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znModeratoroff the net from MamaRAMa
The only time I had a problem with being dehydrated was while I was taking chemo. Even though I was drinking plenty of water, it wasn’t enough to prevent me from being dehydrated. In my case, chemo was the culprit. I had to go to the cancer center several times to get fluids via an IV.
Since Quinn is a professional athlete, he knows the importance of proper hydration. It strikes me as a bit odd that an episode of dehydration could possibly keep Quinn from playing 5 days after it happened. I’m sure he got fluids in the hospital when he was admitted and I would think that 5 days would be enough to re-hydrate and re-balance. I wonder if something else is going on.
November 19, 2016 at 1:41 pm in reply to: with Goff starting could things loosen up for Gurley? #59007
znModeratorI expect some deep shots. The reward side is high. Huge confidence and momentum builder.
But I do agree that the 11-20 is where they should attack. He clearly has the arm and accuracy to nail those if he has time and makes the reads. And THOSE will makes LBs stop leaning towards the line of scrimmage. Defenses have been leaning in all year long because 1. Gurley and 2. Keenum throws there most of the time. The few downfield shots are not frequent or reliable enough to make the defense lean back a little.
Hopefully, Goff can hit those, and if he does, it will help Gurley. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
Slight disagreement.
The Rams have (for years) thrown a fairly high percentage of passes downfield, of the 31+ yard variety. They have been in the top third of the league when it comes to that (ie. percentage of attempts thrown long.) Keenum was no exception. If you doubt me name 10 qbs and I will show the numbers.
Where Keenum was lacking was on throws of 11-20 yards that required zip and a laser line level trajectory. He had to add loft and was a touch passer. He could not rifle those in.
So if you want a study in opposites when it comes to that, compare the 11-20 yarders thrown by Bulger (who had a very quick release and so could zip them with velocity) and Keenum (who is a touch passer who lacks a laser, cannon, rifle…whatever weapon you want for your metaphor).
Keenum was always showing up to laser fight with a volleyball. He made the most of it, but still.
GOFF on the other hand has a release more like Bulger’s and more arm on top of it.
November 19, 2016 at 1:16 pm in reply to: Mayhew and Shatner wage Star Trek vs Star Wars Twitter war #59003
znModeratorTo me, Star Trek was better as a television series. Star wars is the better film franchise.
Star Trek plays better small.
Star Wars plays better large.
The Star Trek movies have been pretty much bad, true.
I personally am not as much interested in the Star Wars movies. Though I know them.
The Star Trek series, I always liked, but not in a “big fan” kinda way. I actually watched the series when it was first broadcast. My friends and I got excited by the commercials for the series before it started, because the ship looked so cool. So we all watched from opening night.
From star trek I learned that entire civilizations on other planets consisted of 6 people who all spoke english.
November 19, 2016 at 11:55 am in reply to: with Goff starting could things loosen up for Gurley? #59000
znModeratorI can’t see the coaches letting Goff take lots of deep shots. He’s too inexperienced and the O-line struggles often.
I will say this. The Rams offense over the last coupla years, regardless of the qb, puts up its share of deep shots. In terms of numbers that means that they throw deep (31 or more yards) on around 5+% of total attempts, which puts them in the top third of the league on those kinds of passes. Again that’s regardless of the qb.
You might be right, they might limit that for a few games with the rookie, BUT they often use play action to spring receivers, so the way they often do it is less risky. So maybe Goff hits the field throwing those from game one.
I agree that with Goff, they should be throwing more mid-range lasers (11-20 yarders). That was a weakness of Keenumn’s–those weren’t in his arsenal.
