.

Just some interesting observations on the FA market this year & its relation to the draft

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Albert Breer

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/06/myles-garrett-combine-cleveland-browns-nfl-draft

I think I’ll repeat that offensive linemen figure to get paid on the open market this week—and the final effect could be that guards wind up paid like tackles. Why? The offensive line franchise tag number ($14.271 million) isn’t broken down by position, which means it’s based on what left tackles make. That, in turn, makes it tough to tag even a great guard.

And so premier guards can make it to the market. As of now, there are 14 linemen making eight figures per. Only three of them are guards. Add to all of this that the coming draft class of offensive linemen is weak, and Kevin Zeitler, Ron Leary and Larry Warford could join the group, or at least settle on the fringes of it.

I think the flip side is that the market at both corner and receiver—two spots where there’s relative strength (Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Kenny Stills, DeSean Jackson at receiver; Bouye, Stephon Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick at CB)—could be adversely affected by the historic quality of the draft class at corner and strong depth of the class at receiver.

It’s not out of the question that Jeffery becomes the second- or third-highest-paid receiver in league history, and Bouye and Gilmore easily outdistance the deal Janoris Jenkins got last year. But there’ll be a number of would-be suitors who balk at the prices and sit tight until April, which is one reason why you shouldn’t panic if your team is strangely quiet in filling those needs this week.

Trumaine Johnson signs $16.7 million franchise tender

Michael David Smith

Trumaine Johnson signs $16.7 million franchise tender

Some players dislike the franchise tag, but Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson is just fine with making a guaranteed salary of $16.7 million this season.

Johnson has signed his one-year, $16.7 million franchise tender, Peter Schrager of NFL Network reports.

The $16.7 million Johnson is scheduled to make for 2017 would be the second-most of any cornerback in the NFL this year, behind only the $24 million Josh Norman will make in Washington this year between his salary and bonuses. It’s still possible that Johnson and the Rams could work out a long-term deal, but if not, Johnson is guaranteed that base salary, which works out to about $983,000 a week for all 17 weeks of the regular season.

The Rams took Johnson out of Montana with a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Last year in Los Angeles he started 14 games, and the team views him as an important part of what it hopes is building a winning team after many years of losing for the franchise.

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from “Talking Helmets with the Equipment Manager” [2007]

http://www.helmethut.com/Talkhelmet/TalkHewitt.html

why did the Rams change from blue and yellow to blue and white in 1964, which they wore for 9 years, until 1972?

TH – Kind of a funny story. Before the change the Rams often wore yellow home jerseys which, as it turned out, didn’t look particularly good on black and white TV, a consideration that became increasingly important at the time. So the Rams experimented with different shades of yellow until they found one that actually showed up well on TV. The problem was the shade of the yellow that worked well for TV was called “buttercup yellow”. When Mr. Reeves (Dan Reeves, Rams owner 1941-1971) found out about this, he said that there was no way his team would ever wear a color called “buttercup yellow”. Also, the yellow horns on the Rams helmet at the time didn’t show up very well on TV either. So Mr. Reeves decided to remove yellow from the uniforms altogether, opting for a simple blue and white, which as it turned out looked great on black and white TV.

HH – Keeping with the Rams blue and white uniform era, I always wondered why the Rams rarely wore their navy jerseys when playing at home during that time, much like the Dallas Cowboys do today. Did the Rams do this because the white jerseys offered relief when playing under the hot Southern California Sun, was it a strategic advantage decision?

TH – Another interesting story. Actually there were years during the blue and white era when the Rams never wore their navy jerseys at all, not during the preseason or the regular season. Also, it had nothing to do with combating the Southern California sun. In fact a lot of those home games we played were quite cool, especially since we played a lot of night games at home. Wearing white jerseys at home was the brainchild of Mr. Reeves, an extremely smart owner and businessman with a talent for promotion. He felt that if the Rams wore their white jerseys at home it would make for a better game day experience for Rams fans by giving them a chance to see the colorful jerseys of visiting teams, which most Rams fans would not otherwise get a chance to see. So rather than Rams fans seeing the same thing each and every week, which would be the Rams always in navy and the visiting teams always in white, Rams fans instead got to see different colors each week. And Rams fans loved it, it was a smart decision by Mr. Reeves.

HH – Why did the Rams change back to blue and yellow uniforms in 1973, after wearing blue and white uniforms for 9 years (1964-1972)?

