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znModeratorThere are many reasons doctors are for single payer.
And no country that has single payer is in the process of dismantling it in favor of a privatized system
There’s this from that bastion of agenda-driven left-of-liberal commie pinko fanaticism, Newsweek. This is not the only article and not the only poll.
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THE BEST HEALTH CARE SYSTEM? DOCTORS BACK SINGLE-PAYER PLAN, SURVEY SHOWS
http://www.newsweek.com/best-health-care-system-doctors-back-single-payer-plan-survey-shows-667751
Doctors have come out overwhelmingly in support of a single-payer health care system, a new study shows.
Forty-two percent of doctors support the type of federal insurance system currently being championed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, according to pollster Merrit Hawkins. Another 14 percent of physicians were “somewhat supportive,” but only 33 percent “strongly opposes” the single-payer system and six percent was somewhat against it.
In the same study from 2008, 42 percent of doctors strongly or mildly supported single-payer—a swing of 14 percentage points. And the percentage that strongly or mildly opposed single-payer has dropped 19 percent.
The doctors are part of an overall trend in support of the so-called “Medicare for All” approach. Overall, 33 percent of Americans now favor the single-payer system, up 5 percentage points since January and up 12 percent since 2014, a Pew Research Center study shows. Politicians are also reading the tea leaves: Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have signed onto a bill by Sanders to create a single-payer system that would make the federal government the nation’s health care insurer.
First, it’s generational. According to both the Pew Research Center’s poll and the survey from Merrit Hawkins, support for a single-payer health insurance is much greater among younger adults and doctors than older adults. And with older doctors retiring and young doctors starting to practice, there is less resistance to single-payer.
Doctors added that a single-payer health care system helps them focus on their actual job and spend more time caring for patients and less time navigating the existing insurance-based system, according to Merritt Hawkins.
“Doctors are constantly seeing patients that have health problems that they can’t address because of their insurance,” said Dr. Ed Weisbart of Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization that advocates for single payer. “There are so many people without insurance, and that has improved, but the quality of [their] insurance is getting worse and worse.”
Doctors, he added, are “fed up” with the current system.
Weisbart said that the reason he went to medical school and became a physician was because he wanted to help people—not to spend time dealing with nonclinical administrative work. And single-payer, he says, is the best way to resolve it.
“There really aren’t any other good strategies,” he said. “Physicians are realizing, well, good gosh, we’ve tested out every model we can think of.”
The Merritt Hawkins survey was emailed to 70,000 physicians and received 1,033 responses. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
znModeratorBrandin Cooks will get his first taste of McVay’s coaching style this year, and even after just two weeks of OTAs, he understands what all the hype is about. He loves McVay’s energy on the practice field, saying he should just put a jersey on and play.
“I think his youth and energy that he brings to the table,” Cooks said. “He might as well suit up himself and come out there and play football with us because his energy that he brings catapults us all.
“He might as well be running routes because he’s running half of them already.”
znModeratorGo get it, @CooperKupp! 👏#LARams pic.twitter.com/JdYPnBIn9w
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 31, 2018
znModeratorYear two of that @JaredGoff16 to @robertwoods chemistry? 🔥🔥🔥#LARams pic.twitter.com/cBHzeZusHQ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 1, 2018
znModerator"There you go! Got him!"
Mic’d Up: Inside #LARams OTAs with Coach Phillips! pic.twitter.com/ExglQtA4yG
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 1, 2018
znModeratorThe #Rams have several contract extensions to get done… but it seems everyone is waiting until star DT Aaron Donald gets extended (if he does). pic.twitter.com/JRMtGDmVfJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 1, 2018
znModerator
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from: https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-the-top-eight-slot-cornerbacks-for-2018
PFF: The top eight slot cornerbacks for 2018
Nickell Robey-Coleman, Los Angeles Rams
A criminally-undervalued player in the free agent market last offseason, Robey-Coleman allowed only 0.80 yards per coverage snap inside for the upstart Rams in 2017. He was impressively consistent, allowing more than five completions or 65 yards into his coverage just once, and in that game he broke up three passes. Robey-Coleman has the potential to be one of the best role players on a defense that could, by season’s end, be in the conversation for the league’s best unit.znModeratorFYI for anyone interested….
