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July 14, 2025 at 10:04 pm in reply to: before camp assessments: roster, rankings, predictions #157078
znModeratorThe @RamsNFL should be a Super Bowl contender. What position group’s uptick could help make that happen? From The Insiders on NFL Network. pic.twitter.com/fBjaaLSOHj
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) July 15, 2025
znModeratorCountdown to Camp: Puka Nacua’s continued ascent, Davante Adams’ arrival give Rams intriguing options at wide receiver
Stu Jackson
Head coach Sean McVay spoke in January about wanting a more versatile offense, regardless of the health of personnel. Among the moves aligned to that vision were releasing Cooper Kupp two months later and signing Davante Adams.
Los Angeles had been accustomed to the duo of Kupp and Puka Nacua over the last two seasons. Now, a new partnership forms entering the 2025 season.
Both players excelled after the catch last season. According to Next Gen Stats, Nacua had the sixth-most in the league among wide receivers with 535; Adams had the 10th-most with 490.
The 32-year-old Adams, who said being in the Rams’ building has been “rejuvenating” for him, still has plenty left in the tank, evident in OTA practices this spring and what he showed late last season.
According to Yahoo Sports analyst Matt Harmon’s research, Adams had at least an 80% success rate on six different routes on the standard route tree.
Davante Adams’ success by route last season looks like one of the best among free agent wide receivers (via @MattHarmon_BYB).
His 85.7% success rate on digs is a fantastic fit for the Rams’ offense. https://t.co/5g58AVieOp pic.twitter.com/dUPNnBBSTQ
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) March 10, 2025
Adams also remains lethal as a contested catch target in the redzone, as Rams staff writer Wyatt Miller pointed out in his research from May. His eight such touchdowns inside the 20 are most in the NFL over the last three years.
Rams players and coaches have been impressed with Davante Adams' body control and contested catch ability at practice, and for good reason.
Adams' contested catch production in the red zone is among the best in the league over the past 3 seasons. pic.twitter.com/z0jDdIGfy7
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) May 31, 2025
Adams has also imparted his wisdom on Nacua and the rest of the receivers, whether it be tips on technique or ideas for the offense.
“I think the suddenness and the ability to steal leverage at the line of scrimmage has been something that he thrives on and everybody in the NFL knows that’s something that is one of his greatest assets and to be able to figure that out and how that works in our route concepts and the timing of our offense,” Nacua said of the advice Adams has given. “So I’d say that’s been one of the biggest things.”
“He’s all that was advertised, everything I thought he was and what the coaches thought he was, he is,” Yarber told theRams.com earlier this summer. “He’s been a great leader in that room, mentoring the younger guys, being vulnerable, telling them about his struggles early on, helping them out however he can.”
Meanwhile, Tutu Atwell’s return will help stretch the field vertically. Yarber also said Atwell knows all the receiver spots in the team’s offense.
Additionally, Jordan Whittington enters his second season having improved in “all aspects” of his game, according to Yarber. Coming off a rookie campaign in which he made the most of limited opportunities on offense, Whittington’s confidence has also improved.
Collectively, the established and ascending talent make Los Angeles’ wide receivers a group to watch closely in 2025.
znModeratorfrom Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 QBs for 2025: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45530940/top-10-nfl-quarterbacks-execs-scouts-2025-espn-jeremy-fowler-position-rankings
ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, from quarterback to cornerback and all positions in between. This was the sixth edition of these rankings, and as usual, several players moved up or fell off last year’s lists.
[me note: the top 5 are Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Jackson, and Daniels.]
…
6. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: unranked
Age: 37 | Last year’s ranking: 5There’s a reason Stafford garnered significant trade interest when the Rams entertained moving him this offseason — only a few quarterbacks command the position like he does. Players come and go in Los Angeles, but Stafford makes it all work, a truly scheme-transcendent quarterback.
Why does he remain so high in the rankings each year?
“Cause he’s tough as s—,” an NFL coordinator said. “Elite poise and toughness in the pocket. The ability to throw with timing and location while he’s about to get hit in the chin is among the best.”
