InvaderRam wrote:

shaquil barrett. played under wade at denver.

that’d be interesting

No nose tackles?

I will look.

Broncos have a bunch of DL and LBs up for free agency.

But the only pure 3/4 NT I saw anywhere was Tyrunn Walker.

Broncos FA 2018:

While their not all UFAs, that’s Barrett, Harris, Crick, Davis, Winn, Nelson, Anderson, Jones, and Garcia-Williams…plus a CB (Hunter).

Denver is 30+ M under the cap in 2018, which ain’t that much.

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zn wrote:

wv wrote:

Why didnt you like him?

w
v

Well things like sending out the players they got in the Washington trade to do the coin flip against Washington.

And.

This team is stocked with inherited talent. It just plain strikes me as denying the obvious to say otherwise.

Meanwhile if you have complaints about Fisher, I get that. But. Fair is fair. We have never seen a 1 year turnaround where the team DIDN’T have a lot of top inherited talent. And that’s the case here.

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wv wrote:

Well first off, i would think plenty of other personnel depts could indeed pick first round players just as good as those you listed, if they picked in the same high slots the Rams picked most of them in. I mean, Tavon was a miss as far as I’m concerned. GRob was a big miss.

Having said that sure, it was good personnel work. I think Snead is good. I give HIM better than a “C”. He might very well be an “A”.

Fisher failed to draft a topnotch Wide Receiver and he failed to find a good free agent WR. And his tight ends were not scary to opposing teams either. Its awfully hard to go deep in the playoffs with that kind of glaring weakness. It can be done, but its hard.

So what grade would YOU give Fisher? And would YOU hire him if you were a struggling team?

w
v

Well, no, I stand by that about their first rounders…name someone who had 2 consecutive rookies of the year who are both later up for discussion as league mvp. That’s right up there. So I don’t think many teams have done that or its equivalent (I am not saying literally they have to have rookies of the year, just finding a way to indicate the significance of the picks). Then a franchise qb the 3rd time. And that’s picking 13th in one case and 10th in the other…and trading up for Goff.

Yes receiver was an issue. That’s one position though. And luckily for us, the one McVay/Snead fixed in one season.

I think it’s hard to grade Fisher because of the 15 of 64 whammy and the move. The 15 of 64 is the number of games from 2012-15 where they had both a veteran starting caliber qb and a viable OL…the lack of OL viability coming first from injuries, then from inexperience (to make up for the injuries), and then from both. As I keep saying, no one has ever given me examples of an offense that did well under that particular double condition. Probably because it’s not possible.

But would I hire him? Given other choices, no. Not that I think he’s bad. I think calling him BAD is a direct effect of fans angry at the losing who then don’t factor in the contexts. Yet tell me McVay would do as well as he is if he lost Whitworth, Saffold and Sullivan and then his qb was the equivalent of guys like Clemens, Hill, and Davis. Even Keenum, who was the best of that bunch, did not have a running game in 2016. When he had a running game and a relatively healthy OL in Minn, we saw what he could do. Anyway just as McVay would not do as well under those conditions, Fisher would have done better if he didn’t have to contend with those conditions.

But I actually never liked Fisher as a head coach. There were too many little things he did that bothered me. I like McVay/Phillips just fine.

BUT I am also on the side of doing historical analysis, for lack of a better term, and history says that those who are hardest on Fisher never account for the circumstances that worked against winning. And to be fair I was making a similar argument in 2007 against those who put the whole collapse of the offense on Bulger and not on the fact that their OL got massacred.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by zn.

Herzog wrote:

I would hire Fisher if I were a downtrodden team like Cleveland or the Rams used to be. With the secret plan to fireplace him once he got some decent talent in and violet up the defensive Roster.

Remember Marty Schottenhiemer? He could really build a talented team. I would have done the same thing with him.

Schottenheimer never got to a superbowl though.

And—Schottenheimer also didn’t have a long series of extensively injured OLs combined with #2 caliber qbs. He also didn’t have to move a team.

I would take Fisher over Marty, myself.