Waterfield is partially correct when he says single payer failed in Vermont because of costs. However, the Vermont plan excluded large businesses from participating. Therefore, a huge source of funding was lost from the beginning. Plus, they never figured out what to do with people who were already on federal Medicare/Medicaid. For these reasons, one could argue that what Vermont was trying to implement wasn’t really single payer anyway, so their experience cannot really be used as an “I told you so” by the anti-single payer crowd.
Plus of course single payer works all over the world in different places and has for decades. Including Canada and Scandanavia.
The thing that CAN’T be justified, IMO, is paying for private insurance companies who make a profit and have high administrative overhead on top of it. That’s as much as 10 times greater the administrative costs than public systems and of course not a dime of that goes toward health care.
There are many reasons doctors are for single payer.
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znModeratorreferring to the first article in this thread:
Louis Riddick@LRiddickESPN
A very detailed, well reasoned, well organized explanation by @cfrelund as to why @AaronDonald97 needs to get paid. NOW! Read it for yourself…znModeratorFBISean Kent@seankent
Dinesh D’Souza has made fun of teenage mass shooting survivors, mocked Rosa Parks, called Obama a “grown up Trayvon in the White House”, and said slavery wasn’t wrong because slaves were “treated pretty well.” No wonder Ted Cruz loves him.znModerator2017 scoring drive efficiency by QB, courtesy of @NFLResearch — and @JimmyG_10 pic.twitter.com/uAB2ymm54z
— Chris Wesseling (@ChrisWesseling) May 31, 2018
znModeratorLawler has been stepping up in OTAs in the absence of Obo and Fox. He has gotten a lot of positive buzz so far.
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znModeratorYeah. That, too.
Those are the kinds of things that are routinely absent from the history Americans learn, and the kinds of details that we have all faced hostility for drawing attention to over the years.
They are crucial frames. And their absence from the narrative is a big reason why our government is able to continue to perform these kinds of atrocities to standing ovations from the general public.
There was a controversy about this earlier on the board when it was pointed out that Burns did not even mention the Gulf of Tonkin incident was faked. The Ken Burns version of Vietnam http://theramshuddle.com/search/Tonkin/
When I realize they did that I decided to never watch it.
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znModerator10 Observations from OTA No. 6
Myles Simmons
1) The offense began practice with more quick passes on Thursday. Quarterbacks and receivers were working on rhythm and timing routes off of play action in the backfield. That continues through individual drills, where wideouts received more quick passes.
2) Later in individual drills, quarterbacks and wideouts worked on deep corner routes. The ball shouldn’t hit the ground in situations like this where the offense is going against air. And for the vast majority of throws, it didn’t. A few times, Head Coach Sean McVay mocked rushing the passer as the QB made his drop back.
3) In group offensive drills, the offense worked on red zone passes. One of the interesting aspects of these drills is that everyone in the play ends up catching a ball — even if the QB doesn’t look his way. Coaches and other quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage help fill the gaps once the play’s signal-caller has let his pass fly.
4) Outside linebacker Justin Lawler seems to always be around the ball with a chance to get his hands on it. That was the case early in 11-on-11 drills when he got to a swing pass at the same time as a receiver. Lawler didn’t make the interception, but assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Barry praised Lawler’s timing on the sideline.
5) During the first 11-on-11 period, quarterback Jared Goff made a pair of nice downfield passes. The first went down the seam to wideout Cooper Kupp for what would’ve been a big gain. The next was deep down the middle for wide receiver Robert Woods, and it would have gone for a touchdown off play action.
6) The club finished the 11-on-11 period with red zone work. On one play, Goff didn’t initially have a receiver open, scrambled to his right, and hit Woods in the front corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
7) Los Angeles had two fields going for 7-on-7 work. The first and second units were on one field, with the rest of the club on the other. That’s one of the luxuries of having 90 players. Plus, McVay emphasizes being able to get the most out of every minute during the offseason program. That’s one way to do it.
8) During that 7-on-7 period, Goff fired a nice red-zone pass up the right sideline to tight end Gerald Everett. The offense was able to take advantage of a size mismatch on the Everett, who reached up and snatched the ball down on the run in the end zone for a touchdown.
9) The Rams used their next 11-on-11 period for the young players on the roster — those that might not usually receive regular reps. Rookie running back John Kelly took the first handoff of the period over to the right side for a nice run outside the tackles. Quarterback Luis Perez also made a nice pass to wide receiver LaQuivionte Gonzalez on the right side for what would have been first-down yardage.
