nittany ram wrote:

The irony is

We will not lack for that in the news, I think….

Trump’s White House Has No Idea How to Handle This Mess
The Russia story does not end with Michael Flynn.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a53124/michael-flynn-russia-details/

Remember bombshells? Not the blonde WWII variety, or the actual explosive devices, but rather, the big newspaper stories that would explode, seemingly out of nowhere, initially sounding so preposterous that more than a few people wondered if the reporting was unsound or even fictitious. As it happens these days, we’re all living downrange from freaking artillery practice and one bombshell sounds pretty much like all the others when you’re a civilian looking for some foxhole into which you can dive to get out of the relentless torrent of crazy that’s detonating on top of us every news cycle.

This, for example, from The Washington Post, is a legitimate bombshell.

The acting attorney general informed the Trump White House late last month that she believed Michael Flynn had misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, and warned that the national security adviser was potentially vulnerable to Russian blackmail, current and former U.S. officials said. The message, delivered by Sally Q. Yates and a senior career national security official to the White House counsel, was prompted by concerns that ­Flynn, when asked about his calls and texts with the Russian diplomat, had told Vice ­President-elect Mike Pence and others that he had not discussed the Obama administration sanctions on Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, the officials said. It is unclear what the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, did with the information. In the waning days of the Obama administration, James R. Clapper Jr., who was the director of national intelligence, and John Brennan, the CIA director at the time, shared Yates’s concerns and concurred with her recommendation to inform the Trump White House. They feared that “Flynn had put himself in a compromising position” and thought that Pence had a right to know that he had been misled, according to one of the officials, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

Incoming!

And, by 11 o’clock Monday night, Michael Flynn had resigned. What that means about his ongoing relationship with the president*, of course, is anybody’s guess.

A couple of things. First, Sally Yates turns out to be an even bigger hero than we thought she was when she made the stand that got her fired on the immigration order. (And, one wonders what else was up with that now, too.) Second, I know it’s hard to believe either Clapper or Brennan as far as you can throw a federal courthouse, but they had absolutely no reason to align themselves with Yates’ concerns except out of a legitimate concern for the national security. Third, anyone fantasizing about what it would take to get the president* out of the White House and back on NBC where he belongs now has to factor in that Mike Pence is tainted by this dangerous nonsense, too.

At the very least, as people from Indiana warned us, the man is a dolt. Per the Post:

For Yates and other officials, concerns about the communications peaked in the days after the Obama administration on Dec. 29 announced measures to punish Russia for what it said was the Kremlin’s interference in the election to help Trump. After the sanctions were rolled out, the Obama administration braced itself for the Russian retaliation. To the surprise of many U.S. officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Dec. 30 that there would be no response. Trump praised the decision on Twitter. Intelligence analysts began to search for clues that could help explain Putin’s move. The search turned up Kislyak’s communications, which the FBI routinely monitors, and the phone call in question with Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general with years of intelligence experience. From that call and subsequent intercepts, FBI agents wrote a secret report summarizing ­Flynn’s discussions with Kislyak. Yates, then the deputy attorney general, considered Flynn’s comments in the intercepted call to be “highly significant” and “potentially illegal,” according to an official familiar with her thinking.

OK, so nobody’s ever been prosecuted under the Logan Act. Still, the idea that this walking hunk of kompromat was the National Security Advisor for as long as he was beggars belief. (Maybe populist champion Jill Stein can shed some light on what they talked about at that gala dinner in Moscow?) There are still a number of huge, festering problems with this situation; Flynn’s lack of credibility and obvious crackpottery were only the most glaring of them.

(By all accounts, Flynn was a good soldier until Radical Islamic Terrorism™ sent him off the deep end. I recall Sherlock Holmes’ assessment of the career of Colonel Sebastian Moran, an honorable soldier who became Moriarty’s second-in-command—that there are some trees “which grow to a certain height and then suddenly develop some unsightly eccentricity.”)

There is the simple fact that nobody in this White House seemed to know fck-all about how to handle this situation. It is also a problem for democracy to have the unelected bureaucrats of the intelligence community at war with an elected president, no matter what you think of the president* or how he got elected. Sooner or later, I fear, the military’s going to get dragged into this fiasco and that will make things immeasurably worse.

It was more than simply time for Flynn to go. It’s time for the country to know everything about the involvement of Russia in the 2016 presidential election, if only to clear the air so somebody can govern the country. It’s time for a halt to the bombardment so we can all get the lay of the land again, if and when the smoke ever clears.

TSRF wrote:

very nice looking dog, looks a lot to me like an Australian Shepherd. Are they related?

Yep Bondi is an Australian Shepherd. A mini aussie. Minis are about 35 pounds.

Happy to hear you survived the Winter Wonderland.