BTW, for no good or apparent reason, I decided to find the origin of the word “rookie” (from the wiki):
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the origins are uncertain, but that perhaps it is a corruption of the word recruit. The earliest example from the OED is from Rudyard Kipling’s Barrack-Room Ballads (published 1892): So ‘ark an’ ‘eed, you rookies, which is always grumblin’ sore, referring to rookies in the sense of raw recruits to the British Army. At least during the beginning of the 20th century, in the British Army the term “rookie” was typically used in place of “recruit”
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November 19, 2016 at 11:28 am in reply to: with Goff starting could things loosen up for Gurley? #58997
znModeratorHis weakness in college was zone defenses. imo
I’ve been reading around, and, Miami is a heavy zone team. They spend a lot of time in cover 3.
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znModeratorI know you know, but Warner’s first ‘appearance’ for the Rams was the last game in 1998.
That’s true and I kind of slighted that.
Okay, how about this instead—first game as the starter?
Which means I have to move Bulger to 9/14 2003, and a home win against SF.
But that’s all too confusing so instead I will revert to “overlooking the Warner game from the end of 98.”
In that game btw (a loss to Atlanta) Warner was 19 of 32 with 1 TD and 230 yards.
I divide games into 2 sets. First, there’s the sports bar games. That’s until 2004. All since are direct tv games.
People make a big deal out of them moving to St.Louis and back to LA, but to me, by far, the bigger move was when they went from sports bars to direct tv. Yet that barely got any press.
znModeratorThere’s a difference between having a reluctance to repudiate something and *being* something. My whole issue this whole time has been the quick-trigger of not only the media – but society – to hastily attach a label like ‘racist’ or ‘misogynist’ or ‘anti-Semite’ on someone that uses unaccepted speech,
yes, we differ. For me, there’s things that have to be done, and leaders either enable that or obstruct it, and he obstructs it. I say that based on his own words. To me, he obstructs it because he himself does not believe there’s an issue. I see that as a bad step backwards. As for what he’s called? Well he’s a word warrior and a political smack talker and his mag attacks people all the time. The entire alt.right thing consists of repudiating what are to me genuine gains, against which he fights…because he does not believe there is a real problem.
So to me he represents a denial of racial problems while tolerating actual racists, a rollback of Roe v. Wade, a tendency to promote people like Sarah Palin while repudiating–largely through negative stereotyping—women whose vision of gender progress differs from hers, and so on. Then there’s the efforts to roll back what I see as progress and gains in other areas too.
I see him as being a knight arrayed in full battle dress against what I happen to believe is enlightenment and progress. In terms of him being called things, he makes a living calling different people, ideas, and things bad names. I mean it’s not like he’s a thinker–he’s a high-tone editorialist. Basically, to me, he’s Bernie.

The main thing, just narrowing it back down to the issue of race, is that he’s on the side of denial. To me that’s a problem in its own right. There’s more than one position on race, and so to me, it doesn’t reduce to “being okay” v. “outspoken throwback bigot type.”
Anyway, I am going to take a break from this one for a bit.
It’s Goff time.
Goff is either for touchdowns, or he denies they exist. I want to see which it is.
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November 19, 2016 at 4:26 am in reply to: with Goff starting could things loosen up for Gurley? #58978
znModerator
znModeratorWhat to Expect in Jared Goff’s Debut
A quick look at how the Rams will shape their offense for No. 1 overall pick’s long-awaited debut, and what the Dolphins defense has in store for the rookieAndy Benoit
No one knows what to expect from Jared Goff. But we can surmise what to expect from the elements around him. The offense Goff takes over: It can’t run the ball (the O-line gets no movement) and it lacks wide receivers who can create on their own. That’s a bad combination, and it might have contributed to why Goff rode the bench so long.
So what are the Rams to do? For starters, expect them to continue trying to run the ball—not so much because it’s the tough, spirited approach, but because if you’re weak at wide receiver, then more of your passing game must take place on running downs and out of running formations when the defense is most predictable and playing extra linebackers instead of corners. But those running downs and running formations only help the pass if you’re actually doing what those formations suggest: running from time to time.