10) The Rams finished practice with a jog through on both fields. The offense went against a scout defense and the defense a scout offense to close the second week of OTAs.
znModeratorThe battle over history….
… the fundamental flaw of the PBS series: Burns and Novick “assert at the beginning that the war ‘was begun in good faith by decent people, out of fateful misunderstandings.’” Questioned about this in a New York Times interview, Burns admitted that might have been “too generous to our leaders,” but he stuck by it.
VFP’s ad quickly responds to that “generous” remark, saying, “Even a cursory reading of the Pentagon Papers disclosed by Daniel Ellsberg,” (inexplicably missing from this history) “demonstrates the falseness of this claim of American innocence.” The painful truth, according to the ad, is that the United States “rained incredible violence on the Vietnamese people merely to replace France as the dominant power in Southeast Asia.”
Another shortcoming in last fall’s series was it paid far too little attention to the millions of civilian deaths the U.S. caused in Southeast Asia, skips over the millions of people still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange and ignores some 700,000 tons of unexploded ordnance still lurking in the fields of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, still killing and injuring today.
Acknowledging that Burns and Novick were “justifiably critical of American presidents and military leaders” the veterans say the filmmakers, “mainly focus on the harm to U.S. soldiers” and “reinvigorate Cold War myths that the Vietnamese anti-colonial struggle was merely an extension of Soviet and Chinese communist expansion.”
Another shortcoming in last fall’s series was it paid far too little attention to the millions of civilian deaths the U.S. caused in Southeast Asia, skips over the millions of people still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange and ignores some 700,000 tons of unexploded ordnance still lurking in the fields of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, still killing and injuring today
znModeratorDavon Godchaux learned to be nasty in one year with Ndamukong Suh
Davon Godchaux learned to be nasty in one year with Ndamukong Suh
DAVIE — Davon Godchaux isn’t Ndamukong Suh, but he benefited from a one-year mentorship under the five-time Pro Bowler and gained a lot from watching him work on a daily basis.
The Dolphins let Suh go this offseason and will proceed with Godchaux as a likely starter at defensive tackle. He came in as a fifth-round pick and played well, which is partly a credit to Suh’s influence. He described him as a “great guy” who embraced the role of being a teacher.
“Great mentor,” Godchaux said today. “I think after practice everybody saw me and Suh getting together and working on pass-rush moves, run fits, things he learned… Just a lot of things he taught me off the field, whether that’s eating right (or) things like that.”
He added, “You finally get to be on the same side with him and play with him and see how nasty he really is in a game and how physical he really is. It’s a major part for me. I’m glad I got to play with him.”
Godchaux played 15 games, including five starts, last year and is among the young players Miami is counting on to have a breakthrough this season. He had 40 tackles, one pass breakup and a forced fumble last season. Pro Football Focus ranked him the No. 84 defensive tackle, which is a decent starting point as a rookie.
Suh ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Rams, who are not on Miami’s schedule this season. He reached out to Godchaux after he left to encourage him to keep improving on the things that served him well last season.
“I reached out to him and told him best of luck and things like that,” Godchaux said. “He sent me a message, ‘If you keep working hard, the sky is the limit for you.’ I’ll try to stay in touch with him.”
znModeratorDonald made contact with at least two opposing offensive players on the greatest percentage of snaps (83.5 percent) of any interior defender in the league.
As we knew, he draws attention (making it easier for everyone else) and makes plays anyway.
And then there’s this:
Teams with two above-average (or better) pass rushers AND two above-average (or better) corners have significantly higher win percentages, and they can succeed even with less dominant offenses. If you were to create “the average” offense, having all four of these defensive chess pieces would be worth between two and four wins, depending on schedule.
znModeratorThat’s a dense but very interesting article.
znModeratorI don’t think that’s what we need at all ! This country is essentially by history fairly conservative. By moving too far to the left we all but insure a more powerful and stronger right. And with a stronger right comes authoritarianism and demagoguery. And of course from that comes what we not have in the WH. IMO any move to the extreme-right or left-is simply another form of populism that appeals to the popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument. I don’t ever want to see a left version of Trump. This one is bad enough for me.