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Former Rams coach Jeff Fisher says he left team ‘in pretty good shape’

RICH HAMMOND

link: https://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/22/former-rams-coach-jeff-fisher-says-he-left-team-in-pretty-good-shape/

Amid unsourced reports that he’s interested in returning to the NFL, former Rams coach Jeff Fisher did a radio interview Friday and defended, at length, his five-year tenure with the Rams.

“I have no regrets whatsoever,” Fisher said on Nashville’s 104.5-FM. “I am a huge fan of the Rams players. They’re basically — I don’t want to say my players — but I had a lot to do with that roster. Left them in pretty good shape, and Sean (McVay), as he has shown in a short period of time, is an outstanding young coach, and he’s got the offense going, which was needed.”

The Rams fired Fisher last December, with three games remaining in the 2016 season. Fisher coached the Rams to a 31-45-1 record and they never made the playoffs. McVay, in his first season as Fisher’s successor, has led the Rams to a 10-4 record and the cusp of the NFC West title.

And while Fisher, twice in a 55-minute interview, gave unprompted praise to McVay, he said the Rams made needed talent upgrades on offense and “did what we wanted to do before I left.”

In recent weeks, various stories have indicated Fisher wants to return to the sideline. His 22-year coaching career included a trip to the Super Bowl with Tennessee in 1999, but Fisher also has only six winning seasons. Fisher is 12th in NFL history with 173 coaching wins and, as he pointed out in the interview, coached the Titans and Rams when both teams relocated.

Fisher was given, during the interview, an open-ended chance to defend his record.

“My perspective is different because I went through it and I know exactly what I went through,” Fisher said. “I get a kick out of people (saying), ‘Oh, you just tied Dan Reeves for most losses in the history of the National Football League.’ Well, I’m a few wins away from being in the top 10. So, where do you want to emphasize? What’s your point?

“Two different franchises, five different cities, six different stadiums. Not an easy thing to do. The Chargers moved from San Diego to Orange County and started 0-4 (this season). Relocation is huge. And I’m not making excuses.”

Fisher did a deeper dive into his time with the Rams, which started in 2012, a year after the team went 2-14 and fired Steve Spagnuolo. Fisher pointed out that the Rams “averaged three wins a year for five years before I got there.” Fisher went 7-8-1 in his first season, but never won more than seven games.

“We were making progress and the team was deprived,” Fisher said. “It was deprived of talent. So we started building. The next year, our quarterback tears his ACL. The next year, our quarterback tears his ACL again.”

That’s pretty much where Fisher’s defense of himself ended, with Sam Bradford’s second injury in 2014, although Fisher did speak at length about Jared Goff, the quarterback Fisher and the Rams drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2016.

Fisher waited until midseason to start Goff, who then went 0-7 and suffered with a porous offensive line and an inefficient group of targets. Fisher said he didn’t regret any of his choices with Goff, who is a Pro Bowl first alternate this season. Of Goff’s success, Fisher said, “We knew that was coming.”

“All through it, I was thinking about the best interests of the franchise, not myself,” Fisher said. “If I was worried about myself, I probably would have started him from day one and said, ‘Hey, this guy is going to be a better player.’ That was his rookie year, so we could chalk (struggles) up to a rookie year, but no, I wanted to do what was best for Jared.”

Rams Prep for Cold Weather, A Division Title at Stake

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-Rams-Prep-for-Cold-Weather-A-Division-Title-at-Stake/d33090cb-6b98-423e-91b6-1ba9063667a5

L.A. held a light practice on Friday morning, before it hits the road for Tennessee this afternoon. The Rams will take on the Titans on Sunday in a Christmas Eve showdown that could clinch the club’s first division title since 2003.

INJURY UPDATE

After losing their Pro Bowl kicker Greg Zuerlein — who will be out for the remainder of the season with a back injury — the Rams received some positive news on the injury front on Friday.

Left tackle Andrew Whitworth (rest), center John Sullivan (rest), linebacker Mark Barron (rest), and cornerback Troy Hill (illness) returned to Friday’s practice as full participants.

The only player who did not take part in the session was outside linebacker Matt Longacre (back). Head coach Sean McVay announced that he had been ruled out for Sunday’s contest.

“That means that Carlos Thompson will have to step up and fill the void [and] Samson Ebukam will get some more opportunities to rush off the edge,” McVay said. “Getting Connor Barwin back last week, we feel like we’ve got some good depth up front, but certainly it is tough to replace a player like Matt.”

