nittany ram wrote:

#MondayMotivation brought to you by @AaronDonald97

Thanks!

Those did look good. Been gettin good buzz too.

Which NFC teams have improved the most in free agency? (via @nfltotalaccess) pic.twitter.com/H2PRlx4gK5

— NFL (@NFL) April 8, 2018

PA Ram wrote:

Look, people, I’m trying very hard to
Find something to be miserable about in all this joy.

Look, PA, I;m sorry. I really am. But the hard cold inescapable facts of the matter are this: because of the Rams dizzyingly proactive off-season, Rams fans really and genuinely DO have reasonable grounds to anticipate something good this year.

You’re just going to have to adjust to that.

It’s the bitter, hard, cold reality, and you might as well just learn to live with it.

PA Ram wrote:

Let’s assume the Rams win the Superbowl.

Will everyone say–well, yeah–but it was a bought and paid for dream team?

Well first who cares.

But second this isn’t the first time a team has added to a solid roster the way the Rams have.

Denver in 2015, their superbowl year, had these free agents on the team: Emmanuel Sanders, Louis Vasquez (a good free agent guard), Evan Mathis (another good free agent guard), Owen Daniels (a good free agent TE), Demarcus Ware, Aqib Talib (signed from New England), and of course Peyton Manning (who was not the player he was but had value as a smart veteran and leader).

Meet the new Rams – A closer look at team’s biggest offseason additions for 2018

RICH HAMMOND

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/04/06/meet-the-new-rams-a-closer-look-at-teams-biggest-offseason-additions-for-2018/

In 2016, the Rams changed cities. In 2017, a new coach. This year, they reshaped their roster.

It’s been a dizzying offseason for the Rams, who stunned the NFL community with a series of trades and signings. In the end — this is the end, isn’t it? — the Rams maintained their strength on offense, made major upgrades on defense and looted their own stash of draft picks to make it happen.

The Rams formally will convene for the first time this month for the start of the optional offseason program, but first a couple introductory ice-breakers might be helpful.

For now, here’s a look at the five major additions the Rams have made since the last week of February:

Brandin Cooks, Receiver

Height: 5-10 Weight: 189

Age: 24

Contract status: Signed through 2018

Acquired: April 3, 2018

The price: Rams traded 2018 first- and sixth-round draft choices to the New England Patriots for Cooks and a 2018 fourth-round choice.

Analysis: When Sammy Watkins left via free agency in mid-March, the Rams publicly indicated they’d feel comfortable with an internal replacement, but really, a move like this needed to get done. Cooks is a speedy field-stretcher and a three-time 1,000-yard receiver whose presence also should open up things for teammates such as Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The biggest question about Cooks is whether he has as strong a nose for the endzone as Watkins, who had eight touchdowns in 15 games last season, or Odell Beckham Jr., whom the Rams discussed before they traded for Cooks.

Marcus Peters, Cornerback

Height: 6-0 Weight: 197

Age: 25

Contract status: Signed through 2018 (with team option for 2019)

Acquired: Feb. 23, 2018

The price: Rams traded a 2019 second-round draft choice and a 2018 fourth-round choice to the Kansas City Chiefs for Peters and a 2018 sixth-round choice.

Analysis: It feels as though it’s been eons since the Rams made their first big move, to acquire Peters, but it’s only been six weeks. Peters is a ball hawk, with 19 interceptions in three NFL seasons, and the Rams’ ability to pair him with Aqib Talib means they essentially have two No. 1 cornerbacks and almost never will get caught in mismatch scenarios. The Rams say they’ve done due diligence on Peters’ behavior. He hasn’t been involved in off-field problems but regularly has had on-field issues, including last season when he threw a penalty flag into the stands and walked off the field.

Ndamukong Suh, Defensive lineman

Height: 6-4 Weight: 305

Age: 31

Contract status: Signed through 2018

Acquired: March 26, 2018

The price: A one-year contract reportedly worth $14 million.

Analysis: Nobody saw this one coming. The Rams didn’t seem like a fit for Suh when the Miami Dolphins released him in March, but after visits with New Orleans and Tennessee, Suh agreed to only a one-year contract with the Rams, who sold him on the idea of a dominating partnership with Aaron Donald and a chance at his first Super Bowl championship. Suh might not be as individually dominant as he was a couple years ago, but he’s a run-stopping plug in the middle of the defensive line, which was an issue for the Rams last season, and coordinator Wade Phillips will utilize Suh’s versatility.

Aqib Talib, Cornerback

Height: 6-1 Weight: 205

Age: 32

Contract status: Signed through 2019

Acquired: March 8, 2018

The price: The Rams traded a 2018 fifth-round draft choice to the Denver Broncos for Talib.

Analysis: Talib didn’t exactly deny reports that he vetoed possible trades to other teams and sought to come to the Rams and reunite with Phillips, with whom he won the Super Bowl with Denver two years ago. Talib’s prime years are in the past, but he remains a big-play threat — in the past three seasons, he has returned three of his five interceptions for touchdowns — and he could enjoy a resurgence in 2018. No longer can teams avoid Talib and throw to the other side of the field, as they sometimes did when playing the Broncos, because Peters is there. For all the talk about Talib’s on-field brash behavior, he’s considered a solid locker-room citizen who could help mentor teammates such as Peters.