The greatest gains for people in this country’s history occurred with the New Deal, which the republicans are trying to wipe out and which the democrats are tepid about defending.
Actually in spite of the myth of the country being conservative, if you go an issue at a time, the majority always prefers left solutions. For example, single payer health insurance.
Which would save people enormous amounts of money and hassles. In fact there’s no good reason to oppose it.
znModeratorGREEEEEEG!
(Wait for it… @JHekker 😂) pic.twitter.com/72aPDUYF03
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 30, 2018
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Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
Hearing CB Troy Hill had a good day today at OTAs. Had a couple interceptions, including at least one of Jared Goff in 7 on 7sRich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Perhaps next we will learn that Stan Kroenke has five burner accounts and uses them to opine about the Rams’ uniforms.Myles Simmons@MylesASimmons
Suh on DC Wade Phillips: “It’s a good situation to have a mind like that around you.”Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh have been impressed by Sean McVay’s offense. Talib and Peters are convinced it will make them even better cornerbacks.znModeratorfrom Dream Super Bowl LIII matchup
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Willie McGinest
Star power carries Texans, Rams to Super Bowl LIII
I’m excluding the Patriots — where my loyalty lies — for this question. And with that condition stated, I’m taking the Houston Texans against the Los Angeles Rams. There are too many good storylines to count …Sean McVay is in his second year as the Rams’ head man and should build on what his offense impressively did a year ago. Not to mention, L.A. added a TON of high-level guys on defense, including Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh. Watching Talib and Peters against Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins on the big stage would be something special.
Houston returns its star quarterback in Deshaun Watson — and yes, I expect he will recover from his knee injury and swiftly get back to rookie form. The Texans also return a pair of key pieces to their daunting front seven ( J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, who both hit IR in October last season), while adding safety Tyrann Mathieu to the secondary. I can’t wait to watch Wade Phillips and Romeo Crennel orchestrate their improved defenses in 2018 — two units that should take their teams far.
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Chris Wesseling
An all-Angeleno Super Bowl in Atlanta? Why not?
Packers and Rams.Oh wait, I have to pick an AFC team? Make it an all-Angeleno Super Bowl: Chargers vs. Rams. The Bolts were one of the best teams in the league down the stretch in 2017, winning six of the final seven games. The only thing stopping them from becoming an annual contender is the occult: black magic (injuries, kicker yips) from the football gods. Hunter Henry knows.
Why the Rams? What Sean McVay is whispering in Jared Goff’s ear at the line of scrimmage is the most interesting innovation in the game right now.
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znModeratorLittleton Gets First Opportunity at Middle Linebacker
Myles Simmons
When the Rams traded Alec Ogletree to the Giants at the start of the 2018 league year, it raised one significant question: Who will replace Ogletree at middle linebacker?
Ogletree had been in the position for the last two years in Los Angeles, having made the switch from weakside linebacker in the Rams’ former 4-3 scheme. But more than the on-field production, Ogletree was unquestionably a leader in the team’s locker room who helped set a standard of professionalism.
It’s somewhat yet to be determined who will step into that leadership role — as Ogletree left some significant shoes to fill. But at least on the field, linebacker Cory Littleton is receiving the first crack at defensive signal-caller.
“When [Littleton] played last year, he’s the type of guy that you’re creating certain packages just to get him on the field when you’ve got two really good players inside like an Alec Ogletree and like a Mark Barron,” head coach Sean McVay said. “So Cory’s made plays over the course of his career when he’s gotten opportunities on defense. He’s a guy that’s got just a lot of little nuances to his game, but you see the athleticism and the instincts show up.”
Littleton mainly played behind Barron as Los Angeles’ second inside linebacker in the first year under coordinator Wade Phillips in 2017. Littleton started a pair of games because the Rams implemented a defensive package just to get him on the field. Then he played the majority of the Week 15 victory at Seattle when Barron went down with an injury early in the contest. Littleton ended up starting the Week 16 victory over Tennessee — making a key interception — and the Week 17 matchup against the 49ers in Barron’s stead as well.
Now, Littleton has moved over slightly to play in the middle of it all.
“‘Mike’ ’backer is basically the quarterback of the defense. It’s a new role for myself — it’s something I’ve never done before,” Littleton said this week. “But, just trying to get better every day.”
Even as the Rams were making all kinds of moves during the offseason, Littleton said he wasn’t necessarily sizing up how the roster might shake out.