Rams’ new QBs coach thinks ceiling is ‘really high’ for Jared Goff

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/32997/rams-new-qbs-coach-thinks-ceiling-is-really-high-for-jared-goff

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Greg Olson ran the Oakland Raiders’ offense while Jared Goff navigated through his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cal, their stadiums only 12 miles apart. Olson studied Goff closely then, from 2013 to ’14. He saw talent and promise.

“Nothing that I’ve watched so far has deterred me from that same evaluation,” Olson said. “I’m just real excited to get a chance to get with him and have a chance to work with him.”

Olson is the Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach, so it isn’t a reach to call him the franchise’s most important assistant. His job is to work with Goff; to correct the issues that plagued his rookie season and to tap into the raw ability that made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2016. Olson believes the ceiling is “really high” for Goff, four months removed from his 22nd birthday. He sees “tremendous arm talent,” a phrase Olson used often.

“That’s the start, in my opinion,” Olson said during a meet-and-greet with assistant coaches from the Rams’ facility on Friday. “When you look at evaluating the position, it’s, ‘What kind of arm talent does that player have?’ Certainly a very intelligent player when you look at his test scores and what he was able to do as a student. I just think there’s a lot of intangibles that we’ve all heard about him growing up, from high school through college and the NFL. Tremendous work ethic. So, there’s a lot of things there.”

Olson has spent 15 years in the NFL as either an offensive coordinator or a quarterbacks coach or both. He will work under offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, the former Redskins and Falcons quarterbacks coach. Both will answer to 31-year-old head coach Sean McVay, who spent the past three years as the Redskins’ offensive coordinator.

The three bring a wealth of experience working with NFL quarterbacks, which runs in stark contrast to the Rams’ coaching staff under Jeff Fisher. But the message to Goff must be consistent, and McVay expects that to happen organically. He worked with LaFleur with the Redskins from 2010 to ’13, where they were influenced by Kyle Shanahan. And he worked alongside Olson with the Buccaneers in 2008, where they were groomed by Jon Gruden.

LaFleur, who was expected to join the rest of the Rams’ coaches on Monday, helped make Robert Griffin III the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and Matt Ryan the MVP in 2016. McVay said that “a lot of the things that we do philosophically will be very similar.” He called Olson “a great communicator.”

“I don’t think you can have enough good coaches in the building,” McVay said. “We’re going to create an environment where it’s about all of us working together.”

Olson worked with Rex Grossman (22nd overall) and Derek Carr (36th) as rookies. He helped Blake Bortles (third overall), Blaine Gabbert (10th) and Josh Freeman (17th) make strides as second-year players, and he guided Joey Harrington (third overall) through two of his best seasons as a third- and fourth-year starter.

“With these young players,” Olson said, “the quicker they get in and get assimilated to an offensive scheme, and have a chance to get with their coordinator and get with their head coach, and really learn the offense, the better chance they’ll have for success. It certainly wasn’t an ideal situation, the fact that he’s going on his second coordinator and his second head coach in his second year in the league. But the potential is very high.”

Goff came from an Air Raid offense in which he never took a snap from under center and never really communicated a play from the huddle. He struggled through training camp, hardly challenging Case Keenum for the starting job, and he didn’t become the starter until Week 11. Over the last seven games, all losses, Goff had the NFL’s fewest yards per attempt (5.31), second-worst Total QBR (22.2), fourth-worst completion percentage (54.6) and fourth-lowest touchdown-to-interception ratio (0.71).

Goff threw to an underwhelming group of receivers, took snaps behind an inferior offensive line and ran a scheme that didn’t function properly, regardless of the quarterback. But Goff himself didn’t make sound decisions and didn’t complete routine throws. Olson also believes Goff was at a disadvantage because he spent a significant portion of the season receiving limited snaps as a backup.

The key to his development, Olson said, is “being comfortable within a system.”

“That’s the big part. With Sean’s system, and with Matt coming in, I just think it’s going to be really critical that he has a chance to learn the system and get comfortable within that system. The more comfortable he gets with it, then certainly the more confidence he’ll be able to play with, and then you’ll be able to reach that potential.”

InvaderRam wrote:

i could see in certain situations phillips taking brockers out and lining up 3 pass rushers with outside linebackers on either side ready to rush the passer. offenses would have a hard time figuring out who to block.

That’s the Shurmur Eagle defense.

Basically a 2/5.

==

NFL Guru: Defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur
The Birthplace of the Zone Blitz

Fritz Shurmur’s Eagle Defense: The Birthplace of the Zone Blitz

The NFL has had several geniuses when it comes to coaches. Yet when it comes to coordinators many have not received their due nor have any made the Pro Football Hall of Fame based on their contributions. One such coach that did receive Hall of Fame consideration was Dick LeBeau (enshrined in 2011 as a player), who as a long time defensive coordinator has been credited (with Dom Capers) for creating the zone blitz in the modern NFL. Yes Pittsburgh became Blitzburgh but the true zone blitz, as a scheme, came from the mind of Fritz Shurmur. Another assistant deserving enshrinement in Canton.