In Tennessee, the Titans also turned in a relatively clean bill of health.

But the club could be without its No. 1 cornerback Logan Ryan (ankle) who did not practice all week and is listed as questionable. Aside from Ryan, Tennessee placed its No. 3 cornerback LeShaun Sims (ankle) on the injured reserve list on Friday. He will be out for the remainder of the season.

RAMS NOT DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS

For Rams fans here in Los Angeles, the forecast for Christmas Eve is a high of 70 degrees and sunny. But for those travelling to Nashville for the team’s matchup with the Titans, the weather should be a very different story.

When the Rams take on Tennessee at Nissan Stadium this Sunday, the team will be looking at a high of 40 degrees and a low of just 23. And while there is no snow predicted in the forecast as of yet, McVay did acknowledge that the cold weather could push some players a bit out of their element.

“You always have to have some specific adjustments as far as some of your play calls and different things, especially from an offensive standpoint and how that affects your ability to handle the ball,” McVay said. “And a lot of times, especially in that weather, it feels like a rock.”

“But, it’s something that guys will do a good job adjusting to just like they did [in Seattle],” he added.

Wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who spent the last three seasons playing in Buffalo, said there is no way to fully prepare for cold weather conditions or playing in snow. And though he much prefers playing in the sun where “your muscles are loose” and you “can take hits” more easily, he believes the Rams should be just fine this Sunday.

“To play in the cold it’s kind of hard to get warm, more injuries,” Watkins said. “So you just have to be warmed up and be ready to compete. We can’t go out there playing slow.”

PLAYING FOR THE NFC WEST

The Rams control their own destiny in the NFC West heading into Sunday’s contest. A win would guarantee the club a division title for the first time in over a decade.

As such, this weekend’s game takes on a little bit more meaning for a team that has traditionally viewed no week as any bigger than the other.

“We know what’s at stake for us. We don’t shy away from the opportunity to go in a tough atmosphere — try to come away with our 11th win,” McVay said. “And we know that if we’re able to accomplish that, that means a division championship as well. So it’s a great opportunity.”

Very few of the Rams’ starters have ever been associated with winning a division title. And while the magnitude of the game is something they talk about in the locker room, right guard Jamon Brown said the players have been careful not to “get too caught up in it.”

“We talk about it, but we also approach every week as the same,” Brown said. “The game at hand is our goal. That’s what we try to focus on and then we know the importance of the game obviously. But we never try to get caught up in, ‘this game clinches this or the hype behind the game.’ It’s more about winning.”

For cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who came to Los Angeles this season, the game represents “something I have dreamed about.” It also allows the team to prove just how far they have come.

“It makes it all make sense by winning this game and going to the playoffs,” he said. “Everything that we hoped for, dreamed for, and set our goals for is happening right now. So we have to go out, just embrace it and take advantage.”

Zooey wrote:

I was merely playing off the disagreeing about disagreeing about agreeing with the agreement stuff that happened earlier in the thread.

I disagree.

What They’re Saying: The Tennessee Titans

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/What-Theyre-Saying-The-Tennessee-Titans/2f0c6b7f-4e99-4f59-909f-7db5e3290efb

Each week TheRams.com will be taking a look at what Los Angeles’ opponents have to say about facing the Rams. Heading into Week 16 of the regular season, check out what the Tennessee Titans’ coaches and players had to say about their upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Rams at Nissan Stadium in Nashville:

On looking forward to facing a guy like RB Todd Gurley:

“Definitely. He’s a good running back and we have to bring our best football — be in our gaps, play our assignments and everything else will take care of itself.”

– Titans’ DL Austin Johnson

“This is a pretty good test. You have a Pro Bowler in Gurley. He’s playing at a high level, like a horse out there. He’s so big, but so elusive at the same time. That’s what makes guys like him very tough, because he can make you miss and run you over. He’s pretty fast. So we’ve got a pretty tough task at hand, but we’ve mastered the challenge each and every time.”