Stafford seems to manage injuries every year but plays through them … while winning games. The Rams last year became the first team in NFL history to make consecutive playoff appearances after having been three games under .500 earlier in those seasons (1-4 in 2024 and 3-6 in 2023).
Stafford is great in two areas:
After a break: He produced 39 touchdowns to nine interceptions over the balance of the 2023 and 2024 seasons in games that followed the bye week (including playoffs)
And on play-action, producing the third-highest QBR in the NFL off it in 2024 (81.5). His 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions off play-action mark the best performance since Aaron Rodgers in 2021.
Conversely, 17.6% of his throws were considered “off target,” the second-worst such clip among the quarterbacks who received at least one vote.
“A big factor for quarterbacks is what they can do on third-and-10 — Matt scares you more than almost anybody in that situation,” the coordinator said. “And he can make plays off-schedule.”
znModeratorznModeratorBaldinger.
znModeratorGot this from a good list of the top 140 ILBs in NFL history. This is both 4/3 MLBs and 3/4 ILBs. There are 9 Rams on the list. I included Wagner from his one year with the Rams. In fact a repeat theme with Rams ILBs is how they brought some in like Wagner and Conlan for short stints, but also let a lot of their own guys go, like Fletcher and Reynolds.
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from: https://nflfootballjournal.blogspot.com/2018/12/top-mlbilber-of-all-time.html
13. Bobby Wagner
A very good athlete, with speed and a sure tackle. He will likely be a First-team All-Pro in 2018, his fourth selection in seven seasons (and five Pro Bowls in seven seasons). He was a key player in the Seahawk’s “Legion of Boom” although the secondary got most of the glory.
Wagner has 968 tackles, 42.5 are stuffs, 16.5 sacks, 4 defensive touchdowns, 16.5 sacks, and 9 picks. In time he will move up this list if he stays are his current level of play.
24. Les Richter
Richter was First-team All-Pro in 1955 and 1956 and Second-team All-Pro from 1957-60 and went to eight Pro Bowls in nine years. However, it seems some of his Pro Bowls may have been because he was a versatile player, one who could kick and snap. And since the Pro Bowl is a flesh-and-blood game, not on paper, coaches made sure they had guys who could fill all positions.
He did pick off 16 passes and recovered 12 fumbles but many don’t think he was quite as good as the elite MLBers of his era even though he was voted to the Hall of Fame. However, it should be noted that he played both ways, sometimes he’d play the first half of a game at center than the second half as a middle linebacker. Chuck Bednarik is more celebrated for that, but Richter did it, too.
Troup on Richter: “One of the few overrated Hall of Famers ever. I have studied a ton of Ram film and he sure had some strengths: 1) he played consistently hard all the time even on some poor Ram defenses. 2) outstanding open-field tackler, due to superb speed for a big man, and with that speed—rock-solid on pass defense. His drawbacks: for a big man did not fill the hole quick enough (lacked instincts) and was not near the hitter that others were. He was very poor on scrape, and at times “piled on” even more than Huff did. At the very end of his career, he was moved to center almost exclusively, and he actually played well there—maybe should have been his position all along.”
28. London Fletcher
Fletcher will be an interesting case when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame. He was never voted to a Pro Bowl, though he was an 11-time alternate and since so many players get hurt or beg out of the game, Fletcher played in four Pro Bowls as a replacement. Twice he was a Second-team All-Pro (2011-12) and he did get some minor honors in his career. Here are a couple of examples—in 1999 Peter King chose Fletcher as his All-Pro MLBer and in 2006 ESPN’s named him to their All-Pro team.
Fletcher played 16 seasons and totaled 2,031 tackles, 80 of which were stuffs. He had 39 sacks and 23 interceptions to go with 20 forced fumbles and 12 recoveries. He scored two safeties and 2 defensive touchdowns.
So, his stats or ‘numbers’ seem to meet Hall of Fame standards as does his Super Bowl ring, but he does lack the type of honors that most Hall of Famer LBer have on their ‘resume’.