TH – This was Mr. Rosenbloom’s (Caroll Rosenbloom, Rams owner 1972-1979) idea, something he decided to do when he took over as the Rams owner in 1972. He felt the blue and white uniforms were somewhat bland and wanted a uniform look that better reflected the glitz of Hollywood. Horns were added to the jerseys, at the shoulder area, and we went to white shoes and blue shoes. The new jersey numbers were also pretty snazzy, they had a white trim. But we quickly discovered that the white trim made the numbers very tough to differentiate on TV so they were scrapped after the 1973 preseason.

HH – So many teams have gone through different helmet designs over the years, not only color but logos as well. Have the Rams ever considered doing away with their helmet horns in favor of another logo?

TH – Never. Not once. The Rams have always been very proud of the horns on their helmet and fully understand how iconic they are and what they represent in terms of NFL history. The Rams helmet horns were so important to the Rams that, unlike many other teams, the Rams have always ensured that they were always applied to the helmets even for scrimmages, mini-camps, camps and practices. You won’t see a Rams player wearing a Rams helmet without horns

McVay reflects on flashes of talent from Goff

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay sits down for an interview as he gears up for his first season with the Rams.

http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/McVay_reflects_on_flashes_of_talent_from_Goff/f6fe8c1f-83a9-4959-bab0-d861543fa357

Rams ready to sort through bevy of receivers at combine

VINCENT BONSIGNORE
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-745690-one-receiver.html

INDIANAPOLIS – The wide receivers finally made it to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday for their on-field workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine. All 58 of them, which is an extraordinary amount of prospects and typifies the heavy emphasis these days on throwing the ball.

Inside the stadium, the Rams scouting and coaching contingency watched intently, wide receiver being such a significant need and, based on how many of them the Rams requested formal interviews with and reach out to informally, this week a particular point of focus this week.

And not just here, either.

The opening of free agency on Monday is expected to offer a slew of interesting possibilities, and the Rams appear poised to be active as new head coach Sean McVay begins building the offense to his specifications.

“We’re confident that we know that market and who, in that market, fits Sean the most,” said Rams general manager Les Snead.

Depending on how aggressive they are next week – and there are strong indications they’ll at least kick the tires on a group that should include Washington’s DeSean Jackson, Cleveland’s Terrelle Pryor, Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery, Washington’s Pierre Garcon – the Rams’ receiver need might not be as compelling as it is right now.

Nevertheless, the Rams at their core are a draft and development organization, so ideally some long-range answers to a position that’s befuddled them for years were on the field Saturday.

Armed with the 37th overall pick in next month’s draft – and eight picks total across the second and seventh rounds – good chance one or two of them might be getting a call from McVay and Snead eventually.

Their draft position eliminates them from consideration for the top prospects – Clemson’s Mike Williams, Western Michigan’s Corey Davis and Washington’s Johnson Ross – but they’re well situated to tap into the next wave. And history shows impact receivers can be found beyond the first round.

With that in mind, here are some wide receivers who should be available when the Rams make their first pick.

JUJU SMITH SCHUSTER, USC, 6-2, 220, 2016 stats: 13 games, 70 catches, 914 yards, 10 TDs: There’s been a lot of talk at the combine that Smith-Schuster profiles as an Anquan Boldin type receiver, which makes a lot of sense. Like Boldin, Smith-Schuster isn’t a blazer, but he’s a big, physical, competitive receiver adept at route running and using his body to create an advantage in one-on-one battles. With the ball in his hands, he’s a punishing runner and isn’t afraid to use his size and strength as a weapon.

“Yeah, definitely. Anquan Boldin,” Smith-Schuster concurred. “His speed, at the same time the way he plays, the way he approaches the game, basically the overall how he plays his game and how tough he is. I kind of see myself the same way.”

COOPER KUPP, EASTERN WASHINGTON, 6-2, 205, 2016 Stats: 13 games 117 catches, 1,700 yards 17 TDs: Kupp disappointed a bit with his 4.62 and 4.66 40 times Saturday, but in a roundabout way that might actually help the Rams as it may eliminate Kupp from consideration as a first-round pick.

It shouldn’t, as Kupp’s productivity, natural hands, and ability to expertly slay every route on the route tree and operate against man or zone coverage makes him a first-round talent.

But in the finite world of stacking a draft board, Kupp might get docked for not delivering a sub 4.6 40.

Nevertheless, he’ll go off the board by the middle of the second round – at the latest – and he was one of the handful of receivers the Rams officially sat down with in Indiana.