– Titans’ OLB Brian Orakpo

On the challenge that his team faces with DT Aaron Donald:

“I think everybody tries to go in thinking that they can try to help out with guys – you don’t know where he’s going to line up, there’s multiple places that he lines up, so that’s kind of hard to do. You’ve got a good challenge. You’ve got to do some things, to try to take care of him – in both the run and the pass game he’s definitely a problem. You give a lot of credit to him, the way he plays the game, but I think the whole front seven is pretty good.”

– Titans’ HC Mike Mularkey

On what he has seen on tape from QB Jared Goff:

“I think obviously he’s come much further than he was last year. It’s tough on rookie quarterbacks, I’ve been around a couple of them. It’s the toughest situation to be put in for anybody. But, obviously what they’re doing there is playing to his strengths. It helps to have someone who has been around quarterbacks like they do. He’s very comfortable in the offense and really, I think what they’re doing is there just playing to what he does well and that’s important that you do that for all your guys, but for sure your quarterback.”

– Titans’ HC Mike Mularkey

“Oh man, it’s night and day. This is my first time actually really studying the Rams and knowing what they are really all about and it’s night and day from how he was last year to this year. He’s playing at a very high level. It’s crazy how so much of a turnover can be so fast because it’s the same identical team and same quarterback, it’s just everything has started clicking now for him. Hats off to them.”

– Titans’ OLB Brian Orakpo

“Goff, he’s a good quarterback. When he sits in that pocket, he’s definitely dangerous. We have to get him moving. I think when he’s moving a little bit, it’s a little bit challenging for him. Want to make sure we get pressure on him. But he’s got a pretty good line, they’re working together. They’ve been working together all year long.”

– Titans’ DT Jurrell Casey

On the challenges that a Wade Phillips defense presents:

“I think you can look at [what he did in Denver], but their personnel is different. I think what he had in Denver is different than what he has with the Rams. I think personally he does a great job of putting his players in great situations. He did that in Denver, and I think he’s doing that in L.A. When it comes down to it — when they are being aggressive and when they do take their shots, you have to answer. A lot of times they do a good job of disguising as well. They make it look like they are going to bring everybody and then drop out and play defend coverage. We have a challenge in front of us, but I can’t wait to get out there and play.”

– Titans’ QB Marcus Mariota

“The next team is the Rams and they’ve had a helluva year. They have a great defense. They have a really potent offense, so we have a huge test in front of us. But you know, we’re hard to play at home.”

– Titans’ OT Taylor Lewan:

On the challenges of facing the Rams offense:

“Very similar to what we saw last week [in San Francisco]. I’ve been with Kyle Shanahan, I’ve been with Sean McVay. Very similar, they have the same philosophy – quick tempo, hurry up and get to the ball, trying to get guys off balance and they want to get you with a lot of misdirection type things. I know what coach Sean out there is all about. Great guy and an innovator with the offense. Matt LaFleur, their offensive coordinator, I know him as well. They’re going to be ready to do some different things, especially against our front which is a 3-4 to kind of get us confused a little bit.

– Titans’ OLB Brian Orakpo

“Very excited. We had a rough time last week. They are pretty similar to San Fran, run the same kind of similar scheme with a West Coast offense. We’re ready to see what they’re going to do. They can’t do what they did last week, because we’ve made adjustments for that. We’re ready to see what they’re going to bring to us.”

– Titans’ DT Jurrell Casey

Wade Phillips: Aaron Donald should be NFL MVP

Michael David Smith

Wade Phillips: Aaron Donald should be NFL MVP

In a season with a wide-open MVP race, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald shouldn’t be overlooked.

That’s the word from Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who was asked if Donald deserves the Defensive Player of the Year award and replied that Donald deserves more than that.

“I was thinking more like most valuable player in the league,” Phillips said.

The MVP award is voted on by 50 media members chosen by the Associated Press. The award usually goes to a quarterback, and when it doesn’t it goes to a running back. The last player other than a quarterback or running back to win the AP MVP award was Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986.

For his part, Donald is declining to campaign for the award.

“The important thing is right now we’re winning — and that’s what I’m happy with. As long as we’re winning, I’m fine,” Donald said.

The Rams are winning, and Donald is a huge part of it.

[Gurley] had a down year last year, he wasn’t healthy

Well that’s interesting.

And, not previously known or said.

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