zn wrote:

wv wrote:
Yeah. I dunno why those quotes would
bother anybody.

w
v

People took it as Bradford having a say in coaching hires, in general.

I took it as Fisher saying you ask the qb when you promote the qb coach, AND it’s good if the qb buys in (cause it wouldn’t be if the didn’t).

That doesn;t mean Bradford even met Hackett when Hackett came in.

Enh. Its a non-issue for me. I’ve read some of the
poster-commentary on it, and its not real persuasive
to say the least. Just another example of
us hardcore-crazy-ram-fanatix over-analyzing stuff 🙂

Let a thousand ayahuasca vines bloom.
Thats what i say.

w
v

I’m reading “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons. I dont read much sci fi, but
when the local used-book-store was closing down, i asked the owner
and manager what some of their favorite books were. They all liked
Hyperion in the sci-fi field. So, i thot I’d read it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkTfOkw9NLc
—-

“Seven people are chosen by the Church of Shrike and confirmed by the All Thing for the final pilgrimage to the Time Tombs on the outback world of Hyperion. Typically, those who make this trip do not return. And this time it is believed that the Time Tombs are about to open freeing the Shrike. To complicate matters, the Ousters are on their way to stage a war to take over the planet and the interstellar Hegemony is making plans to both evacuate and protect Hyperion.
Structured much like the Canterbury Tales,we learn the stories of each of the travelers…”
http://mostlyfiction.com/scifi/simmons.htm
————-

The book makes a lot of “Best Sci Fi books Lists”
Number 51 on NPR’s list:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books

w
v
“It occurs to me that our survival may depend upon our talking to one another.”
― Dan Simmons, Hyperion

“The world as we know it is ending, my friends, no matter what happens to us”
― Dan Simmons, Hyperion

One other vital piece of inside information
on Kevin White.

I was scouting him in the foodcourt
on the downtown campus at WVU.
I was behind him in line at Taziki’s
Mediterranean restaurant
http://nutrition.tazikiscafe.com/
and he ordered
the Talapia Fish Feast.

That has to
mean something.

w
v

zn wrote:

Yes, yes he is, in part because of his own actions. In part because of a Browns organization that remains dysfunctional despite suckers like me thinking the team finally knew what it was doing.

The Browns are left with this frightening scenario. It’s not Manziel’s off-field disasters that are hurting him. It’s worse.

It’s that he might not be a good player. At all.

Well thats kinda what Greg Cossell thought
as i recall — the guy just wasn’t very good.

w
v

CoachO

I think many are over-simplifying things when it comes to being able to “incorporate” Austin into the passing game. I know I am in the minority, but it just doesn’t make sense to me to focus so much on making him the “go to guy” in this offense, when he is so easily taken out of the offense by simply playing zone defense against him. Austin is a dynamic and elusive player when he is moving. He has the ability to cut and change direction unlike many, but when he is forced to “settle” in to a pocket of a zone, and STOP, he tends to be limited in his ability to get back up field.

I think Austin is okay with finding the soft spots in the zones. But he is no where close to having the “quicks” that an Amendola has in terms of changing direction. I have watched them try to run the same type routes in training camp, (arrow, option etc.) that Amendola was so effective running, with nowhere near the same results. In this past training camp, even TJ Moe ran those routes better than Austin.

If you look back at the games he excelled in his rookie year, you may have noticed that it came exclusively against MAN TO MAN coverage (Indy, Carolina, for example). Teams just don’t play man against the Rams very often.

Schottenheimer was able to exploit man coverage when they ran up against it. Be it Austin, or even Givens, they are the most successful on crossing routes, when they can be matched up in single (man) coverage.

Teams force Austin to “settle in” to the windows of the zone, catching the ball while STOPPED. The only effective alternative to that is underneath crossing routes, or bubble screens. But Austin is just too small to run the deep dig, and sending him on “9” routes just isn’t effective against 2-deep safeties. Again, he is just too small to win contested balls.

Forcing the ball to him, even with the Jet Sweeps, became very predictable, and less effective the more they tried.

IMO, for him to be effective, he has to rely on the others guys being more of a factor, (Quick, Britt, Cook) all becoming the focus in the intermediate passing game, which will open up the middle of the field for Austin. IF opposing LBs are forced to get deeper in their drop, it will give Austin more room on the underneath stuff.