“I believe in the receiver that I am, I believe in what I bring to a team,” Kupp said. “I think it’ something that no one else brings, the reliability, the versatility, someone who is going to be productive play in and play out.”

JOSH REYNOLDS, TEXAS A&M, 6-4, 194, 2016 Stats: 13 games, 61 catches 1,039 yards, 12 TDs: The Rams have a glaring need for big, reliable targets that can stretch the field, and Reynolds fits that bill. He isn’t the most physical receiver, and defensive backs will try to body him up to take advantage of his slender build. But he’s an explosive athlete that can gallop past defenders vertically – while possessing tremendous hand eye coordination and ball-catching skills – and can out-jump them on contested balls.

CHAD HANSEN, CAL, 6-2, 205, 2016 Stats: 10 games, 92 catches, 1,249 yards, 11 TDs: A former walk-on at Cal after spending one season at Idaho State, Hansen exploded onto the scene in 2016 with a monster year that transformed him from nobody to one of the most intriguing receivers in the draft. Watching him play, you’re instantly drawn to the explosive speed that allows him to burst past defenders, his ability to go up and get balls, but also work the sidelines with his footwork. He’ll get dinged for the elementary route running he was asked to do in Cal’s system, but he’s a willing learner and coachable, so he should seamlessly pick up the more nuanced NFL route tree.

“A lot of people think I’m a product of (Cal’s) offense but I don’t see it like that,” Hansen said. “I see myself as a complete receiver and someone that’s going to be able to translate to the NFL and be successful at that level.”

La Canfora: Too Much To Overcome For 49ers To Trade For Cousins

Jason La Canfora

The San Francisco 49ers do not have a quarterback. Colin Kaepernick has opted out of his contract, and Kyle Shanahan has to find a replacement. He can look to the draft. He can look for a trade. In a perfect world, he would acquire Kirk Cousins.

That, however, presents many challenges.

“Look, Kyle Shanahan really, really likes Cousins,” CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora said on CBS Sports Radio’s Gio and Jones. “He and his daddy drafted him, and they quickly felt like he was a better option than RG3. They championed him, they continued to watch him closely and they believe he’s an upper-echelon quarterback. Kyle Shanahan would have no problem paying Kirk Cousins what he’s going to get, which is going to be close to $25 million a year.

“The problem for them is they have so many holes,” La Canfora continued. “The offensive line, I suppose, is a discernible strength. There isn’t another position group on that roster that is. They have so much they need to address, and they know that just having a quarterback isn’t going to be a solution where we maybe have the worst roster in the league.”

The 49ers have fallen off the proverbial cliff in recent years. After going 36-11-1 and reaching at least the NFC Championship every season from 2011-13, the 49ers have gone from 8-8 to 5-11 to 2-14 and now have their fourth head coach in as many seasons.

There are a lot of holes to plug, and quarterback is certainly one of them. In fact, it might be the biggest hole to plug. But is it worth plugging that hole when, if you do, you won’t be able to plug any others?

“We’re picking really, really high this year, and we’ll probably be picking really high at least next year,” La Canfora said, explaining the 49ers’ mindset. “Do we really want to give up two first-round picks for the quarterback and then pay the quarterback $25 million a year and still have literally nobody on offense except for maybe a running back to help him out? And we still need to completely rebuild our secondary. And we probably still need multiple linebackers, even though two or three years ago we would have said linebacker is the biggest strength on the roster.

“Boy, there’s so much to overcome,” La Canfora continued. “I just don’t now that at the end of the day, for how far they are from a personnel standpoint, that trading three or four draft picks and having the highest-paid quarterback in the league makes sense to them.”

Rams Leaning OL in Round 2, WR in Round 3

Charlie Campbell.

http://walterfootball.com/nfldraftrumormill

In many recent years, the Rams were a power player in the NFL Draft, as they had a boat load of picks from their 2012 trade with the Redskins. Last year, the Rams went the opposite direction, giving up a huge haul to move from 15th to first overall in order to select quarterback Jared Goff. The 2016 season was ugly as Goff played horribly behind a weak offensive line and a receiving corps that lacked talent. Los Angeles changed out its coaching staff, but the roster weaknesses remain. Los Angeles is without its first-round pick, and one of its third-round choices went to the Titans, so the Rams are lacking resources to improve. In speaking with sources with the Rams, upgrading the offensive line and wide receivers are the goals for the offseason and 2017 NFL Draft.

