Welcome to GurleyWood.@TG3II's 10 BEST plays from last season! 🐏🔥 pic.twitter.com/yFF6o6gU96

— NFL (@NFL) July 24, 2018

Agreeing to a four-year, $60 million extension didn't keep @TG3II out of the gym. (via @travellegaines) pic.twitter.com/Npww0yO3af

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 24, 2018

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/dOoSawId5j

— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) July 24, 2018

bigjimram21

Heard Les on ESPN 710 say that these deals are negotiated in a vacuum, independently and at their own pace no matter what other things are going on.

Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
$45 million guaranteed blows away the rest of the running back market

Gurley’s deal is an interesting one to discuss. The Rams could’ve let him play out his deal, then franchised him twice (at a number that probably wouldn’t have been THAT much higher than tag), before then grooming a replacement.

Todd Gurley was already making himself heard on guaranteed contracts. Now, he’s negotiated the largest guaranteed contract ever for a running back. Le’Veon Bell, David Johnson, and Ezekiel Elliott are all rejoicing right now.

Gurley’s contract will run through 2023, just as he nears the dreaded 30-year old running back zone. I’m sure there will be options to cut ties before then, though. How the guaranteed money is allocated, cap-wise, will be very interesting.

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
McVay says Dominique Easley (knee) and Obo Okoronkwo (foot) will open training camp on the PUP list. @CVRamsClub @DowntownR

McVay says Okoronkwo is expected to come off of it “some time… He is making good progress… Those guys are in a good place.”

Dré@Dreday8k
I think Donald will be moved. Not sure how they fit all these guys under the cap. If Suh balls out this season AD is out. They rent Suh for a couple of years then start over at the position.

Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
No.

FYI on #Rams extension with Todd Gurley and how it (doesn’t) impact Aaron Donald’s situation. As Les Snead said, these deals are unto themselves and negotiated simultaneously.

ShoTyme Watkins@Shotyme2203
Do you think @JaredGoff16 can be a top 10 QB? I think it’s still a lot of people who don’t respect him. I think he’s going to light the #NFL on fire

Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
Yes

Goff is really good.

Viable #NFL QB capable of quarterbacking a team to playoffs. Which is what any NFL team’s fanbase would want and is the opposite of what many were saying this time last year. My prediction: That “to the playoffs” will eventually be followed by “and beyond”

==

Myles Simmons@MylesASimmons
Snead: “Each situation is different” for contract extensions. Snead adds, “We’re simultaneously working to make Aaron a Ram for a long time.” #LARams

==

Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Sean McVay said Gurley’s contract extension “doesn’t have any affect on the Aaron (Donald) things.”

===

Albert Breer@AlbertBreer
Cooks’ deal didn’t affect Donald, and Gurley won’t either. The numbers are way past what you’ll see in those two, so it’s not like this sets some kind of floor.

Rams Quarterback Jared Goff – Training Camp Press Conference – July 23, 2018

(On how fast the offseason has gone and now beginning year three of his career)

“Yeah, it’s kind of flown by. I think about my first time here with Hard Knocks and that first year, and how fast it’s gone by. Now onto year three and it’s exciting. I’m excited to be here. I’m very excited to get down here. I love it down here in Irvine. I think all the guys are very excited to get going again.”

(On how this training camp will be different compared to his first two camps)

“I just have a better feel of the place, I think. Rookie year is rookie year and then last year going into it, kind of a new system. You’re kind of still getting used to it, still getting used to the schedule of the coaches. Then this year, I kind of know what our schedule is going to be, know what to expect throughout the preseason games. We kind of have an identity now. I’m familiar with this campus and everything’s much more comfortable at home.”

(On if he expects Head Coach Sean McVay to be any different in year two)

“I don’t think so. I think he’s going to have the same approach. I think he’s going to continue to grow as a coach and as a play-caller and as a leader of our team. But I think he’s going to be the same guy that he’s been.”

(On if DT Aaron Donald being away will be much of a distraction during training camp)

“It wasn’t last year. We dealt with it last year, and I wish the best for him. Hope that gets resolved, but they’re dealing with it and hopefully it gets resolved soon.”

(On his reaction to getting WR Brandin Cooks here for a long-term deal)

“Excited. Very excited. Excited for Brandin. Excited for our team, and he deserves it. He’s put a few 1000-yard years together, and I know we’re excited about what he did in the spring for us. His addition with (WR) Robert (Woods) and (WR) Cooper (Kupp). I feel good about where we’re at with the receiver position.”

(On if his approach changes at all with the different expectations)

“No, not one change to the approach at all. I think you see every year there are teams that get that type of label and often fall short, and you wonder why. I think that’s something we can’t really focus on. Take every day like we have the past year and build off of what we did in the spring. I was really happy with the way we progressed in the spring, and how much more comfortable, not just me, but everybody feels with the offense. It’s starting to come along.”