“I mean, offseason is the time I get to spend with my family — that’s the thing I focus on the most,” Littleton said. “Once football came back around, just had to make sure I was in football shape and whatever role I came into, I’d just try to play that.”
And so when he found out he’d start out the offseason program as the unit’s signal-caller…
“I was actually kind of excited,” Littleton said. “Right now, I’m still working to try to secure a starting position. But right now, I’m happy just to be on the field.”
Littleton played defensive end in college at Washington, but has successfully made the transition to linebacker in the pros. Nevertheless, there’s an adjustment that comes with wearing the green dot on the field — namely making sure that everyone knows what the defensive play is supposed to be.
“Speak a little louder, hope everybody can hear me,” Littleton quipped of his approach.
There’s plenty to learn off the field, too. Littleton said he’s been spending a lot of time watching tape in order to master the nuances of the position.
“[J]ust the keys that a ‘Mike’ ‘backer has to make — just formation recognition, and just all of the work that you have to put in with film review and all those things,” Littleton said. “It’s a pretty broad aspect — a lot of things I’ve got to work on.”
There’s a lot of time between now and Week 1 agains the Raiders on Sept. 10. But as Littleton continues to go through the offseason program, he’s working to make the most of the significant opportunity he’s received.
“It makes me feel good as a player that they really believe in me,” Littleton said. “So I’ve just got to do what I can to get better and make sure I can prove it.”
znModerator10 Observations from OTA No. 5
Myles Simmons
Team insider Myles Simmons shares his 10 observations from Los Angeles’ fifth OTA practice of the offseason program.
1) The defense started the session working on picking up takeaways once again. The defensive backs began with fumble recoveries, while linebackers practiced deflecting passes while in coverage on a receiver.
2) Offensively, Los Angeles was practicing quick passes off the line of scrimmage with the quarterbacks and skill position players. These would be important later in the session, based on the situations and scenarios the club was practicing.
3) In group drills, safety John Johnson showed off his strong vertical, leaping to make an interception. At that point the defense was going against air, but it was a good example of a player going up to get the ball at its highest point.
4) In 11-on-11 drills, cornerback Aqib Talib was back and made his presence known on one of the first plays from scrimmage. The first-team defense was once again on the field first against the second offense — just like it had been on Tuesday. The veteran batted down a pass toward the middle of the field, foiling a quick play from the scout offense.
5) On the first play of 7-on-7 drills, safety Lamarcus Joyner showed off his extensive range, sprinting from the middle of the field to his left in order to meet cornerback Aqib Talib and the scout-team wide receiver at the front corner of the end zone. The pass was high and would’ve been incomplete, but Joyner displayed strong instincts to move and get in position to help Talib — who was also in the receiver’s hip pocket.
6) The offense and defense set up a compete drill to end 7-on-7, with the starting offense going for a two-point play against the starting defense. The pass fell incomplete, which meant the defense won. As punishment, the offensive unit — including the coaches — ran a gasser from one sideline to the other and back. Head coach Sean McVay was even in on it, setting the pace while running alongside the players.
7) During special teams drills, the four quarterbacks were on the second field practicing pocket presence. Coaches rolled a large black exercise ball at each signal-caller while he was dropping back. The QBs had to avoid the ball, and then make a pass to a wide receiver — usually Brandin Cooks — who was standing about five yards away on the left.
8) Also in special teams drills, punter Johnny Hekker seemed to be in midseason form, launching punts deep down the field off his right leg. Hekker kicked one punt from about the 10-yard line and it landed at the opponent’s 30. The All-Pro looks ready.
9) Working with the first-team defense at outside linebacker during 11-on-11, rookie Justin Lawler nearly picked off a pass on a wheel route down the defense’s left side of the field. The SMU product had the scout team’s pass in his hands, but couldn’t quite bring it in as he hit the ground. The OLB caught some flack from the defensive sideline for that.
10) Also in 11-on-11 drills, wide receiver Robert Woods ran a deep route down the right sideline. After the play, wide receiver Pharoh Cooper got sent into the offensive huddle — presumably to take Woods’ place. But Woods jogged back up the sideline and came right into the huddle, sending Cooper back to where the offense was standing behind the huddle. It’s a small gesture, but it’s an example of how Woods sets the standard for performance in the offensive group.
znModeratorDan Hanzus
For me, the two most obvious dynasty candidates right now are the Eagles (reigning champs, proven head coach, savvy front office, loaded roster with young superstar QB) and — more of a projection here — the Rams (dynamic young coach, savvy front office, balanced roster, generational talents at running back and D-line, promising QB). I struggle to come up with another team to get behind right now.
znModeratorEspecially here in the BA. To them, he’s the second coming of Christ.