The Dolphins are a pure zone defense, which makes them that much more predictable on first down. The most common zone coverage you see here is Cover 3—zone with a single-high safety. Rams offensive coordinator Rob Boras has done smart work calling plays that specifically exploit Cover 3. Often these have involved play-action rollouts. You’ll see those Sunday because, besides attacking the predicted coverage, rollouts also slice the field in half for the quarterback.
Almost always, the quarterback has to read only the side he’s rolling to. The beauty of moving the pocket like this is it also negates Los Angeles’s disadvantage along the offensive line. As long as the widest edge defender is controlled, either via block or play fake, the pass rush is unlikely to get home.
Early down play-action out of running formations—that’s been the name of the game for Los Angeles, and it is more than ever this week. When Goff isn’t doing these, expect to see Tavon Austin on quick strikes—Boras’s other favorite first down tactic.
Swing passes, screens, slants—these all give the QB only one read (simple as it gets) and force the ball out of his hand, which is how rhythm is established. We’ll see how the No. 1 overall pick does with these aids against a rising Dolphins defense.
* * *
Miami at Los Angeles
Dolphins: The rich got richer: Just when defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and especially Jordan Phillips have started playing really well, unheralded veteran stud Earl Mitchell has returned from a calf injury suffered in Week 1. Mitchell played 31 snaps against the Chargers last week and jumped off the screen a number of times.
Rams: Jared Goff is ready… we hope. His first game comes against a Dolphins defense that has often just lined up and played straight zone coverages, aiming to out-execute (as oppose to outsmart) opponents. But three weeks ago, when the Dolphins faced an undeveloped field-reader in Tyrod Taylor, we saw selective use of different fronts and pressure concepts, which were very successful. The Rams must have Goff prepared for this.
znModeratorStaff predictions: Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams
Dave Hyde
Sports Columnist
Season record: 5-4
Prediction: Dolphins 20, Rams 17
Comment: Who is Jared Goff? That becomes a bigger question than even who the Dolphins are. Vance Joseph showed an ability to move his pieces around and confuse Philip Rivers. The guess is he’ll do enough to Goff for a fifth straight Dolphins win.Omar Kelly
Dolphins Writer/Columnist
Season record: 5-4
Prediction: Dolphins 28, Rams 13
Comment: The Dolphins get a gift from Jeff Fisher, who decided to start Jared Goff in his first game ever against Miami’s forceful pass rush. The fact that Goff’s pocket presence is suspect should allow Cameron Wake and Andre Branch to feast on the rookie quarterback. Expect Miami’s passing game to take another step forward as Ryan Tannehill begins to blossom in Adam Gase’s offense.Chris Perkins
Dolphins Writer
Season record: 4-5
Prediction: Dolphins 28, Rams 17
Comment: The Rams’ running game is wheezing, and the Dolphins’ pass defense is rolling. This doesn’t bode well for Rams rookie QB Jared Goff, who is making his first career start. The Dolphins’ big concern is LT Branden Albert (wrist) being sidelined. Oh, and Rams DL Aaron Donald.David Selig
Sports Editor
Season record: 5-4
Prediction: Dolphins 21, Rams 13
Comment: The Dolphins clinched their Perfect Season at the LA Coliseum. This year’s Dolphins are far from perfect, but they’re rolling and facing a first-time starter in Jared Goff.Keven Lerner
Online Sports Editor
Season record: 6-3
Prediction: Dolphins 17, Rams 13
Comment: The Dolphins, riding a four-game winning streak, are in prime position to earn their first playoff berth since 2008. The Rams, who snapped a four-game losing streak last week against the Jets, rank last in NFL with 15.4 points per game. RB Todd Gurley still hasn’t found his rhythm, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. The Rams’ defense has played well, holding their last three opponents under 18 points.Steve Svekis
Multimedia Reporter
Season record: 5-4
Prediction: Dolphins 30, Rams 13
Comment: The Rams have been awful on offense with 10 or fewer points scored in each of their past three games. The Dolphins have had a 6-1 turnover ratio in their past six quarters and should fatten up that advantage in a game against a team that is a minus-7 in turnover ratio in its past five games. This is as much of a must-win as an NFL road game can be.Matt Lincoln
CBS12 Sports Director
Season record: 6-3
Prediction: Dolphins 16, Rams 10
Comment: With Branden Albert out, the Dolphins will lose some of their mojo on offense. But the Rams are the worst offensive team in the NFL, and having a rookie quarterback making his first start won’t help. The Rams average less than 16 points per game.
znModeratorMiami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Rams: How do they match up in Week 11?