32. Jack Reynolds
Hacksaw was a two-down linebacker, for the most part, and was a good one. Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf named him as one of the best 10 MLBers ever in a Sporting News article in the late-1990s. Reynolds solidified a 49er defense that won two Super Bowl rings in 1981 and 1984, but he made his bones as the Rams MLBer for most of the 1970s where he was a Pro Bowler in 1975 and 1980 (and All-NFC in 1979) along with his Second-team All-NFC selection with the 49ers in 1981.
Reynolds was like a computer on the field for the Rams defense that was first in the NFL from 1970-80 in allowing the fewest rushing yards, fewest total yards, fewest points allowed and sacked the quarterback the most times.
He totaled 1,191 tackles and recovered 14 fumbles. As someone who was not on the field much on third down, he had just 6 picks and 4½ sacks in his career, but his forte was run-stopping and at that, he was among the best.
48. Jim Collins
A neck injury slowed and eventually ended Collins’ career but from 1983-85 he was more than solid, he was an excellent three-down linebacker. Good in coverage, could dog fairly well, and was good hitter and great instincts, a poor man’s Randy Gradishar in the 3-4.
51. Shane Conlan
Smart, tough leader of the early 1990s Bills defenses. However, more of a two-down linebacker than one who’d do really well in coverage.
91. Fred Strickland
Played for several teams, most of them as a traditional middle linebacker who had a good combination of size and speed. With the Rams, from 1988-92 he was a “joker” type defensive player. He was a moving piece in Fritz Shurmur’s defenses playing inside linebacker in base defense and nose tackle in the Eagle defense and defensive tackle in nickel. Later, in 1991, with Jeff Fisher’s defense, he’d play some base defensive end, some outside linebacker—a poor man’s Karl Mecklenburg.
99. Carl Ekern
Ekern began his career with the Rams in specialty roles, short yardage and some nickel defenses. Became the starter in 1981 and fought through some injuries. As a replacement for Jack Reynolds he was good, but never to the level of Reynolds, even though he had more height and speed—similar to what happened with Scott Studwell and Jeff Sieman in Minnesota. Sometimes the more talented player in terms of size or speed is not the better player.
106. James Laurinaitis
Laurinaitis was an okay tackler, not great, but was another of the “computer on the field”-type MLBers. He played on some sorry teams but was always on the field, even in dime, he was the lone linebacker. He knew the defenses inside and out and he had to play under two styles with the Rams. He was better in coverage than most, which is why he could be on the field in dime, he could dog okay, but in some ways was like Urlacher and didn’t get off blocks well, even though he had good size and strength.
znModeratorfrom https://www.the33rdteam.com/shaun-dolac-2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report/
Scouting Overview
Buffalo Bulls linebacker Shaun Dolac is an instinctive playmaker who has done well to maximize his abilities, thanks to excellent football IQ and underrated athleticism. He’s not a big linebacker, and his pro projection is muddied by his lack of length and lack of mass.
Still, there have been enough successful linebackers out of this mold as of late that suggest he’s got a puncher’s chance of fulfilling his potential at the pro level. That potential? A three-down starter. Dolac is tougher than his size and plays a frantic brand of football.
Positives
Play by play tackle machine with a career missed tackle rate of 7.5%
Productive middle-of-the-field zone defender with good eyes to drop into secondary throwing windows
Loose hips and a low center of gravity make for fluid changes of direction in spaceNegatives
For being an undersized talent, he’s not the most explosive or twitchy player
Played in just four games in 2023 before a season-ending injury and then finished 2024 with an elbow brace
Will be a 24-year-old rookie in September while coming from the MACTale Of The Tape
Dolac is a cerebral linebacker who has been the big fish in a small pond during his three-year run of terror through the MAC. There’s an obvious transition ahead of him, and he may not have the ideal traits to fit as a universal stack linebacker for every scheme.
However, his 2024 season showcased capable zone coverage work over the middle. Dolac offered good peripheral vision to feel routes crossing through his zone landmarks and enough mobility to flash and take away throwing windows.