Count me among those who hope he crashes and burns.
I think we can all agree that we will enjoy watching the Matt Casselization of Garopolo.
I like what Garopolo brings to the game. I think he represents the future of not just the qb position, but of football itself, if not the entire evolution of the species as a whole. It’s what’s best.
znModeratorBreaking down new-look Rams: Ndamukong Suh boosts defence, Brandin Cooks refines offence
The Los Angeles Rams’ response to a long-awaited breakthrough season in 2017 has been a Hollywood marquee-worthy 2018 offseason.
After going 11-5 and winning the NFC West for the first time in 14 years thanks to rookie coach Sean McVay getting the best out of the offense, the Rams went to work in upgrading their defense. Six new starters are projected to flank stud lineman Aaron Donald, as the team acquired tackle Ndamukong Suh and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to be key personnel in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme.
McVay and general manager Les Snead did not forget to make a splash on the other side of the ball. They traded for former Saints and Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks late in free agency.
That’s a lot of change for a talented, young team still trying to find its championship groove. When examining key parts of the Rams’ depth chart going into training camp and cutting through the hype, some new questions come with those new solutions.
Wide receiver
Cooks, still only 24, was traded for the second time in many offseasons ahead of the final year of his rookie deal. After going through a roller coaster in New Orleans and New England with Drew Brees and Tom Brady, respectively, Cooks hopes to last in LA as Jared Goff’s go-to guy.
The Rams had Cooks on their radar in 2017, and he gives them both a big-play and a little-play upgrade over Sammy Watkins, who signed with the Chiefs. Cooks got a head start working with Goff before they officially became teammates. There’s a good Pac-12 vibe going with Goff, Cooks and last year’s surprise top wideout, Robert Woods.
Cooks and Woods are more interchangeable than Watkins and Woods were when it comes to their hands and skills after the catch. With Josh Reynolds, who once was tabbed as Watkins’ possible replacement, coming off shoulder surgery, Cooks is a luxury born out of necessity. His quickness will give McVay new ways to stretch the passing game.
Cooper Kupp, who was outstanding from the slot as a rookie last season, is a few months older than Cooks. Their styles cross well, especially on pivot routes, which are staples of the Rams and Patriots’ offenses in which Kupp and Cooks excelled separately in 2017. This year, when spreading the field against man coverage, the Rams will be harder to stop.
Defensive Line
While Donald does whatever he wants while away from the team and waiting to get a lucrative contract extension worthy of the league’s most disruptive defensive player, the Rams are figuring out the best way to fit Suh next to him on their base three-man front.
Suh arrives in LA with new motivation on a one-year “prove it” deal for the first time in his career. Although he has gone through the wringer of defensive coordinators, Suh played in a base 4-3 scheme throughout his time with the Lions and Dolphins.
The trick for Phillips is getting the most out of Suh in the inside pass rush and not putting him in a more limited (though more comfortable) run-stopping role in an unfamiliar defense. The Rams’ third starting lineman, Michael Brockers, is so good against the run that Suh can assume an attack-based (instead of gap-clogging) nose tackle role.
Suh, 31, saw his sack total trickle down to 4.5 in Miami last season after registering 8.5 in his last year with Detroit (2014). Phillips will put him in an ideal position to be more productive as Suh plays directly off the attention Donald receives.
The Rams ranked No. 4 in the NFL with 48 sacks last season, with Donald (11) and Brockers (4.5) producing nearly a third of them. Another 15.5 sacks from linebackers Robert Quinn, Connor Barwin and Alec Ogletree are gone, so with LA now lacking a dominant edge-rusher, Suh must rediscover some of his pop with Phillips’ help.
Linebackers
The Rams parted with Quinn, Barwin and Ogletree, and with Mark Barron at inside linebacker as the only returning starter, there are no surefire replacements on the roster.