In 1989, Shurmur was the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. When the team suffered multiple injuries along the front line, yet had all their linebackers healthy, necessity became the mother of invention. His team employed a 3-4 defense that featured Kevin Greene, who had back to back 16.5 sacks in 1988 and 1989 (thanks Kevin), coming off the corner. Yet going into the wildcard matchup as an underdog, Shurmur decided to go with emphasizing his linebackers over his linemen and came up with a 2 down lineman 5 linebacker set up to confuse Randall Cunningham.

You have to understand that this was Randall Cunningham at the height of his career, in fact the next year 1990, he was the NFL’s MVP. However in 1989 he was on his way to stardom when he electrified a national audience on a Monday night by shaking off a hit by New York Giant Carl Banks, and throwing a touchdown to TE Jimmie Giles. He was a threat that ran for nearly 1,000 yards in the following year. He was John Elway 2.0 and the league was having serious problems in defending against such an athletic talent at QB.

In 1989 he led the Eagles in rushing with 621 yards while throwing for 3,400 yards 23 TDs and only 16 interceptions. The Eagles had won 5 of their final 6 games in 1989 and wanted to make amends in the playoffs for their 1988 playoff Fog Bowl loss in Chicago. Although they lost a toe to toe battle with the defending champion San Francisco 49ers in the regular season, the Eagles believed they could play with anyone and wanted a rematch with Joe Montana and company. But first they had to get through a wild card battle with the Los Angeles Rams, whom they taunted in the papers heading into the game. How would Shurmur defend Randall??

Shurmur opted for speed and confusion. One of the first items for a quarterback to determine is who the Mike (Middle) linebacker is. This is to set not only the blocking schemes but where the focal point to how the offense could attack the defense. Well the Rams shifted into their “Eagle” defense where OLBs Kevin Greene #91, Mel Owens #58, and Mike Wilcher #54 manned the outside with ILBs Larry Kelm #52, and Fred Strickland #53 were supplemented by either Brett Faryniarz #51 or George Bethune #57.

You have to understand the Rams weren’t doing this as a nickel defense, they were doing this on first and second downs also. Strickland would take the role of ‘nose-backer’ sometimes lining up as a nose tackle 1 yard off the ball and then would stand up to join the other four linebackers in a stand up position. They played a cat and mouse game as to who was the Mike on most plays.

Along with the outside linebackers taking a page out of Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense and stacking two OLBs over the tight end. The Rams jumped on the Eagles 14-0 in the first quarter forcing Philadelphia to pass. There were plays where Los Angeles would have as many as 4 linebackers lined up on one side of the formation yet only rushed one with a blitzing DB. Along with confusing Cunningham from an alignment standpoint, Shurmur drew up defenses that had DE Mike Piel #95 either dropping or spying.

With an array of blitzes off the corner and so much speed on the field to chase Cunningham, once he scrambled, had one of his worst days. The Eagles had little continuity and one of the reason the offense couldn’t adjust was the untimely death of Eagle quarterback coach Doug Scovil just a week prior to the game. Without his working confidante, Randall and Buddy Ryan’s offense couldn’t adjust as Kevin Greene recorded 2 sacks and hurried him into a 24 of 40 for 238 yards, 1 interception performance and no splash plays whatsoever.

Once the game was over and the Rams danced out of Philadelphia’s Veteran’s Stadium 21-7 winners, the league took notice of Shurmur’s masterpiece. Every other coordinator running a 3-4 during that time employed some of the same tactics Fritz pioneered. At the time it was thought by pundits that they couldn’t employ that gimmicky type of defense against a down hill running team.

In fact their next opponents would be exactly that style of offense and many waited for the Rams to sign a DL during the week, and when they didn’t, knew they’d see the defense again. An underdog for a second consecutive playoff game they traveled to the Meadowlands where Ottis “OJ” Anderson and the New York Giants would run into the belly of the Rams “Eagle” defense. No way could they win a second cold weather road game…right??

In this first vignette, you see the Eagle defense against the Giants on a sweep play. Notice how Shurmur has “nose backer” Strickland #53 off the ball? A concept borrowed from Tom Landry’s defensive tackle position in his Flex Defense, allowing Strickland to use his speed and agility against New York center Bart Oates.

On this play you recognize the cat and mouse game Shurmur’s defense is playing with Phil Simms. Not only does ‘nose backer’ Fred Strickland #53 line up over center in a 3 point stance, he then stands up to give the Rams 4 standing linebackers from the center to the weak side of the formation. Who’s coming?? Who’s dropping?? Simms is so rattled at this point he overthrows Lionel Emanuel and the boo birds were out in the Meadowlands.

On this play you’ll notice that SS Michael Stewart is up on the line to the strong side yet Shurmur still employed twin outside linebackers to the top of the screen in Mel Owens #58 and Mike Wilcher #54. With the two linebackers up near the line of scrimmage they have to be accounted for by the Giants front line. You’ll notice they engage the OL which kept them from sliding their blocking attention to Kevin Greene who runs over FB Maurice Carthon #44.