(If there’s something in particular he wants to work on this camp)

“Everything — nothing in particular. Just to continue to grow, continue to get better. Continue to get the ball in the playmakers’ hands and let them run with it, distribute. I don’t know, take less sacks, get rid of the ball.”

(On if since it’s his third year he feels like he will become, or wants to become a more vocal leader opposed to just leading by example)

“Yeah, just continue to be myself, whatever that is daily. Just continue to be myself and continue to grow into that role. Just be authentic and be myself.”

(On his stance on the National Anthem situation and what he thinks will happen with the Rams)

“You know, I don’t know. I think we’re going to have to sit down and talk about it again like we did last year. I’m sure we’ll do that at some point, have ourselves a meeting and talk about what we want to do. I don’t know what the answer is right now. We’ll discuss it as a team internally and just how we want to do, and whatever that is then we’ll be doing it as a group.”

(On if something like the National Anthem policy discussion can be a distraction for the team)

“Not for us, no, I don’t think so. I think we proved last year that it wasn’t a distraction or us. We got a really good group of mature guys and guys that are driven and have one goal in mind. I think there are many distractions, that could be one of them, but we won’t allow it to be and like I said, we’ll handle that internally.”

(On having the qualities of a championship team and all of the players and pieces in place needed to be successful)

“Like you said, we’ve got all of that. We’ve got all the pieces we need, we just need to put it together and continue to work hard every day and put all the pieces together. Like I said, every year there’s teams with talent, we have talent, but what are we going to do to separate ourselves from the other teams? Continue to prepare and be the best we can be throughout this training camp and this season.”

(On whether he did anything fun over the summer)

“Anything fun? Not really. I went home for a little bit. I wish I would’ve gone on vacation somewhere. I didn’t really have much time. I went home. I went to the Bay Area for about a week, spent some time up there. That was fun. I went to Lake Tahoe last week — that was nice — for the golf tournament. That was fun. Good, little relaxing vacation, I guess. It was good.”

(On whether there’s anything he would do differently off the field from previous training camps)

“Yeah…Once you learn the schedule better, like I had last year, you start to realize when you have some down time, when there’s a time for a 20-minute nap and stuff like that. You can kind of figure that stuff out throughout the schedule. Just time management. When it’s time for a nap and 30 minutes of film or something like that. You just figure out little pockets of time that you can use to your advantage.”

(On any rookies that he’s looking forward to working with this week)

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing those offensive linemen grow. All of them. Excited to see what they can do and excited to see them kind of grow into their role and continue to get better. They had a really good spring.”

(On whether he’s concerned about OL Jamon Brown’s situation)

“No. It’s something I think we’ve been preparing for. Not concerned. I think Jamon, that was a mistake he made years ago. Obviously, he publicly he feels bad about it, but he’ll be okay. He’s a big piece of our offense, a big piece for our success and we’ll miss him for those first two games, but someone will step up and step in there just fine.”

PFF Training Camp Preview: Los Angeles Rams

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-pff-training-camp-preview-rams?utm_content=bufferb5777&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=nfl

As the Los Angeles Rams prepare for their third season back in Southern California, the hype surrounding the team is as high as it’s been since the Greatest Show on Turf years in St. Louis. After a flurry of surprising moves, Los Angeles has quite a few new faces in the starting lineup, each of whom have spent their time as game-changing players at their respective positions over the past few seasons.

…

Los Angeles Rams, Training Camp

DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE

There is an old saying that defense wins championships, and that seems to be a core belief of the Rams’ management considering the plethora of moves made to solidify the defense heading into 2018. To strengthen the secondary, the Rams traded for star cornerbacks Marcus Peters (2017 grade of 85.7) and Aqib Talib (86.2), signed free agent cornerback Sam Shields (82.8, 2015 grade) and extended the contract of Nickell Robey-Coleman (84.9). To bulk up the defensive line, the Rams signed the top available free agent defensive tackle in Ndamukong Suh (91.0), to pair with superstar interior defensive lineman Aaron Donald (99.7).

Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the Rams’ cornerbacks have allowed a passer rating of 94.1 when targeted while averaging 9.0 cover snaps per reception. The foursome of Talib, Peters, Robey-Coleman and Shields, on the other hand, have allowed a passer rating of only 76.5 when targeted while averaging 11.3 cover snaps per reception. The Los Angeles cornerback group will enter 2018 as arguably the premier group in the league.