Miami Dolphins vs. Los Angeles Rams: How do they match up in Week 11?
When the Dolphins have the ball…
Miami passing (28th in NFL) vs. Los Angeles pass defense (8th)
Against the Chargers last week, Ryan Tannehill delivered several deep throws perfectly while under pressure. He finished an efficient afternoon by completing 17 of 24 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Once again, the Dolphins’ focus on the run prevented Tannehill from putting up bigger numbers, but that change in philosophy is necessary if Miami hopes to win games. The Rams’ pass defense has been solid, especially of late, having allowed under 200 yards passing in each of their last three games. In fact, the Rams have surrendered only a pair of 300-yard passing games all season. Tannehill should remain efficient, but with him handcuffed in the current offense, the Rams should be able to control the Fins through the air. Edge: Los Angeles
Miami rushing (6th) vs. Los Angeles rush defense (17th)
After a rough first half in San Diego, Ajayi put together a respectable enough second half to end up with 79 yards on 19 carries, good for 4.2 yards per carry. Ajayi had his fewest carries since Week 5, though, so it’s likely that he sees an increased workload against a Rams team that is better against the pass than the run. The Rams have allowed 100 yards on the ground four times this season, including in Week 5, when the Bills rushed for 193 yards in Los Angeles. If Miami’s offense — particularly the line — holds true to form, Ajayi and the rest of the backfield should be able to make something happen. Edge: Miami
When the Rams have the ball…
Tavon Austin #11 of the St. Louis Rams rushes for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Edward Jones Dome on December 17, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Tavon Austin #11 of the St. Louis Rams rushes for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Edward Jones Dome on December 17, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)Los Angeles passing (25th) vs Miami pass defense (9th)
The Rams will be starting rookie and No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff for the first time, throwing a bit of uncertainty at Miami’s pass defense. That said, behind quarterback Case Keenum, Los Angeles’ passing offense has been unimpressive all season. But the change under center may bring a new energy and confidence to a unit chock full of weapons. Receivers Kenny Britt, Brian Quick and Tavon Austin are all steady and reliable options for Goff, who will be looking to create a rapport with the receiving corps. Miami’s pass defense has been very good since Week 5, allowing only one 300 yard game and holding opponents to under 200 yards passing three times in that period. The lone 300-yard game came last week against Phillip Rivers and the Chargers, but the Dolphins defense did also force four interceptions. Miami’s DBs should be able to continue riding their wave of success, especially against a young and inexperienced quarterback. Edge: Miami
Los Angeles rushing (29th) vs Miami rush defense (30th)
Todd Gurley was considered one of the league’s premier young backs entering the season, but the former star at Georgia has struggled this year, rushing for only 515 yards on 167 attempts behind an O-line that hasn’t done a good job of creating holes or keeping defenders out of the backfield. Gurley has the talent to break out any week, and the Dolphins’ front four will be tasked with ensuring it doesn’t happen in Week 11. Miami has been inconsistent defending the run, having allowed over 100 yards in six of their nine games. With Miami’s defensive backfield playing well and the Rams starting a rookie QB, it would be reasonable to assume that Los Angeles will rely on the run. With that being said, Miami allowed only 70 yards to a San Diego backfield featuring Melvin Gordon, so they may be able to contain Gurley. Edge: Miami
Special teams
Andrew Franks has quietly put together a solid season, connecting on all 22 of his extra-point attempts and making 12 of 15 field goals. The 23-year-old has been a perfect seven-for-seven between 30 and 49 yards, though two of his misses have come from inside 29 yards. The Rams have a solid kicker as well in Greg Zuerlein, who has made 14 of his 16 FG attempts and connected on all 13 extra points. Los Angeles punter Johnny Hekker is averaging 46.6 yards per kick, just edging out Matt Darr’s per-punt average of 46.5 yards. While the matchup is a close one, Franks’ ability to hit from distance gives Miami a slight advantage. Edge: Miami
znModeratorAt the same time, the mod part of it completely aside, to me, the issues having to do with racism and the Trump inner circle people are real.