Since they were in a 2TE max protection, the only outlet for Simms to throw to as he scrambles to his left is Ottis Anderson #24, yet the aforementioned Owens (who backed off after engaging Giant T Jumbo Elliot) and ILB Larry Kelm were sitting right there. With nowhere to throw the ball, time was up and Greene was right there for the sack. Genius

The Rams had been losing 6-0 when the Giants, late in the second quarter, uncharacteristically threw into the teeth of the Eagle defense and an interception set the Rams up to take a 7-6 lead at the half. The biggest play in the game and the turning point that allowed the Rams to upset the Giants 19-13. On this final play DE Mike Piel #95 drops off in the weak flat along with LB Strickland, lined up in 3 point stance in front of Giants guard William Roberts, who also drops.

George Bethune #57, takes over as the ‘nose backer with Brett Faryniarz #51 rushing from the weak-side along with Greene #91 on the strong side. Since Strickland’s first step is forward, Roberts #66 has to honor his charge and not help out LT Jumbo Elliot. He has no one to block!! Greene and Faryniarz’s rush is so strong Simms has to get rid of the ball and Jerry Gray, zoning away from RB Dave Meggett, tips the pass that Michael Stewart intercepts. You also notice that Meggett’s “scat” route was to his right and away from the DE that dropped in the weak flat. Shurmur fielded ONE DL and didn’t rush him!! In a nickel defense?? Think about that for a second…

This was a masterpiece performance by a true NFL genius in Fritz Shurmur. The ’89 Rams fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship and this defense never got the attention the 46 defense, the Steel Curtain, or the Ravens defense did because they didn’t win it all. Had they beat the 49ers and then the Broncos to win Super Bowl XXIV, this defense would have gone down in history. Yet what is interesting is this defense had it’s prime note taker in Giant defensive coordinator and current Patriot coach Bill Belichick.

How do we know this??

He used the 2 man front 1 year later in Super Bowl XXV to stop the Buffalo Bills to win that trophy. Just last year he used the defense with 5 standing players to force NY Jet QB Mark Sanchez into several interceptions. He used it against Tim Tebow also in both the regular season win and again in the playoffs. What Shurmur started in the 1989 playoffs live on to this day in a few 3-4 defenses. One centerpiece to this defense was Kevin Greene who moved on to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 to help form Blitzburgh. Surely Greene took his playbook with him to Pittsburgh and may have shared some of these principles with Steeler coaches.

EPILOGUE: As for Shurmur, he moved on to become a champion defensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI with Mike Holmgren. You want to hear about the ties that bind?? From the late 80s into the early 90’s, Mike Holmgren was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers while Fritz Shurmur was his nemesis counterpart within the division for the Rams. Trust us…going into that 1989 NFC Championship it wasn’t a forgone conclusion that the Niners would win.

In fact, in ’89 the Rams won game 2, 13-12 in Candlestick and even though the Rams lost the NFC Championship to SF, they returned to San Francisco the following year. In that game the ‘Niners were 10-0 and the Rams were 3-7 when the Rams hammered them 28-17 when the Niners were trying to 3peat. So when Holmgren took the head coaching job in Green Bay he took Fritz Shurmur with him. Shurmur followed Holmgren to Seattle in 1999.

However he passed away before the 1999 season. Yet now as the Cleveland Browns GM, Holmgren hired current head coach Pat Shurmur, who is the nephew of Fritz. Shurmur developed other defenses that we will give mention to in the near future yet this 1989 run with his “Eagle defense” was his masterpiece. Even though he went on to coach a 4-3 in Green Bay, his use and expertise to adapt to personnel turned his 3-4 into a juggernaut that nearly stole an NFL title.

nittany ram wrote:

. Boudreau said he holds a lot because he has bad footwork allowing the rusher to get him off balance which forces him to grab. Footwork and technique have always been his issues.

Just adding to this. Here’s the direct quotation fwiw (the article starting this thread has part of this but not all of it):

link: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/11/have_the_los_angeles_rams_reac.html

“It’s been a learning curve for him from the beginning,” Boudreau told espn.com. “Recently, it’s just a matter of his technique. He’s all over the place with his feet; he’s all over the place with his hands. And when he gets in trouble, when he stops his feet, he grabs and he gets those holding penalties that you really don’t need. So he’s got to concentrate on focusing on the little things.”

Boudreau said Robinson feels like he’s let the team down with his play recently.

“If he wasn’t down, then we’ve picked the wrong guy,” Boudreau said. “If it doesn’t bother him, then we got the wrong guy. I want it to be something that it’s important to him, and he wants to be the best. If he’s just coming here and collecting a paycheck, then we got the wrong guy. But he’s not that guy. I’ve had those guys. He’s not that guy. He’s a prideful kid; he wants to do well. We just have to turn the corner with him.”