He was disciplined with his eyes while plastering receivers and made additional plays on the football at the catch point. He lacks length and an explosive burst to jump throwing windows and will be more opponent error-oriented, but his anticipation of longer, developing routes in traffic could still yield opportunities.
As a run defender, Dolac offers Energizer Bunny effort and pursuit to the football. He’s the fastest-moving player on the field once the play declares, and he takes angles that allow him to hawk down ball carriers or otherwise press them out of bounds. Despite his size and lack of length, he was credited with a 5 percent missed tackle rate in 2024 and has success in the open field and at the line of scrimmage plugging gaps.
It is fair to question whether Dolac is properly suited for racing downhill against bigger ball carriers. His size will always be a natural barrier that he will need to circumvent with good form and proper hat placement.
Dolac will also need to ensure he’s adjusted his decision-making process regarding when to shoot gaps and attack downhill. When entering into the front, he is in danger of getting plastered to blocks and lacks the wingspan, reach, and block deconstruction ability to pull himself free.
He’s a sharp and fast decision-maker with confidence, but the point of no return on his rep fitting and shooting to run under blocks may be a threat if he can’t get home. These plays will hit faster and more intensely at the pro level.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Dolac projects as a scheme-specific developmental starter. He’s ideally a space player who thrives as an attacking defender when given the opportunity to use his vision and instincts.
He has enough athleticism to play zone and hit his landmarks. He’d be best served playing behind an aggressive front.
znModeratorfrom Every NFL Team’s Most Exciting 2025 Undrafted Free-Agent Addition: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25199101-every-nfl-teams-most-exciting-2025-undrafted-free-agent-addition
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Los Angeles Rams: LB Shaun Dolac
The Los Angeles Rams failed to draft a linebacker until choosing Ole Miss’ Pooh Paul Jr. in this year’s fifth round.
Considering the state of the position, the undrafted Shaun Dolac may have as much of a chance to make their roster and possibly contribute as Paul does.
“Tackling machine” can be an overused phrase when it comes to describing linebackers. When discussing Dolac, it’s appropriate.
The Buffalo product finished first or second in total tackles during the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. Between the two seasons, he amassed 315 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 12 defended passes and five interceptions. He then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023.
Clearly, instincts and production are not a problem. The reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American is undersized at 6’0″ and 221 pounds. However, he has the athletic traits to remain productive as part of the Rams roster.
znModeratorInside linebacker (1)
LB Shaun Dolac – 6-foot-1, 225-pound inside linebacker from the University of Buffalo. Shaun Dolac. He is a versatile tackling machine that I cannot believe did not go drafted. He is a defensive coordinator’s dream signing, as his 168 tackles, 6.5 quarterback sacks, and 5.0 interceptions in 2024 showcase a weapon who can be used in many ways and roles. We’ll talk more about him soon.
znModeratorShaun Dolac
from https://www.nfl.com/prospects/shaun-dolac/3200444f-4c03-9551-2ab3-5f9bcd179974
By Lance Zierlein
Overview
Three-year starter who went from walk-on to All-American over a five-year span. Dolac’s activity level and production are impressive. He does a nice job of recovering from misdirection and finding his way to the football. He’s scrappy and smart but lacks the size and explosiveness most teams look for from NFL linebackers. Dolac might not have the measurables but his instincts and ability to play as a core special-teamer could give him a chance regardless of his draft status.
Strengths
Tremendously productive as a starter.
Perceptive to play design and sees the field with a wide lens.
Able to combat climbing blocks with leverage and positioning.
Good instincts and ball skills working from spot drops.
Has an opportunity to shine as a core special-teams player.Weaknesses
Below-average size, speed and length.
Lacks ideal agility and athleticism from second level.
Gets caught behind blocks with premature shots downhill.
Can be swallowed by linemen who get their hands on him.