I don’t think they are. I think they’re manufactured issues. Especially when you consider there isn’t a consensus and it hasn’t been corroborated. Unless you’re talking about the idea that he’s dismissive of the very notion that there’s a racial problem in this Country. If that’s the case, can you tell me how you’ve arrived at that conclusion? Without saying Breitbart.
I can only tell you how I see it from my position in the big political grid. (It being assumed that that’s how everyone will see it…that is, from their position in the political grid, there being no one who is outside of that.)
In terms of what I have to see from him? I have already seen what I need to see for that. It’s based on this and it’s more than one thing. (1) I don’t do hunting for the “outrageous explicit bigot style racism” routine, because I don’t think it’s relevant. (2) Bannon himself says there’s no doubt though that type of outrageous sound byte overt racist is associated with the alt.right. So that’s the open, toxic racism…it’s there, and he doesn’t do much to repudiate it. This is not a “gotcha!” damnation, just one step in a bigger analysis. 3) My issue is whether or not someone in power is capable of recognizing the subtler, more complex issues of race that still pervade the country, and Bannon;s answer, directly, is that he does not see race as a real issue, while complaining about “victimhood” and making fun of “diversity.” That to me means he has a completely tin ear, a weak sense of how the present social system is doing, and is just in this “okay they criticized ‘merica long enough!” reactionary mode. That to me means he’s a poor choice to be advising anyone on the state of the country, since he’s blind to and dismissive of one of its biggest issues. So he comes across to me as this well-off guy with power type who does not see or hear what the problems are and so certainly is not going to help make things better.
But at the same time he will just never, however, say or probably even think anything damning in the way the extremist race warriors do–the type who is the reviled bigot stereotype in a movie. He’s never going to be THAT, and I have no doubt his mind doesn’t even work that way. Those types are in his wake and look to him for making gains for them, but he isn’t one of them.
But when I look for progress and enlightenment and a better grasp of the troubled social dynamic, I not only don’t expect anything from him, I think he will dismiss and block those kinds of things, if not go to war against them for what are (to me) misguided reasons.
An analogy. I say, I want to discuss how multiple injuries to key units like the OL have an effect on execution. Bannon would say to me, there’s no such issue, all teams have injuries, it’s all simply coaching…good coaches win, no excuses. Yet to me that doesn’t describe the real world.
.
znModeratorINJURY REPORT
Center Tim Barnes is listed as questionable to play Sunday, introducing the possibility that rookie quarterback Jared Goff may be taking snaps from a backup in his career debut.
Barnes injured his foot during last Sunday’s 9-6 win against the Jets. Although he returned to the game, he did not participate in any of this week’s practices. The fifth-year veteran, who went undrafted in 2011, has made 25 consecutive starts on the Rams offensive line.
If Barnes isn’t able to play, he will likely be replaced by Demetrius Rhaney, a 2014 seventh-round pick out of Tennessee State who only has one career start to his name.
In addition to Barnes, Quinn and Sims, defensive back Lamarcus Joyner (ankle) and running back Todd Gurley (thigh) are also listed as questionable to face the Dolphins, though both practiced on Friday. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson missed the practice due to illness, but is expected to remain the team’s starter.
