I would not be shocked if the Rams trade down, actually. That may in fact be the best move this year unless there is a “can’t pass up guy” at their spot–OR if they can move up a few spots to get that guy. I have a lot of faith in their scouting and they can really fill in some depth and still find a starter or two.

They seem to be at that spot of the draft this year where they could do that trade down and make out better in the long run.

If they stay there and Landry falls to them, I’d take him.

Otherwise if they can move up a little to take Vea, I’d do it for the right price but I feel that he will be long gone until they pick.

I just can’t get excited about this. I really think that the money just isn’t there to sign the guy and I don’t find myself of the belief that Suh will take less money to play for a winner.

If he did, and things started poorly, I’m not sure if he’d be a great guy in the locker room. Also he has only played in a 4-3 scheme and you’d probably have to move Brockers back to NT.

I’d rather they find more of a pure nose tackle and someone who doesn’t stomp on other players. There is no way the Rams can or should pay Suh the kind of money he will want. Hey–if they can drive up his price so Seattle can’t sign him–great.

This all assumes that McVay does not adjust.

I just don’t believe that will be the case. He seems open to borrowing from others–to using anything that will give his offense an edge. He does not seem like some inflexible coach. He wants to score. Sure–defenses will adjust to some degree and yes–there will be adjustments to Goff.

But Mcvay is smart. He will figure that out.

And Goff really showed me something in the Atlanta playoff loss. He struggled in the 1st half. But he looked like a different quarterback in the 2nd half–from how he saw the field to how he moved. I think something happened in that game for him–even though they lost.

He will only get better.

I trust the coaching staff. I think the Rams have the personnel to win.

They have to be considered a contender unless they get wiped out by injuries or fall on their face.

They certainly have to be the NFC West favorite next year.

Make no mistake–there are some outstanding teams in the NFC. Philly. Minnesota. New Orleans. Atlanta. Green Bay with a healthy Rodgers. Anyone can win it.

But the important thing is that the Rams ARE in that mix. It’s a place they haven’t been for years.

When he ranks these teams I’m not so sure that the top 6 teams have that much separation. Luck will play a part.

But they are in the battle.

I was just talking at work last night with a guy who told me about a co-worker who is a Seventh Day Adventist who celebrates the Sabbath on a Saturday because that’s how it is supposed to be–that the Romans had just decided to make it Sunday instead because of the pagans who worshiped the sun God as they were were forced to become Christians. I told him that I thought most of the traditions were handpicked by men and that you could not separate man’s influence on this.

But it’s interesting how one sect will accept some things while some accept others and they all believe they’re practicing the TRUE religion.

Everyone thinks they don’t want a theocracy–unless it’s in their own tradition–but even within that they’d get outraged over things that did not line up to their personal beliefs.

Very sad news.

I never got to meet GRITS but his pictures look exactly as I pictured him. I don’t know that I ever met a more passionate Rams fan. And yes–greatest handle ever. He also struck me as a guy with a bit of a sense of humor. I remember reading that in some of his posts. And I thought if I ever had the chance I would like to meet him.

He is a legend of Rams Nation in my mind.

He will be missed.

I love Thomas Frank.

I have been saying from day one that the Dems just have not come to grips with the fact that Clinton lost because she was a TERRIBLE candidate and because we have an electoral college system that is flawed. It isn’t any more complex than that. The Russians did not decide the election.

That narrative is way over the top, IMO.

Also–no mention of the use of dark money in influencing elections. That comes from everywhere.

That’s an even BIGGER issue.

But–nothing.

I do not believe it is worth starting WWIII over.

And of course we do it too in various ways.

Having said all of that, Trump is probably the most corrupt president we’ve ever had an if some of his crimes are exposed–so be it. Also–if they are able to safeguard election systems from foreign interference it is also a good thing–and by that I mean voting machines and the like.

And of course–my past posts say all I need to about how I feel about Putin. He is Al Capone. He is what he is.

But this Russia hysteria about some sort of stolen election is nonsense.

I may not like the way the game is played(but the primary and the whole superdelegate process for the Dems is no fair process either)but she knew the rules. Clinton screwed up. She thought she was owed something. She wasn’t.

Hey Ag, I’m so glad you’re feeling better. I can’t imagine how painful that must be. I suffer from kidney stones so I’ve had my own kidney issues but besides the stones they are otherwise healthy. It’s one of those things you take for granted until something horrible happens.

I wish you well, my friend.

Well, I think we can all agree that television news in general just sucks. It’s next to worthless.

I’d rather listen to “The Majority Report” or read alternative sources. Cable news is a joke. It’s almost like reality television where little battles are set up between screaming guests. How much are they covering the consequences of everything Trump is doing–from tearing apart the CFPB to his desire for more dangerous nukes? To his dismantling of regulations that give us clean air and water?

I am sick of Russia, Russia, Russia 24 hours a day. Look-it’s a very important story. How corrupt is Trump and his Russian ties? What about Kushner? Yes–we need to know that. But how about you cover a bit of that unless something huge breaks and maybe cover the other important issues along the way?

And as bad as MSNBC and CNN are–Fox News has gone totally off the rails in defense of Trump to become the Alex Jones Network. And between that and Rush Limbaugh and his ilk, they have separated their listeners from all reality. Forget debate. We can never agree on facts again.