Between the offensive line and wide receivers, it sounds like the line is the priority in the second round. The Rams selected left tackle Greg Robinson with the second-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and Robinson has been a massive disappointment. He is approaching bust category and could be moved to guard or right tackle if the Rams are able to land an upgrade at left tackle. Utah tackle Garett Bolles could be an option if he slips to the second round. Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp is another blocker who could land in Los Angeles. The offensive line prospects are less talented than the wide receivers – check out our 2017 NFL Draft Offensive Tackle Rankings – and the Rams could land a quality wide receiver in the third round.

The Rams put a ton of resources into Goff, so the organization hierarchy of Les Snead and Kevin Demoff needs Goff to show significant improvement in 2016. Giving him better blocking and more receiving talent could improve the chances of Goff making a big jump in year two.

wv wrote:

Parades should always be about Class.

Geese parades are just a diversion.

w
v

I thought that parade WAS pretty classy.

Note the nice black, red, n gold uniforms.

(Though I get some are objecting to the gold on the uniform.)

Anyway I think you just have a thing about human/goose diversity.

..

Rams to put emphasis on fixing offense through free agency, draft

VINCENT BONSIGNORE

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-745521-mcvay-offensive.html

INDIANAPOLIS – Like the super smart kid in class who teachers sometimes neglect in order to tend to their less-gifted students, new Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is probably feeling a bit overlooked these days.

It’s one of the double-edged swords of taking over a unit that, frankly, is already playoff caliber

Especially when the group it has been lining up against every day in practice is, well, challenged.

As the Rams work through free agency and draft preparations – including this week in Indianapolis at the NFL draft combine – so much of the focus and talk and concentration is on lifting an offense that ranks dead last in nearly every category that Phillips sometimes feels invisible.

To the point of speaking up.

“And as any good coach will do, (he’ll say) ‘Hey, don’t forget about us over here. We’re playing defense too,’” is how Rams general manager Les Snead put it.

Good luck with all that, Wade.

No matter how many times he raises his hand or jumps up and down or tries to bring attention to himself, the Rams need to ignore him as much as possible.

Nothing personal, good sir.

The Rams won’t completely shun Phillips this offseason – the change to his 3-4 scheme preference creates a natural need for specific additions – but let’s not get things twisted.

They arrived here in Indianapolis with a particular game plan. And it’s one they’ll carry into free agency next week and the draft seven weeks later in Philadelphia.

It’s time to pull the offense into the 21st century, once and for all.

That was the driving force behind firing Jeff Fisher last November.

And it was the motivation in identifying the offensive minded Sean McVay as Fisher’s replacement, and then locking him up almost immediately after first meeting with him.

“We’ve got to improve the offense,” Snead said, rather obviously.

Step one in that direction was taken care of when they hired McVay, a 30-year-old ball of energy and enthusiasm who spent the last three years as Washington’s offensive coordinator and whose entire coaching roots are planted exclusively on that side of the ball.

Step two was McVay hiring an offensive staff heavy on quarterback development experience and with strong backgrounds in designing offenses.

That includes new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, quarterback coach Greg Olson and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.

Along with McVay, they’ll form a virtual offensive think tank

Now comes the really fun part.

And probably the hardest.

It’s time to find the necessary talent to carry out McVay’s vision.

Which, at the risk of putting poor Wade Phillips on mute for now, means the Rams focusing almost entirely on offense this offseason.

The needs are too vast.

Like capable blockers to protect second-year quarterback Jared Goff.

And perimeter skill players to surround Goff with, preferably ones who strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses and, as absurd as it might sound, can be counted on to run precise routes and hold onto the ball when targeted.

Maybe the fresh breath of offensive air McVay will blow on the Rams will transform previously ineffective players into assets.

Certainly Goff will make the natural progression in his second year. And third-year running back Todd Gurley is much too talented to suffer through another season like the last. The offensive line still tilts to the young side, so upside remains.

But across the rest of the board, improvement will require bringing in better players.

And that process begins now.

After spending the last month taking a deep dive into the Rams present roster – deciding who fits and who doesn’t – and talking through philosophies, preferable scheme fits and desired skill sets, Snead and McVay and their staffs now get a chance to put potential replacements to all those theories and prototypes they’ve been talking about.