Sam Shields, Cornerback

Height: 5-11 Weight: 184

Age: 30

Contract status: Signed through 2019

Acquired: March 8, 2018

The price: A one-year contract reportedly worth $1 million.

Analysis: If this works out, the Rams will have extraordinary depth at cornerback, with Peters, Aqib Talib, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Troy Hill and Shields, who made the Pro Bowl in 2014 but whose career has been interrupted by five concussions, the last of which has kept him on the sidelines since the 2016 season opener. Shields recently indicated that he will retire if he suffers one more concussion. Shields, who has 18 interceptions in 80 career regular-season games, has been cleared by doctors and said he no longer experiences symptoms. If healthy, he has starter-level skill.

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
“I’m more of a sashimi guy.” — Suh on the dinner at Nobu and how much sushi he can eat.

“I think the reputation is something you create on your own, but also gets skewed.” — Suh asks fans to get to know him @CVRamsClub

“I want to prove myself.” — Ndamukong Suh on joining the Rams @CVRamsClub

“I think he’ll create a package for every single guy he has in his organization.” — Suh on Wade Phillips @CVRamsClub

Factors that led up to Ndamukong Suh signing with the Rams? “Family.” “Coach Phillips.” “Ted Rath.” “Coach McVay” As well as the franchise as a whole. @CVRamsClub @DowntownRams

“That was an important part. I wanted to go and see the facility, meet the people, look at people in their face and their eyes and get to know them, to see if I’m a good fit.”

Suh Looking Forward to Proving Himself in L.A.

Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Suh-Looking-Forward-to-Proving-Himself-in-LA/56478aef-a7c6-4993-83f6-cc9149c014cd

It’s hard to miss Ndamukong Suh when he walks into a room.

The new Rams defensive tackle is an imposing figure, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing just over 300 pounds.

That’s even when he’s out of his jersey and pads and in a suit and tie as he was for Friday’s introductory press conference.

“He is a sharply dressed fellow today,” head coach Sean McVay remarked as the presser began.

But clearly Los Angeles has gained more than just Suh’s size and stature. As McVay noted, Suh’s career has displayed the epitome of durability. He’s been eligible for 126 games and started each one.

And Suh’s performance has befitted someone who entered the league as a No. 2 overall pick, having amassed 51.5 sacks, five Pro Bowl seasons, and three first-team All-Pro honors.

Now, he’s come to Los Angeles with the goal of helping the Rams to their ultimate goal.

“Being able to add a player of [Suh’s] caliber is something we feel really good about,” McVay said. “We feel like from visiting with him, and then, obviously, you just look at the production as a player, getting to know the person, we feel like this is going to be a really good match.”

“Definitely excited about the opportunities here,” Suh said. “Really, really fortunate just looking at the overall scheme. I think everybody looks at everything on paper, and I would say we’re in pretty good shape on paper. But we have a lot of things to prove.”

The Rams clearly weren’t the only team vying for Suh’s services in 2018, but the defensive lineman said he chose Los Angeles in part because of the comfort level he felt on his visit. He said getting to know the coaching staff a bit was helpful in making what was not necessarily an easy decision.

“Being able to be fortunate enough to watch film with the coaches on my visit was important for me — each place I took a visit to — to watch film and talk to the coaches and see how they seem me fitting in,” Suh said.

“When he came in, [he was] very thorough,” McVay said. “He asked great questions. You could see that he’d done his homework on the people in the building, the system. He was familiar with some of the things that [defensive coordinator] Wade [Phillips] and our coaching staff on defense had done, wanted to see kind of what we envisioned for him as for what his role is.”

And even though Suh hasn’t known McVay for long, he picked up on a few things about him right away.

“Really just being able to meet with him and sit down with him face-to-face, have dinner and talk — he’s a genuine, transparent human being,” Suh said. “And that’s what I love — no matter who you are, but especially as a football coach.”

Much has been made of the Suh pairing with 2017 AP Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald to form a dominant defensive front. Suh said that playing with Donald — and fellow lineman Michael Brockers — wasn’t necessarily a determining factor, but it was a plus. Now, Suh has to get to know all of them and figure out each other’s on-field tendencies.

“First and foremost it’s going to start in OTAs and practices — understanding how [Donald] likes to rush, how I like to rush, how we play the run together,” Suh said. “And that’s when it’ll all unfold from there, to see how we’ll mesh together. And I think it’ll be an exciting time and process to get through that.”

McVay has said — and reiterated on Friday — that Suh will likely begin as Los Angeles’ nose tackle in the team’s base defense. But, as with any new player, things could change as the coaching staff gets more familiar with Suh and his performance.

“We feel like there’s a starting point, but when you have good players, like we’ve mentioned, who have some position flex — if there’s one thing that coach Wade and [defensive line coach Bill] Johnson and our defensive staff do an excellent job of, it’s finding a way to put our players in good spots and get those matchups that we want across the board,” McVay said. “And specific to the pass rush, now being able to add a player of his caliber, in addition to some of the other guys we already have on board, it’s an exciting challenge for us as coaches.”