Too heavy on his feet to match NFL route breaks in coverage.znModeratorInside linebacker (1)
LB Shaun Dolac – 6-foot-1, 225-pound inside linebacker from the University of Buffalo. Shaun Dolac. He wowed scouts at his pro day. From Buffalo Bills Beat writer Ryan Talbot: Per source, UB LB Shaun Dolac is joining the #Rams as an UDFA. He has that unique S/LB potential
znModeratorShaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo
Overview
Three-year starter who went from walk-on to All-American over a five-year span. Dolac’s activity level and production are impressive. He does a nice job of recovering from misdirection and finding his way to the football. He’s scrappy and smart but lacks the size and explosiveness most teams look for from NFL linebackers. Dolac might not have the measurables but his instincts and ability to play as a core special-teamer could give him a chance regardless of his draft status.https://www.nfl.com/prospects/shaun-dolac/3200444f-4c03-9551-2ab3-5f9bcd179974
znModeratorThe rest is old stuff moved here from the former “UDFAs” thread
July 13, 2025 at 10:47 am in reply to: Just a thread for different kindsa interesting things #157059znModeratorWhy wouldn’t they just eat a Big Mac instead
Yeah. Where do people think barbecue comes from?
And burritos.
znModeratorNFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Defenders rule the latest tier of NFL Daily's Top 25 Players of the Last 25 Years 🏈@greggrosenthal & play-by-play broadcasting legend Kevin Harlan discuss the legacy of these four superstars:
🎙️https://t.co/SjoycOTnKg pic.twitter.com/VaVhBjfTqw— NFL Podcasts (@NFL_Podcasts) July 11, 2025
Gregg Rosenthal is joined by broadcasting legend Kevin Harlan to reveal numbers 7 through 4 of NFL Daily’s Top 25 Players of the Last 25 Years. Gregg and Kevin kick off this tier of players with Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Ed Reed at number 7 (01:42), quarterback Aaron Rodgers at number 6 (16:30), defensive end J.J. Watt at number 5 (38:03), and wrap the show with defensive lineman Aaron Donald and number 4 (50:52).
So, Donald is discussed at 50:52
link:
July 13, 2025 at 3:40 am in reply to: a late start…time for the thread on Trump atrocities, or “Trumpocities” #157054znModeratorznModeratorLeft a bigger impression on me than on you, obviously.
…and you are? (?)
Naw I just “lose” stuff sometimes. Anyway. That whole caveman thing is funny, because….that’s not how our ancestors ate. And we have known this for a while now, long before more recent studies put 2 and 2 together and determined that it’s eating cooked food that led to the development of larger brains (basically the cerebral cortex). That is, there has been evidence for a long time that antecedents of humans going back more than a million years used fire.
A lot of people know this stuff but just to get it down in black and white here’s the wiki entry:
Control of fire by early humans
Claims for the earliest definitive evidence of control of fire by a member of Homo range from 1.7 to 2.0 million years ago. Evidence for the “microscopic traces of wood ash” as controlled use of fire by Homo erectus, beginning roughly 1 million years ago, has wide scholarly support.
There are some arguments against the “cooked food causes brains” hypothesis btw. The problem is a lot of them rely on studies of rodents. As your vid pointed out, rodent brains are set up differently from primate brains. So you can’t necessarily draw conclusions on this from studying rodents.
znModeratorOn recent Rams UDFAs.
***
from https://www.lafbnetwork.com/nfl/la-rams/la-rams-news/los-angeles-rams-track-record-developing-udfas/
Since Sean McVay took over as head coach in 2017, the Los Angeles Rams have quietly become one of the NFL’s most consistent pipelines for undrafted talent.
Alaric Jackson (OL, 2021 – Iowa)
Jackson made the roster as a rookie and has since started 35 games, including every one in 2024. He’s played multiple spots on the offensive line and helped stabilize a unit that went through major injuries.Jackson re-signed with the Rams this offseason and is expected to continue starting at left tackle after returning from blood clots, likely in the winter.
Omar Speights (LB, 2024 – LSU)
Speights joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent in May 2024 and quickly earned a roster spot after turning heads throughout the preseason. He didn’t see defensive snaps until Week 8, but once thrust into action, he started the final 11 regular-season games and both playoff matchups.He finished the year with 67 tackles, 2 passes defended, and 419 defensive snaps, all while grading in the top third among LBs in run defense by PFF. His standout film work earned praise from coaches and landed him on PFF’s “All-Breakout Team” for 2024.