Similarly, when comparing Donald and Suh to the rest of the interior defensive linemen in the NFL, a stark difference is obvious. Over the past four seasons, all NFL interior defensive linemen, excluding Donald and Suh, have accumulated a pass-rushing productivity (PRP) of 6.1 and a run-stop percentage of 7.2 percent.

The combination of Donald and Suh have averaged a pass-rush productivity of 10.0 and a run-stop percentage of 9.0 percent.

NOW WE’RE COOKIN’

As if the additions to the defense above weren’t impressive enough, the Rams were also able to acquire one of the best deep threats at the wide receiver position in Brandin Cooks via a trade with the Patriots. Without skipping a beat, the Rams proceeded to extend Cooks with a massive five-year deal that will keep him in Los Angeles through the 2023 season. Between Cooks, who is just 24 years old, Todd Gurley (23) and Jared Goff (23), the Rams have not only one of the youngest offensive units in the NFL, but also one of the most promising.

In 2017, Goff finished with a grade of 81.3, which ranked 15th out of 39 quarterbacks. Gurley led all 58 running backs with an elite grade of 92.0 and Cooks tied for 36th out of 116 wide receivers with a grade of 77.1. While Cooks’ overall grade was seemingly pedestrian, he excelled in deep passing category.

Cooks was one of just four wide receivers with 30 or more deep passing targets (passes with targets of 20 or more yards downfield) to have a drop rate of 0.0 and with 608 yards on deep passes, Cooks was second to only Tyreek Hill of Kansas City. Overall, quarterbacks had a passer rating of 106.9 when targeting Cooks, a mark that was 14th highest among wide receivers with 40 or more targets. While Tom Brady threw more deep passes for New England last season than Goff did for the Rams, Goff had a higher passer rating (99.5 to Brady’s 88.5) and higher touchdown to interception ratio (4:1 to Brady’s 5:4) than Brady on such passes. With a significantly stronger running game in Los Angeles, Cooks is primed for a career year in 2018.

INJECTION OF YOUTH

As if bringing in all of the star players wasn’t enough, the Rams were able to add an additional 11 players in the 2018 NFL Draft. While a few of these players are sure to make an impact in the NFL, it must be noted that only one of these players were selected in the top 100 picks.

Interestingly enough, the highest-graded draft pick for LA was their seventh-round pick, edge defender Justin Lawler, who had a grade of 89.5 in 2017. Lawler finished the season with 52 pressures, which was tied for 12th most among FBS edge defenders.

The second-highest grade by a Rams draft pick was another edge defender, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo out of Oklahoma, who finished the season with a grade of 86.6.

For more on Lawler, Okoronkwo and the rest of the 2018 NFL Draft class – it’s not too late to grab the 2018 Draft Guide with grades, prospect profiles and much more –

The young pair of talented edge rushers should complement Donald and Suh and the rest of the Rams defensive line, adding depth as they prepare for what can only be looked at as a hopeful lengthy playoff run in 2018. With all of the new additions to the Rams, Los Angeles is now one of the favorites to get to the Super Bowl from the NFC. This team is poised to not only find success in the 2018 season, rather, they are setting themselves up to be a dominant franchise for the foreseeable future.

POSITION BATTLES TO WATCH

Los Angeles Rams, Training Camp

Inside linebacker – Cory Littleton vs Ramik Wilson vs Micah Kiser

Youth vs experience – rookies Trevon Young and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo challenge Matt Longacre and Samson Ebukam

Starting WR opposite Cooks – Pharoh Cooper, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods

Tight end – Gerald Everett vs Tyler Higbee

Backup quarterback – Sean Mannion vs Brandon Allen

…

Heads up: 2018 QB Tiers project publishes Tuesday (7/24). Here's a quick look at the rookie first-round QBs https://t.co/LP4dOPUR7N

— Mike Sando, ESPN.com (@SandoESPN) July 23, 2018

Makes sense. They are high on Kenny Britt at that spot… https://t.co/r3M7YiPt71

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2018

Myles Simmons@MylesASimmons
QB1 at the podium. Goff says he’s excited to be here in Irvine. Third training camp, he says, he’ll have a better feel and know what to expect. “We kind of have an identity now.” #RamsCamp

Goff says he’s not concerned about RG Jamon Brown’s suspension. Says team has been preparing for it. They know Brown had been publicly apologetic about the mistake he made. Goff says he expects someone will step up and OL will be fine. #RamsCamp

Remember this time last year when people were wondering whether #Rams Jared Goff was a viable #NFL QB? He reports to camp this year as a certainty, not a question mark, as #Rams embark on a possible Super Bowl run. pic.twitter.com/9cR56w7A4D

— Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) July 23, 2018

East Palmdale Papì@EastyAssX
How that ankle feel dawg?

Ogbo Okoronkwo@OgboOkoronkwo
Like a million bucks my man