Based on situational snap counts last season, Samson Ebukam (fourth-rounder in 2017) and Matt Longacre (undrafted in 2015) are set to start outside now that rookie Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is coming off foot surgery. Ebukam is the better run-stopper and Longacre is the better pass-rusher, but neither has proved himself in coverage. Third in the mix is Morgan Fox, who is a little more well-rounded but also is converting from defensive line. Compared to how strong they are elsewhere on defense, the Rams are weak, inexperienced and thin at linebacker.
The Rams’ defense last year ranked No. 28 against the run, giving up 122.4 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry. Although Barron can boost the coverage as a converted safety, he struggles against the run. Ogletree was even worse, which led to his being traded to the Giants despite signing a contract extension during the 2017 season.
Barron could be challenged in camp, too, but for now, Cory Littleton, Bryce Hager, former Chief Ramik Wilson and rookie Micah Kiser are battling for snaps at the other inside spot. Kiser is a natural inside pass-rusher but not much else. Littleton also can get to the QB and is equally good at run and pass coverage. Wilson goes in with the most seasoning, having started 11 games for the Chiefs two seasons ago. But Hager, who produced as a starter in the Rams’ 2017 regular-season finale against the 49ers, has a chance to emerge as the best of the bunch.
Phillips in LA doesn’t have a DeMarcus Ware or a Von Miller at linebacker. While steadiness is important for those positions, the strengths of the Rams’ front and back ends can allow the coordinator to take risks with the players who provide the most youthful energy and upside vs. those who might be considered safe.
Secondary
There was a perception last season that the Rams had strong corners, but their coverage was propped up by their two priority re-signees, nickel corner Nickell Robey-Coleman and free safety LaMarcus Joyner. They were active playmakers who combined for five of the team’s 18 interceptions.
Trumaine Johnson and Kayvon Webster had their moments outside but were below-average starters. Enter Talib from the Broncos, where he once played for Phillips, and Peters, the former Chiefs corner who arrives as the Rams’ biggest offseason prize.
Talib is a sturdy shutdown type who seems to get better into his 30s. Peters can be burned for big plays, but he is fearless in trying to make them himself. It’s hard to find a better combination of players who complement each other’s games so well. They also combine to match the Phillips mentality of mixing consistent reward with worthy risks.
The key for Talib and Peters will be meshing their personalities, as well as accepting the fact that they will be considered co-No. 1 corners. Phillips has handled plenty of aggressive defenders with attitude; his track record is making them happy by putting them in positions that mutually benefit the team and the individual players.
Behind Peters, Talib and Robey-Coleman are few viable fill-in options, but former Packer Sam Shields brings another veteran presence to the depth chart. Throwing downfield against the Rams and their revamped secondary will be difficult. The new defensive backs give Phillips endless blitzing scenarios to generate an improved pass rush by committee.
Phillips is as good at masking defensive weaknesses as he is at magnifying strengths. With LA’s offense expected to score plenty of points and put pressure on opponents to pass, the defensive coordinator now has the goods to capitalize on the mistakes those opposing offenses make.
znModeratorfrom Eight NFL teams with best chance to build a dynasty
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1. LOS ANGELES RAMS
The Rams have constructed a crew that is going to be tough to conquer in the NFC. From the youngest head coach in the NFL to a roster loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, this franchise is trending up in a spectacular way. Quarterback Jared Goff is proving to be worth the first overall pick the team used in 2016 to take him. He helped the Rams become the highest-scoring franchise last season. His wide receiving group offers tons of upside and shares the field with last season’s Offensive Player of the Year. We are talking about the young Todd Gurley, who recorded a league-high 2,093 scrimmage yards, topped off with 19 touchdowns.
On defense, the Rams are equally as impressive. A couple of bold trades scored the Rams one of the best cornerback back duos in the league, featuring Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. The team also improved its front seven by adding defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to join Aaron Donald and Co.
This team should be in full overdrive mode by the time it settles into its new stadium in 2020.znModeratorwhen the backlash hits for cancelling the most popular sit com on television where the fans views are mirrored in her statements.
Again, Trump supporters are not a majority of the population.
znModeratorznModeratorOh, and i watched the “Black Panther.” All I’m gonna say is it was full of cliches, no character did anything surprising, everything that happened could be predicted after the first five minutes of the movie — and — it was all infantile, and awful and Marvel.
Wakanda forever.
Maybe you would like Russian superhero movies better?
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