Speights is now expected to compete for the starting linebacker spot in 2025, along with fellow UDFA Sean Dolac.
znModeratorfrom PFF, 2025 NFL secondary rankings: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-secondary-rankings-2025?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhtwitter&utm_content=null
18. Los Angeles Rams
Most players in the Rams’ secondary had down years in 2024 after strong performances in 2023. Darious Williams, who posted one of the best seasons by any cornerback in 2023, struggled in his return to Los Angeles. Quentin Lake has graded well in PFF’s advanced coverage metrics over the past two seasons, while rookie Kamren Kinchens was the only player to earn an overall grade above 70.0 in 2024. If Williams bounces back and Cobie Durant and Kamren Curl show improvement, the Rams’ secondary could shape up to be a solid unit in 2025.
znModeratorCareer Explosive Run rates from 2025 RBs
RJ Harvey: 21%
Jarquez Hunter: 18.9%
Cam Skattebo/Bhayshul Tuten: 18%
Marcus Yarns: 17.9%
Damien Martinez: 17.8% pic.twitter.com/oHfAbvtUlI— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) February 20, 2025
znModerator30 touchdowns over the last 3 seasons.
Only Ja’Marr Chase has more.New Rams WR Davante Adams is tied for 2nd.#RamsHouse #DavanteAdams #NFLStats #TouchdownLeader #WRRanking #LAFBNetwork #NFL2025 pic.twitter.com/T3XgZ5bBRj
— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) July 12, 2025
znModeratorSince 2015, the Rams are the ONLY NFC West team that hasn’t finished last in the division.#RamsHouse #NFCWest #NFLStats #MatthewStafford #LAFBNetwork #49ers #Seahawks #Cardinals #NFL2025 pic.twitter.com/8BknpdPIHO
— LAFB Network (@LAFBNetwork) July 12, 2025
July 12, 2025 at 10:06 am in reply to: Just a thread for different kindsa interesting things #157041znModeratorI see you avoided mention of Sui Juris Ram
I lost track of who that is.
znModeratorLAFB Network@LAFBNetwork
Iron man mentality 💪Quentin Lake was one of just three defenders in the entire NFL to play every single defensive snap through Week 17 last season. The Rams gave him a rest in Week 18 with the playoffs locked up.
znModerator— Jim Youngblood 53 (@53_jim70721) July 12, 2025
znModerator…
Adams has been with the Rams for a few months now and needless to say, he’s loved his time so far. He was on the “Dan Patrick Show” this week and was effusive with praise for McVay when asked what the Rams coach is like.
“Just like everybody says,” Adams said. “I haven’t heard anybody say anything different about McVay. I think of any coach ever spoken about to me, it’s been the most uniform feedback ever. And then I got around him and he completely validated all of it.”
In his career, Adams played for Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce and Jeff Ulbrich, so it’s been a mix of good and bad. But with McVay, Adams loves the energy he brings every day and the way he coaches.
Adams says McVay isn’t someone who ridicules his players for making mistakes, which he appreciates.
“He’s got energy, but it’s all legit. It’s real,” he added. “You can feel him. You just love being around his energy. Even when you don’t do things right, you may have messed something up, you don’t feel that, like, ‘Oh, my coach is going to come down on me.’ He’s going to correct you and he’s going to hold you accountable, but it’s just a different feeling in that building right now, for sure.”
znModeratorI did not see that coming.
I wonder what Sui Juris Ram would make of this.