And going into his ninth season as a pro, Suh feels he can line up anywhere on the defensive line and be effective.

“I started out playing defensive end in high school,” Suh said. “Moving into college, I played a lot of three-technique, two-technique, played some shade as well. And over the last five years or so between Miami and Detroit, to get me out of double teams and kind of being in the trash, I’ve played every single position — every single technique that’s really possible. And sometimes, we even created our own.”

Suh signed a one-year contract with the Rams, which he sees as a chance to prove himself.

“I think the overall goal is to focus on this particular year, which is the most important thing in front of us,” Suh said. “And they had a very successful year last year in the regular season. And I believe I can be of help to get them over some of the humps. But at the end of the day, it’s all of us as a unit that have to get that done — from offense, defense, special teams, and really going from there.”

Playing alongside Donald and Brockers with Phillips as defensive coordinator, Suh should receive plenty of chances to make an impact in L.A.

The Rams are releasing CB Kayvon Webster, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon, but are open to him returning down the road. Move clears about $3.5M in cap space, which basically gets them back to even with Ndamukong Suh introduced today.

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 6, 2018

Chris Long@JOEL9ONE
In case you were thinking this is dangerous, these are fake knives.

from Krav Maga training has Rams All-Pro Aaron Donald dodging knives

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/38269/why-is-aaron-donald-dodging-knives-two-words-krav-maga

One very important note: The knives are not real. They’re meant for training and are made of a hard rubber that won’t penetrate the skin. The man wielding those knives, with thick pads on his arms to sustain the blows from Donald’s lightning-quick hands, is Al Carson, better known as “Poodie.”

Carson, 49, is a longtime police officer who teaches law enforcement and civilians a fighting system called Krav Maga, which was originally developed by the Israel Defense Forces. Carson learned the techniques from a man named David Kahn, the U.S. chief instructor of Krav Maga and a former football player at Princeton. Kahn began adapting the principles of Krav Maga for football players, and Carson, who is also an assistant football coach at a high school near Pittsburgh, began doing the same for professional athletes a couple of years ago.

“We teach them to attack the attacker,” Carson said, “or a counter to the counter.”

Carson has spent the past two months working with Donald, taking him through a variety of Krav Maga drills three times a week, immediately after he finishes his high-intensity training with Brown.

“I am very, very impressed with Aaron,” Carson said. “His hands are just — they’re at a different level compared to the average NFL player. And his eye-and-hand-and-feet coordination are just superior to a lot of the NFL players that I’ve trained. I can truly understand why he is the best defensive player in the NFL, because he’s a different breed. When God made Aaron Donald, he only made one of him.”

The viral video of Donald dodging knives is only a sampling of a larger concept that, in theory, provides defensive linemen with the hand skills to shed blocks as quickly and as forcefully as possible.

Brown, who trains Donald through his company, 2/10ths Speed & Agility, is searching for unique ways to challenge Donald and the other NFL players who regularly train with him. His system puts linemen through drills traditionally reserved for skill-position players, giving them superior footwork for their positions. But Brown was looking for ways to also speed up his players’ hands, and this year he called on Carson to implement an unconventional system.

Donald embraced it.

“Aaron’s a fast learner,” Brown said. “Yeah, he’s quick, his first step. He’s explosive, he’s strong. But Aaron’s anticipation is the No. 1 thing that separates him from everybody else. He anticipates snaps; he anticipates how people are lined up.”
And he anticipates knives.

Donald, who will team up with another dominant interior lineman in Ndamukong Suh this fall with the Rams, has been named first-team All-Pro after each of his past three seasons. Donald’s 39 sacks from 2014 to 2017 led all defensive tackles. His 91 total pressures this past season, a measurement used by Pro Football Focus, led all players.

But part of Donald — a part Brown sees often — believes he hasn’t yet played his best football.

“He’s even more motivated now,” Brown said, “and I think his goal is to become the best defensive lineman in the history of the game. We don’t know if he’s going to get there yet, but I think that’s his goal.”

from: Best (and worst) of NFL free agency: Overrated deals, best bargain, more

http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/22925341/best-worst-2018-nfl-free-agency-signings-overrated-underrated-deals-best-bargain-more

…

Best move under $1 million guaranteed

DT Dominique Easley, Los Angeles Rams

Easley missed all of 2017, but in a limited role he has proved to be an effective player since entering the NFL in 2014. He has racked up eight sacks, 11 hits and 45 hurries in 696 career snaps as a pass-rusher — not bad for a player who will provide depth behind star defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

…

Biggest unit upgrade

Los Angeles Rams: Secondary

The Rams improved massively in 2017, and if their aggressive approach at upgrading their defense is anything to go by, they expect to be even better in 2018. They acquired Aqib Talib from the Denver Broncos after he allowed just 250 yards in coverage last season, then added one of the NFL’s premier ball hawks to the other side with Marcus Peters, who has 21 interceptions and 34 pass breakups since entering the NFL in 2015.