“That’s why it’s been beneficial to have Les be able to kind of give me a jump start on, what are our needs?” McVay said. “And then is this something we feel we might be able to address in the draft or in free agency? Because just like in both, there are certain positions where there’s a little more depth in free agency. Certain positions where there’s a little more depth in the draft. And being able to use those two ways of acquiring players to improve is going to be really important for us.”

The Rams won’t find all their answers in Indianapolis, where more than 300 of the best college football prospects are gathered, a handful of whom will soon find their way to Los Angeles.

Nor will all their problems get fixed in free agency, which opens next week and offers a group of serviceable offensive lineman and wide receivers who offer immediate upgrades from last year.

But it’s a start.

And they can take a big step forward by drafting and spending their cap space money wisely.

In an encouraging sign, it looks like the Rams are ready to pounce on the free agent market. And Snead specifically mentioned the wide receiver position as a focus.

“We’re confident that we knowmarket and who, in that market, fits Sean the most, and from there we’ve got to wait and see what happens next week,” Snead said. “But we’re confident we’re prepared to test that market, and that we’re prepared to test the market in the draft as well. We know we want to get better on offense.”

If that means sticking Wade Phillips in the corner or Snead and McVay clasping their ears to tune him out, so be it.

Combine Notebook: March 3

By Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Combine-Notebook-March-3/00c932ba-d3d9-41ef-baed-9959afeb29ac

INDIANAPOLIS — Friday was the first official day of on-field workouts, with offensive linemen and running backs taking to the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium. Meanwhile, quarterbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers put their best foot forward meeting wit the media. Here are a few notes from the day.

1) What Kromer wants in an offensive lineman

New Rams offensive line coach Aaron Kromer has been around the league long enough to know exactly what to look for during drills at the Combine. But he said he feels like the in-person interviews are probably more valuable when it comes to the week in Indy.

“The way I like to look at these guys at the Combine, is I’m trying to find out whether they can learn football first,” Kromer told therams.com. “So the interviews are really the most productive thing for me, just an opportunity to teach them something and see if they can teach it back to me.

“Also, just when they are working out, and they are doing their drills, that goes so far,” Kromer continued. “So, they’ve got to know what to do, how to do it, and continue to do the right thing over and over. You can find more about that tin the interview than you can actually on the field in the drills, so I really spend a lot of time and really like the interview process of the Combine.”

We’ll have more in Kromer in a full feature on the site this weekend.

2) RBs impress with 40 times

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette may not have had the best vertical jump, but his speed was certainly impressive for his size. Fournette, who checked in at 6-feet and 240 pounds ran an official 4.51 40-yard dash.

That time put Fournette right in line with another notable running back, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. He ran a 4.48 40 to go along with his 37.5-inch vertical and 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump.

McCaffrey, however, is listed at 5-foot-11 and 202 pounds. So for Fournette to only be .03 behind the Stanford product in 40 time says something about his athleticism.

T.J. Logan of North Carolina finished with the best 40 time of any running back at 4.37.

3) What are Smith-Schuster’s best qualities?

For some hometown flavor, USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was at the podium on Friday afternoon and received a question about his best qualities as a receiver. He listed three: his football I.Q., his toughness, and how competitive he is.

“I’m tough. I played through a broken hand,” he said. “And just very competitive — willing to work, willing to put my body out there on the line.”

Plus, there’s been a bit of buzz around a quarterback who won’t be draft eligible for another year — USC’s Sam Darnold. Smith-Schuster revealed he’s worked out with both Rams quarterback Jared Goff and Eagles signal-caller Carson Wentz in the past, particularly as he prepares for his own draft process. So how does Darnold stack up?

“Sam Darnold’s up there. That’s probably one guy I would take from my team right now,” the wideout said.

High praise, indeed.

4) How would Trubisky about feel heading home?

Speaking of North Carolina, quarterback Mitchell (not Mitch) Trubisky’s hometown, Mentor, Ohio, is about 30 minutes east of Downtown Cleveland. The Browns, of course, hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. So how would the Northeast Ohio native feel to have his name called by the team he grew up rooting for at the top of the draft?

“I’m going to be excited wherever I go,” Trubisky said. “I have a lot of pride in where I’m from — that being my hometown. But no matter what team selects me, I’m going to be super excited and I’m going to work as hard as possible wherever I go. It’s been a dream of mine to play in the NFL since I was a little kid. So whoever picks me, it’s going to be a dream come true.”

Standard, middle of the road answer. But I’d bet he’d be ecstatic.