So it’s a swamp. A mess.

But hey–you want to talk about influence on our elections and corruption of the process? How about dark money influence? How about outright buying of our elected officials by corporations AND foreign governments?

What’s that? Crickets?

I thought so.

They are dumbing everything down. And our obsession now with tweets and memes and quick soundbites is transforming our society from an informed one to an ignorant one. How can we solve the issues when we don’t even understand them?

I give up.

I won’t spend hours arguing anymore with someone who can’t agree on facts. I just won’t.

I care about my kids and their future and that’s the only reason I argue or comment at all. My hope is that their generation will do better. This baby boomer generation sucks. We blew it. We are leaving them garbage. I look to them to try to fix this mess when we’re gone.

I wish them luck.

I loved the Christopher Nolan “Batman” franchise and the first “Iron Man” and even the Tim Burton “Batman” was cool when it was released.

But I’m burned out on superhero films. I still see them(I saw “Justice League” and “Wonder Woman”) but they all start to look alike after awhile.

I’m enjoying certain television films or series better. “Babylon Berlin” was excellent on Netflix. I haven’t seen a film that good in years.

It feels like I go to fewer films each year. I watch more classics on television.

Last year the films I liked the most were “Wind River” and oddly “Mother!” and I saw both of them at home. I look for films to get excited about but I just can’t find them. I’ll settle on a film here or there just to see a movie but I don’t get excited about many.

I wish you and your family a better year going forward.

I agree it sucks. This year has been awful so far.

My daughter has had serious anxiety issues and hasn’t been able to work or drive. She lives about an hour from me and I’ve had to keep going up to help get her to various medical appointments. I’ve been busy as they rule out this or that health issue. Then during a bad cold streak her furnace died. Lots of issues there.

Anyway, my niece’s husband has kidney cancer and isn’t expected to live much longer. He just left his job–which was a great job and I’m not sure how much longer he will continue treatment. He has been battling for a year. He’s not quite 40 and has two younger children. It’s very sad. He’s been to the Mayo clinic and even went to Texas looking for something to help but no luck.

My wife has been in physical therapy with a bad knee that doesn’t seem to get much better. Not sure if she may have a knee replacement on the horizon.

I smashed the front of my car in a parking lot against a pole. (First accident I ever had).

Add in a horrible toothache which required a root canal and a few other things and it has been a miserable year for me so far.

And of course the national news is horrible.

I have to avoid it a lot. It’s not worth watching.

I can’t do anything about it.

The direction of the country sucks–to put it mildly.

So yes–2018 REALLY sucks.

Hopefully things get better for everyone.

What….a….game.

If you love football, you had to love that game.

Philly did it in Rocky style.

I have never been an Eagles fan but it was hard not to cheer for THIS team. This was a team that lost so many players this year–important players–their starting LT, their starting QB, their starting MLB, their sparkplug running back, their starting kicker. And somehow–they did it. They kept pushing forward. It should be inspiring for any fan.

I thought when the Pats took the lead with 9 minutes left that the game was over, that somehow the Patriots had done it again–as they always do and that would have sucked and been heartbreaking for this Eagles team in a way I can’t imagine.

I felt sick about it.

But the Eagles had other plans.

Nick Foles–wow. Unbelievable. Pederson found what he did well and let him do it.

Eagles fans are breaking down on the radio call-in shows this morning. These are suffering fans whose parents and grandparents may never have seen their team win a Superbowl, fans who put their hearts on their sleeves and yes–more obnoxious than any fans in the NFL–but emotionally invested in their team and city in a huge way.

Good for them.

The massive crowds were out in the streets last night and celebrating for hours.

I’m surprised how good I feel for them and how much I am happy that they beat the Patriots.

I’ve said that you have to put a stake in their heart to beat them because they do not die easily. And Pederson did just that. He kept ripping at their throats.

It was fun.

Good for them.

Eagles win it 27-24.

Foles is MVP.

He could have been OUR quarterback, you know. He Was our quarterback. Ahhh, what could have been.

Another prediction: Rioting in the city may start later than expected due to heavy rain. Tune in around 11 pm or midnight for all the action.

Zooey wrote:

He didn’t just dive out of the way. He laid a block on another Saints defender who could have made a tackle.

I have watched the play several times. It just looks very weird. It looks so odd that people who think he missed on purpose can make a case for that. He actually seems to whip his back leg at the other Saints back as he’s falling down.

I don’t believe he missed on purpose. But it can look that way.

It looks very bad for him the way it ended up.

But I think it was a freak play and he screwed up.

We just lost a gerrymandering case in Pennsylvania.

Now it goes to the Supreme Court.

That was the most unbelievable ending to a playoff game I’ve ever seen.

Good for Keenum.

But what the heck was that Saint defender doing?

He looked right at Diggs when he made the catch and then seemed to almost dive out of his way. Very weird.

Was he that concerned about touching him for fear of penalty that he forgot to tackle? He didn’t particularly dive toward the sideline he just kind of fell that way while avoiding Diggs. Strangest non-tackle I’ve ever seen.

What a nightmare for Saints fans.

I hate that the Rams lost. I’m glad they didn’t lose like that.