents and car break-ins since it deployed the robot in the city’s Mission neighborhood.

In San Francisco, autonomous crime-fighting robots that are used to patrol parking lots, sports arenas, and tech company campuses are now being deployed to keep away homeless people.

The San Francisco Business Times reported last week that the San Francisco SPCA, an animal advocacy and pet adoption group, put a security robot to work outside its facilities in the gentrifying Mission neighborhood. The robot’s presence is meant to deter homeless people from setting up camps along the sidewalks.

Last week, the City of San Francisco ordered the SF SPCA to keep its robot off the streets or be fined up to $1,000 per day for operating on sidewalks without a permit, according to the Business Times.

Krista Maloney, media relations manager for the SF SPCA, told Business Insider that staff wasn’t able to safely use the sidewalks at times because of the encampments. Maloney added that since the SPCA started guarding its facilities with the robot — known as K9 — a month ago, the homeless encampments have dwindled and there have been fewer car break-ins.

I can think of better ways for the SPCA to spend its donations.

On the other hand, their employees have to be safe.

Of course, the ultimate responsibility for this falls on a mental healthcare system where inpatient care is discouraged (so people are on the street) and the medications that could help are too expensive.

zn wrote:

Why don’t you just move to Russia if you love the Seahawks so much.

Where do you think I’m posting from?

Zooey wrote:

I liked the chances of the Rams against the Vikings, the Saints, and the Eagles.

The Vikes beat them.

They beat the Saints.

The Eagles game was there for the taking, and the Rams’ inexperience cost them that game.

The Seahawks…well, the Rams nearly beat them in spite of 5 turnovers, including the Gurley fumble that fate could have turned the other way, and the Rams could have gone up big right there. Even so, they had the ball in the end zone as time expired, and could have won. They outplayed Seattle that day, except for 5 turnovers.

Now Seattle is down Chancellor, Sherman, Avril (again), and maybe Wagner. So although it is in Seattle, the Rams ought to have superiority in numbers. Superiority in talent on the field.

Both teams are going to want this game badly, obviously, so it will be an all out battle.

If that Rams lose, I will have to attribute their position in first place more to the mirage of a bad early start by Seattle than their own power as a team. I won’t doubt they are headed in the right direction, but I will see going 1-3 in these Big Games as evidence they don’t belong yet with the Big Boys.

They ought to win this game. Seattle is pretty badly damaged on defense, and the Rams are second in the league in scoring, and have a very good defense that should get the better of the weak Seattle OL. Wilson is a handful, and his receivers are good, and this will be close.

Seattle’s m.o. on offense is to snap the ball to Wilson who will then scramble around until someone gets open deep and then he chucks it to the open guy. It’s been very effective. My concern is a that a secondary down a starting corner will have difficulty covering receivers for an extended period of time.

When the Rams used a 4-3, Quinn, Sims, and Hayes could keep Wilson in the pocket while Donald and Brockers collapsed it. Not sure the current defense will be able to do that as well as they have in past years.

I still like the Rams’ chances though. The Seahawks haven’t faced a Rams offense this good since 2003 or 2004. I think the offense is better than it was the first time they met. Gurley is the new ‘beast mode’ and Goff is more comfortable in the pocket than he was when these teams met earlier in the year.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by nittany ram.

Need to clean a lot of stuff up. First time this year they lost a game they had a lead in so late. That makes this loss especially hard.

Another heart challenging stressfest next week.

Vikings v Panthers mainly, but like you I flip around a lot.

InvaderRam wrote:

I think I saw that the Eagles were staying in SoCal this week so they wouldn’t have to make trips to the west coast on consecutive weeks. If so, does anyone know if they are dealing with the same issue.

I heard they were practicing at Anaheim stadium so I don’t think it’s an issue there.
no it’s not an issue for the eagles. the rams are right in the middle of it. not good.

Remember in 89 when the Rams flew across the country on consecutive weeks to play the Eagles and the Giants in the playoff?

And they whupped them both.

Pansy-ass Eagles…afwaid of a wittle jet-lag are we?

Of course, the irony of a team called the Eagles not wanting to fly isn’t lost on me either.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by nittany ram.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by nittany ram.

zn wrote:

It also means that he needs to develop a more sophisticated wine tasting palette, and work on his french a bit, so the accent’s more natural (for small talk, comme vous le savez). Plus he needs to spend more time at art exhibits to elevate his sense of nuance.

Exactly.

That’s certainly what pushed him to the fourth round.

I heard he was unable to discern the difference between Cubism and Fauvism on the Wonderlich test.

Which is why I continue to have doubts about him.

joemad wrote:

the Philly loss in Sea…. is huge.

Winning in Tenn will not be automatic…

and Jimmy G completed +70% of his passes yesterday in Chicago and looked very good, drove his team for a game winning drive to win the game.

Let’s hope that that last game vs SF isn’t meaningful to the Rams…..

Rams need to win 2 or 3 of the next 4.

I think there’s a very good chance the Rams will be a wildcard team

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by nittany ram.

JackPMiller wrote:

Im going Rams 24 – Cardinals 10

Yeah, that’s about how I see it too.