Hacksaw_64… wrote this:

Personally, I was zoomed in on Grob most of the year.

After last year he was certainly on my watch list for questionable players.

I did like the fact that he went to work on his technique in the off-season with Le Charles Bentley because he was getting beat so bad in pass pro out of his stance in 2015. He had to play with better balance. Bentley grades Grob much differently this season than PFF. I tend to agree with Le Charles here.

In the 2016 season Grob played much better in pass pro. Light years better than 2015. I could tell he had been putting in the work in balance, stance, hands tech and working on focus. He wasn’t quite there yet but he was definitely progressing.

By the way did you know Grob just turned 24 in October. (He is the same age as Carson Wentz ) BTW Imagine Carson Wentz asked to come into the league and start at QB from a system if he only ran 8 plays in college.

GRob was said to be a project when we drafted him with elite upside. I just don’t think anyone especially myself understood how much of a project he was.

But he does have elite upside.

Unlike Jason Smith who could not block the Rams 3rd string DE from day one in camp. In fact he was around him and sacking the QB by the time he was getting out of his stance. And this was at RT have you! And this was not just one occasion. It was 9 out of ten snaps until the decided to hide him with a mysterious injury. 😳

Grob can flat out stone a guy on an island. No TE help needed . One on one. He can do it with some nasty too. He loves to finish with nasty. That’s where he’s been running into problems. And I don’t think its all bad. We don’t want to take that out of his game. We just need to have him channel it better.

You want a OT that finishes off blocks right?(See OP and the Pancake) Shows aggression to the second level?

Grob drew the ire of fans(myself one of them) and possibly his worst flag of the year for running downfield on what was actually a broken play and a QB scramble by Goff, where Grob decided to get himself upfield and to the second level and knocked down a safety or a LB.

Honestly, as an OL coach I wish my entire OL played with this attitude 100 % of the time the entire year.

I see effort, I always see aggressiveness, I definitely see talent. I saw definite progress in blatant holding. He dialed it back significantly this year. I think a lot of you guys would agree many of the calls were pretty marginal especially compared to last season. I would call that progress. It was visible to me. He was arm baring people last season. This season half of the calls were a joke.

As mad as I was. I am not sure I want to take the bite out the dog. It the trainer’s fault not the dogs.

I’ve seen GRob after destroying his block, come off his guy and take the next man and literally rag doll a 320lb DL on his back. Right now he likes to throw or push people. With the zebras all over him he’s likely to draw a flag if he doesn’t do it right(if he grabs any jersey at all). I really think he needs to learn the “Pancake”

I don’t see any physical limitations AT ALL with Grob playing LT. He has the feet, quickness, length , strength, and power to play the position. In fact he is clearly and by a mile our best LT. Saffold was a complete disaster compared to Grob. When he gets his technique right in pass pro like he started doing in 2016 he looks like a a complete natural at LT.

The only thing I can see that will hold him back is mental discipline or lacktherof. Because that’s the element of his game he has to refine. He went from totally lacking in 2015 to working hard on it with marked progress and still plenty of lapses to clean up in 2016. Unfortunately once you get to the NFL the game is different. Its 90% mental. Everyone has elite talent. Very few elite college athlletes have great NFL pro career’s purely on talent.

From what I have heard from Grob interview wise, he sounds very very young on the maturity gauge if I had to rate him. I really think in player development you HAVE to take this into consideration.

A one size all approach in coaching and player development imo is grossly inneffective in this day and age.

He was drafted young. He is actually very young age wise. I really believe he is probably young emotionally. Which really works in our favor. When he does indeed mature and grow up and start to get it things are going to become a lot easier for him.

I think he is being handled completely the wrong way. And believe me I am the last one to suggest “babying” somebody. That is not the point I am making here.

You have to support the kid. You decided to draft this huge freaking project. Then you must dedicate every possible resource necessary to support the ongoing success of the project. Whatever that requires.

I really wish we had some veteran leadership on this team. Somebody needs to take this kid under his wing and show him the ropes as a pro. Mentor him. Build him up. I’m not sure tearing him down is at all helpful at this point.

Unfortunately Grob is not plug and play Ghavenstein. But if you could put Havs brain in Grobs body you would have an instant Hofer. I’m not sure I want to see Grobs brain in Havs body.

But the last thing I am going to do to Grob is to publicly scapegoat him. And bench him in front of his family??? That has to make him feel just awesome about dedicating his life to the film room.

I have no idea what is happening behind the scenes. But I am pretty sure this is the last thing I am going to do with this kid. I am certainly not going to put my future franchise QB in jeopardy by starting Andrew Donnal at LT. That was a risk I would never take.

Behind the scenes have at em. Schedule, routine, film room etc. make him so on time and disciplined he’s “swiss watch” level.