Actually as it happens I’ve heard this concept before. Mastering fire and so cooking food gave us more and more easily consumed nutrients, thereby providing the energy we need to power larger brains.
from Why Fire Makes Us Human—Cooking may be more than just a part of your daily routine, it may be what made your brain as powerful as it is: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-fire-makes-us-human-72989884/
Human beings evolved to eat cooked food. It is literally possible to starve to death even while filling one’s stomach with raw food. In the wild, people typically survive only a few months without cooking, even if they can obtain meat….Cooked food…is mostly digested by the time it enters the colon; for the same amount of calories ingested, the body gets roughly 30 percent more energy from cooked oat, wheat or potato starch as compared to raw, and as much as 78 percent from the protein in an egg.
In essence, cooking—including not only heat but also mechanical processes such as chopping and grinding—outsources some of the body’s work of digestion so that more energy is extracted from food and less expended in processing it. Cooking breaks down collagen, the connective tissue in meat, and softens the cell walls of plants to release their stores of starch and fat. The calories to fuel the bigger brains of successive species of hominids came at the expense of the energy-intensive tissue in the gut, which was shrinking at the same time—you can actually see how the barrel-shaped trunk of the apes morphed into the comparatively narrow-waisted Homo sapiens.
July 10, 2025 at 11:57 pm in reply to: before camp assessments: roster, rankings, predictions #157032znModeratora podcast by Brett Kollmann and EJ Snyder
That vid is about as good as it gets. You know the Rams better from watching it.
July 10, 2025 at 11:32 pm in reply to: before camp assessments: roster, rankings, predictions #157031znModeratora podcast by Brett Kollmann and EJ Snyder
…
“Nobody wants to play the Rams”
Bootleg Football recaps Rams’ offseason moves and previews upcoming seasonBootleg Football—a podcast by Brett Kollmann and EJ Snyder—published an in-depth breakdown on the Los Angeles Rams’ prospects for 2025.
Recaps how the Rams made the playoffs last season, analyzes every offseason move, and contemplates their chances for the upcoming season. It’s a must-listen this time of the offseason for fans of the team:
These are the discussed topics that I found the most interesting myself:
* It’s tough to measure what the Rams were last offseason because most statistics are clouded by a slow start and injuries
* On paper, the Rams were the 20th best team in football last year
* Running concepts: how Sean McVay puts his spin on man principles, why the offensive line is well-suited for this scheme, and blast vs duo
* LA’s prioritization of defensive front over linebackers and secondary
* What we can expect from the partnership of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams
Why Alaric Jackson was a free agent bargain, prior to health concerns
* In-depth opinions on Rams 2025 NFL Draft class
* Is UDFA Shaun Dolac a future starter?znModeratorwhere does the NFC West rank among all eight divisions? NFL.com’s Eric Edholm ranked it as the fifth-best division in the league — wedged right between fourth-ranked NFC East and the sixth-ranked AFC East.
5) NFC WEST
The West was tightly packed a year ago, with all four teams in playoff contention in mid-December. It’s also telling that the division’s worst team, six-win San Francisco, was viewed as something of a fluke, considering the 49ers had averaged nearly double that number of victories in the previous three seasons.
It’s a very solid division. You can make a case for all four teams having a playoff path in 2025. But how many have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations? That was one reason I stacked the NFC East ahead of the West.
I expect the Niners to bounce back this season, even with a slew of offseason personnel losses. They were ravaged by injury in 2024 and went 2-6 in one-score games, and they face a much kinder schedule in 2025. This might not profile as one of Kyle Shanahan’s most dangerous clubs right now, but a return to double-digit wins shouldn’t surprise anyone.
The Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks all could be competitive once again, although Seattle might be the least-known quantity of the group right now. If Sam Darnold and a reconfigured offensive line come together, the run game and defense could push the ‘Hawks into the playoffs.
Arizona has been on a slow burn since Jonathan Gannon took over in 2023. Now this team must show it can make the necessary improvements defensively and iron out the offensive inconsistencies in order to earn more wins. The Cardinals were 6-4 a year ago before collapsing after the bye.
The Rams have rallied from 3-6 and 1-4 starts the last two seasons to make the playoffs, nearly knocking off the Eagles in this past January’s Divisional Round, so everyone knows they’re dangerous. Keeping Matthew Stafford healthy and making wholesale improvements to the run defense could earn them a second straight division title.
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