Combine that with a successful running game, which makes the play action passing game go, it will now allow for Austin to run his routed BEHIND the LBs and in front of the Safeties.

But running “pick plays” against zone defenses just don’t work.

Will he improve? I would like to think he could. But his explosiveness is more in his straight line speed, not necessarily his change of direction and “stop and start”. When at top speed, his cutting and juking ability is incredible. But IMO, he just doesn’t have the same explosiveness as Amendola, Edelman and Welker in close quarters. Not to mention, he doesn’t have anywhere close to same consistent hands that the others possess.

I think that’s about the best single-post I’ve seen
on Tavon.

I’m not sure i agree with all of it, but
its thought-provoking and i tend to agree
with most of it.

Thing is though, I do think he can
run DEEPER routes. I think they have
to at least ‘try’ some of those routes
for him to be more effective.

I think we ALL agree Tavon will be
more effective if the ‘rest’ of the
WR corp can effectively stretch
and threaten Defenses — so some of
the Tavon stuff will depend on
the QB, and Quick, and Stedman
and Britt.

w
v

Zooey wrote:

Ouch.

Boy. You think about what the Rams got for the RGIII trade as opposed to one player from this draft. There are quite a few names on this list that there was strong sentiment for taking. And just imagine if the Rams had taken Blackmon or Richardson instead of making that trade. What a disaster.

Well, i had thought maybe they should draft RF3 and
trade Bradford for more picks.
I dunno how that woulda turned out
but at least we wouldnt be stuck with
an injury-prone QB.

Yeah, i should be a GM.

w
v

zn wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>wv wrote:</div>
Relocation might be an issue
for some free agents, i suppose.

IMO this is its own thread. Might spark interest. You okay with that? Up to you.

I really never care about the moving
of wv-posts.

As long as they are not moved
to New Jersey.

w
v

===================================
Laram

First thing that I heard from Cig that I liked was his willingness to go off script and stay with something the defense cannot defend.

That’s something that use to frustrate me in the past. Stay with it until they stop it.

Secondly he told something about Shotty. He said the biggest difference between he and Shotty is that he wanted to be the OC (to coordinate everything) and would essentially let the OC take care of the qb.

Translation for ME: Shotty wanted to work very closely with the qb, and didn’t allow me to do my job.

I’m not sure how I feel about that. IMO the OC should work closely with the qb.

Cigs, sounds like he’s more of an operational guy.

That’s interesting to me.

nittany ram wrote:

J… Sounds like JT is letting some of his personal feelings about Kroenke mingle with his professional life.

Oh yeah. Thats been going on with a lot of the local St.Louis reporters
ever since the LA thing exploded.

w
v

PA Ram wrote:

A pretty good discussion.

Enh. I didn’t see anyone asking hard questions. It was a bit too fluffy for my taste.
And that tends to happen when Veterans are on the panel. Folks tend to tiptoe around the vets feelings, etc.

I know you are a Vet, Pa, so we probably disagree on that. Just my opinion.

w
v

Dolphins record the last three years:
2012 7-9
2013 8-8
2014 8-8

See, just ‘trying’ to hire
Fisher causes TFE:
“the fisher effect”

w
v

rfl wrote:

zn wrote:
Lance Kendricks 27 1 38 71.1% 2.6%

I will be really disappointed if we cut this guy.

I really don’t understand why he isn’t a fan favorite. Or trusted more by the coaches.

Well, i dunno. He’s kinda like Laurinaitis
in that he doesnt really make big splashy
plays that make you go “Wow.”

w
v

We still got Oliver ; i think he’s
better than J.Stewart.

what “is” the “great attractor” exactly?

Laniakea Ram

I kinda doubt they stay at 10.

Priority needs: QB and OLinemen.
Secondary needs: LB, CB, Free Safety, maybe WR, maybe DT.

Just doesnt seem like any of the OLinemen are
all that special to merit a Tenth pick. Seems
like they can get quality OLinemen lower in the
first round. Also, doesnt seem like any of the QBs
are ten-spotters. So why stay at 10?

Just seems like a trade-up,
or trade-down, is more likely-than-not,
to me.

Also, seems more-likely-than-not that they
dont pick many ‘raw’ project-type-players in this draft.
One would think Fisher has to feel like its time to be in “win now” mode.

w
v