I honestly don’t believe we have a Brian Quick developmental project here.

The only real question for Grob moving forward and I can’t answer it for him, is he willing to do whatever it takes at this point to get better?

If that answer is NO then its time to move on.

If that answer is Yes, then The Rams have no one to blame but themselves if he isn’t playing progressively better next season

Joe Barry Meets the Media

Assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Barry talks about his excitement level in coaching linebacker Alec Ogletree.

http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Joe-Barry-Meets-the-Media/f07b7b9e-1db6-4cf4-b9e2-0e34ce8b61d8

49ers to employ unique power structure

Mike Florio

49ers to employ unique power structure

There’s a fine line between thinking outside the box and effin’ nutty. Time will tell where the new San Francisco power structure falls on that spectrum.

Officially unveiled on Thursday along with the introduction of coach Kyle Shanahan, new G.M. John Lynch explained the division of authority as follows: “I can tell you Kyle has control of the 53. I have the 90. Free agency and draft, I think I have. But, in all of those, it’s also written that, subject to approval of the other guy. And so, that’s the way we wanted it.”

If Shanahan and Lynch form a true partnership, with consensus building and compromise the norm, none of this will be an issue. If they don’t, however, the arrangement has the potential to become a mess.

As explained by Lynch, each guy has veto power over the other guy’s decision-making authority. Which means that Shanahan actually has final say over the 90-man roster, free agency, and the draft and that Lynch has final say over the 53-man roster.

More specifically, disagreements that can’t be resolved could devolve into tit-for-tat gridlock, with veto power becoming the basis for trading horses and/or mutual back-scratching and/or mutually-assured destruction.

Again, if it ever comes to that, the battle already has been lost. The goal should be to always work together, without having to pull out the contract and determine who has what power and how much of it.

Given the Baalke-Harbaugh Bay Area imbroglio, the relationship between Shanahan and Lynch is far more critical than the nuts and bolts of the power structure. So forget about the respective power of coach and G.M. and focus instead on whether they can successfully run the three-legged race.

Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – February 10, 2017

(Opening remarks)

“Alright, hopefully that worked out for you guys and got a chance to get to know a lot of our assistant coaches. A group that we’re really excited about. I think you can feel their energy, their enthusiasm, a lot of the same things we’re looking for and the kind of the environment and atmosphere that we want to be able to create and set that culture. It’s going to start with us and that coaching staff. Looking forward to that.”

(On why he thinks the coaching staff was able to come together so fast and coaches mentioning fundamentals and teaching)

“Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re looking for. I think it came together so quickly because, (I was) very fortunate to have the right people in place. One of the things that’s tricky about the NFL is, are guys going to be available with their contract situations and things like that. You look at a (defensive coordinator) Coach (Wade) Phillips, to get a guy of his caliber, where his contract was running up, we feel very fortunate about that. It kind of worked out where timing ended up being, really, in our favor. We were able to put together a great group of guys on offense and defense. Then, being able to come here and keep the continuity with (special teams coordinator) Coach (John) Fassel – he actually just hired an assistant today that we’ll release, we’re very excited about him. And that represents the final product of our coaching staff. It’s exactly what we’re looking for, those teachers like you mentioned.”

(On RB Todd Gurley talking to him about retaining running backs coach Skip Peete)

“It was one of those situations when you go into these interviews where you have your projected staff in place. Skip was a guy that I heard a lot of really good things about, I had never had the chance to work with him before, but he had worked with a couple of people that I’ve worked with that I hold their opinion in high regard. He was a guy I was interested to sit down with and wanted to really get a chance to talk some football, learn what he’s about. And that morning, before I was getting ready to go sit down with him, I got a call from a North Carolina area code, didn’t know what it was. I got a text saying, ‘This is Todd,’ which, I had spoken to after I got hired. In the meantime, (General Manager) Les (Snead) is beeping in, I’m thinking, ‘Oh no, I hope this isn’t the first bad call I’m getting as a head coach.’ It was one of those deals where I got a chance to talk to Todd and he kind of explained some of the reasons why he felt so strongly about Coach Peete. When you’ve got a key player like that, I think you want to be able to try to demonstrate that you’re going to listen to your players, their opinion matters. And somebody of his caliber and the type of guy that he is, very important to us. And that definitely played a factor in why we were able to retain Coach Peete. He also earned the opportunity because of what he has done as a great coach, as well.”

(On what Gurley said about why he felt so strongly about Skip Peete)

“He felt like, from a technique, fundamentals, understanding the position, allowing him to see the big picture, how does he fit with regards to protections. I know, last year, he was used a lot more in protections on some of those third-down situations where you’re responsible for blitz pickups and things of that nature. And I think that’s what allowed him to, kind of, expand his game and continue to try to be that every down back that I know he’s striving to be. It was just a lot of the things you’re looking for with your coaching staff and what they’re trying to represent. I feel like Todd saw a lot of those things and that was why he wanted to get a chance to continue to work with him.”

(On if getting each player better matters more than what defensive scheme they are playing)

“Absolutely. When you really talk about what makes a great coach, I think, ultimately, everybody has different levels of ability, and it’s our job to help them reach that highest potential. And that’s why Coach Phillips is a great coach, he’s got that perspective. I think you heard us talk about it already, where we want to fit our schemes to our player’s strengths. That’s why getting a chance to sit in there today with our defensive staff as they’re watching all the tape from last year – I’ve had a chance to do that on both offense and defense so far. That’s why you can’t wait for the offseason program to get going so you can evaluate these guys on the grass, get a chance to see how they learn, how they retain information in the meeting room. That’s going to be a big part of it. But certainly, tailoring your schemes to the players’ strengths, helping them reach that highest potential, that’s the number one priority. Then, figuring out those schemes is more game plan specific – how do we attack certain coverages on offense, how does the defense defend certain looks and personnel groupings that an offense might present. Those are things, but the first priority is let’s help develop our players with the fundamentals, the techniques that we’ll emphasize throughout the course of the offseason and continuing throughout the regular season. And that’s a big priority for us, absolutely.”

(On if he moves to the draft and free agency after he gets done with current player evaluations)

“It’s a great question. (I’m) sitting there with Les yesterday and those are some things that we really discussed at great length. The first priority is, let’s get a chance to really evaluate our own – who do we have in the building, are these players guys that we feel like we can win a division with, compete for a conference championship and then, ultimately, compete for a Lombardi (Trophy). That’s our first priority. And then, really, you want to have a big-picture perspective on free agency and the draft. You try to kind of go in sequential order with how those things occur. But it is important to understand, where are the free agents, how does that affect our needs or, can we address those needs in free agency or the draft. It’s kind of a combination, but the first priority is going to be to evaluate our own. And then you have to take into account some of the cap casualties, things that like, that will occur. It’s an ongoing process, but certainly right now, the number one priority is evaluating the players that we have in the building right now.”

(On some of the qualities that made him think QB Coach Greg Olson was the right man for the job)

“I got a chance to work with Coach Olson my first year in Tampa. He’s a great communicator. I really had a lot of respect for him, because when I finished playing at Miami (Ohio), he was one of the coaches who kind of took me under his wing, helped kind of guide me, and really always appreciated and watching him from afar how he communicated with his guys. He was always taking times during those periods that might not have been focused on offense, but if it’s special teams, defensive periods, he was always making sure those guys were working. He’s a guy that we’ve kept in touch throughout the course of our coaching careers. He was a guy, when he became available, wanted to get him to be a part of this staff. You look at with (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) LaFleur that we’re going to be able to have as our offensive coordinator. He’s a guy that we were able to develop a really close relationship with in Washington. Detail oriented, good communicator, been around some of the most productive offenses over the last couple of years. You look at what Atlanta was able to do. A lot of the things that we do philosophically will be very similar. Because, being able to work under (49ers Head Coach) Kyle (Shanahan) for a couple of years in Washington definitely shaped some of my core beliefs, and what we want to do offensively here. Being able to have a guy that’s been in that system, looking at the production they had was very enticing to try to get him to be a part of this. I think you really look at it, it’s very important for us to all be on the same page.”

“That’s why when you get Matt here Monday, we’ll all be on the same rhythm as far as what we’re communicating to (QB) Jared (Goff), what the expectations are. I certainly don’t know, because I’ve never experienced it, but you talk to people that have been in the role that I’m getting ready to take on, and you know you want to be involved in the offense, but there’s going to be times where you’re going to be pulled in different directions. That’s why it’s very important to have Matt and Greg in place where if you’re not able to be a part of the offensive meetings, or whatever is going on, you trust that their leadership will continue to have that same messaging, so that our quarterbacks know exactly what the expectations are. I don’t think you can have enough good coaches in the building. We’re going to create an environment where it’s about all of us working together. I mentioned this the other day, Coach Phillips said to his defensive staff, ‘You guys aren’t working for me, you’re working with me,’ and I love that. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re all working together with each other, figuring out how to help those players, and especially Jared is going to be a big part of what we’re trying to do moving forward.”

(On why he thinks RB Todd Gurley had such a subpar season)

“I think each play’s its own entity, especially in the run game. When you really look at it, it takes all 11. It takes running against the right looks. It takes the tight end setting the edge. I think each play, you kind of look at and you say, ‘Ok, could Todd have maybe read it out better, or could a guy have maybe got a combination block up to the second level better. Each play has its own reason for why it might not have worked out. But what you do see in Todd, is a special player. He’s got great gifts as far as just a talented runner with natural instincts, ability when he gets to the second level to make people miss kind of seamlessly. We’re looking to get him to be that player consistently week in and week out. From what I’ve seen so far, really excited about the opportunity to work with him. We feel confident that he’ll get going and be special back for a long time in this league.”

(On if he has given much thought to Greg Robinson and where he fits in)

“Yeah, you know that’s something that we’re constantly evaluating right now. And Greg is a big part of that evaluation process. Obviously, when you look at some of the things he’s able to do, you see the athleticism. In space, when he’s pulling around and using some of those parameter schemes that they did offensively last year. He’s a guy that we’re excited to get around. That’s why you’re frustrated that you have to wait so long to get these guys in the building, see them on the grass, how you’re going to evaluate their ability to kind of retain some of the things we’ll ask them to do, what Coach Kromer will do, technique, fundamental-wise, which is imperative for that group up front. And Greg is a guy that we’re constantly evaluating and he’s a big part of what we’re going to try to do moving forward right now.

(On his thoughts on competing directly with 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan)

“I told him, I said, ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am for you, but I can’t believe I’ve got to see you twice a year now.’ He’s a great coach. You look at what they were able to do offensively last year, I think it’ll be hard-pressed to find a team that led the league in scoring, most touchdowns and fewest turnovers it’s incredible. So, I got a chance to see them play up front in the NFC Championship game and I was so impressed with just their overall operation, with how efficient they were, how quick they got in and out of the huddle. Kyle is a guy who’s had a tremendous influence on some of the things I believe in offensively. He’s a great coach and wish him nothing but the best for 14 games, except for those two next year.”

(On the coaching landscape in the NFC West)

“I think when you look at what (Seahawks Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll and (Cardinals Head) Coach Arians have accomplished throughout the course of their careers, their résumés speak for itself. There’s great coaches around this league, but those are two guys in particular that I have a whole lot of respect for. Great defensive leader in Coach Carroll and then what he’s able to bring to Seattle – that culture that we talk about, you know, he’s the epitome of kind of being able to bring a culture, put it in place, and you see it show up on their tape. And then, Coach Arians, great offensive mind – turning those guys into consistent winners, year in and year out. Great respect for them – it’s a very competitive division and those are the two teams that have really done a nice job over the last couple of years and that’s what we’re striving to do and striving to become moving forward.”

(On if there have been any big surprises for him in his first month on the job)

“I don’t think it’s surprises, I think you’re just surprised by the reality of, when you sit down to do something at six in the morning and then it’s 8:30 at night and here I am ready to do that thing that I was set out to do at six in the morning. You get pulled in a bunch of different directions, but that’s why it’s important to have those great people around you that you know when you’re doing those other tasks that you can trust things are being done the right way. It’s definitely been a whirlwind, haven’t had a chance to slow down, but it’s been great, I’ve really enjoyed it so far. Continuing to get to know the people all around this building just reiterates why I’m so fortunate and feel blessed to be here.”

(On what needs to be addressed at the receiver position in the offseason)

“I think any time that you look at the receiver position and really guys that handle ball in general, you can’t have enough playmakers – guys that make great things happen with the ball in their hands. And when you look at the receiver position, you look at some of the things that Tavon Austin does with the ball, both in the run-game and when he’s able to catch it as a receiver. He’s a guy that you want to move all over the formation. Just getting a chance to watch his touch tape, when he’s targeted in the pass-game last year. Again, yesterday, you see a lot of encouraging things and you see where he can take that growth and that next to become a true, complete receiver. You can’t have enough playmakers. Certainly, that’s something that we’re always looking to upgrade. That receiver position is very important, a lot of yards and offensive production goes through that room. We want to try to find a way to get the best players on the field. Whether it be through the running backs, tight ends or receivers, throwing the football is going to be a big part of what we want to do and what’s going to allow us to be successful offensively.”

(On what percentage of his offense in Washington came from Kyle Shanahan)

“It’s hard to specifically say a percentage. But it is one of those situations where you look at getting a chance to work under Coach Gruden, the influence that he had on me and then working with Mike (Shanahan) and Kyle. It was certainly a product and a factor in shaping what we became in the last couple of years in Washington. That’s why you’re excited about what our Rams offense is going to become, because you have guys like (offensive coordinator) Matt LaFleur coming in, you’ve got (quarterbacks coach) Greg Olson, (offensive line coach) Aaron Kromer, guys that have a lot of success at different stops. That’s what’s going to combine the Rams offense for us moving forward. We’re all a product of our experiences. Certainly Kyle and Coach Shanahan’s offense has had a big influence on what I believe and how I think you want to attack a defense. But it’s going to be something that’s going to be an ongoing process, figuring out our players first and then how we fit that scheme to their skillsets.”

Note: this one starts sooner than the previous one and contains some missing material as a result. But then it starts to reduplicate what’s already there in the first one.

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Sean McVay confident in Rams’ new coaching staff hires

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay discusses the team’s new coaching staff.

http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Sean-McVay-confident-in-Rams-new-coaching-staff-hires/8d425fd4-7821-4529-b98f-3b99139efbcb