Miami has ruled out offensive tackle Branden Albert (wrist) and cornerback Xavien Howard (knee), while linebacker Jelani Jenkins (knee/hand) and center Mike Pouncey (hip) are both doubtful to play at the Coliseum. First-round pick Laremy Tunsil, who starts at guard, will replace Albert at left tackle.
SPRUCE DONE
The Rams have placed rookie Nelson Spruce on injured reserve, ending the season of a receiver who briefly thrilled fans in the preseason opener. The team filled the open roster spot by promoting defensive back Blake Countess from the practice squad — and in turn filling that vacancy by signing defensive end Lenny Jones.
Spruce caught six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys on Aug. 13, but injured his knee in the fourth quarter. After several weeks of recovery, the former Colorado star then injured his calf during the Rams’ bye week. He was never activated for a regular-season game even when healthy.
Countess arrived in the NFL this year as a sixth-round pick, but the Eagles waived him before the final-cut deadline in early September; the Rams added him to the practice squad soon after. Jones, who went undrafted out of Nevada, had short preseason stints with both the 49ers and Raiders.
znModeratorRobert Quinn attributes hospitalization to dehydration
By Jack Wang, Los Angeles Daily News
THOUSAND OAKS >> Four days removed from a brief stay in the hospital, Rams defensive end Robert Quinn said he received simple instructions from his doctors: Drink more water.
“That’s what I took from the whole thing,” he said Friday. “Drink more water — and often, at that.” Those words offer a somewhat reassuring end to a scary experience, one that saw Quinn hospitalized early Monday morning with what the team would only call a non-football-related illness. TMZ later published audio of a 911 call in which a woman identifying herself as Quinn’s mother-in-law described him going through what appeared to be a seizure. Asked about what happened, Quinn would only attribute the episode to dehydration.
“It kind of just overwhelmed me,” he said. “It really just surprised me. Happened so fast. Didn’t really have a lot of time to think about it. Just dealt with it when I realized what was going on. Kept on moving forward.”
The incident had seemed worrisome given Quinn’s health history. The 26-year-old was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor during his senior year of high school, a condition for which he still gets biannual check-ups. Both Quinn and Rams coach Jeff Fisher said that his illness was not related to the tumor.
After sitting out Wednesday’s practice, Quinn returned to the field on Friday and participated in full. He is officially listed as questionable to play against the Dolphins on Sunday (1 p.m., FOX) at the Coliseum.
“I don’t know how exactly it’s going to play out,” Quinn said. “I was able to get out there today. It’s going to come down to the doctors, Fisher, and ultimately how I feel. Hopefully, I can get out there on Sunday and be somewhat productive. If not, well, the guys have got to rally up, keep it going.”
The two-time Pro Bowler is a devastating pass rusher when fully healthy, but the Rams (4-5) at least have experience behind him on the depth chart. Seventh-year veteran Eugene Sims, who also returned to practice Friday after suffering a concussion last Sunday, has started 12 games since the start of last season.
“We haven’t really noticed his absence,” Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers said of Quinn. “You notice he isn’t on the field because 94 isn’t out there, but to say we’re missing his production — I wouldn’t want to say that because Eugene Sims has been playing really good.”
znModeratorDB Blake Countess (originally a sixth-round pick by the Eagles this year) promoted from the practice squad.
BLAKE COUNTESS, CB
SCHOOL: AUBURN |
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5-10 / 184 LBShttp://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1868370/blake-countess
PLAYER OVERVIEW
A four-star cornerbacks recruit out of high school, Countess committed to Michigan and made an immediate impact with 44 tackles and six passes defended as a true freshman.He had a breakout season in 2013 with six interceptions, but moved to the nickel in 2014 and his production decreased. With a new coaching staff coming in, Countess looked for a fresh start and transferred to Auburn for his final season of eligibility, finishing 2015 with 13 passes defended and two interceptions – starting as a boundary corner for the Tigers before moving to safety for the final 10 games.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Although he shows the read/react quickness to drive on plays, his lack of play anticipation often makes him late to the catch point. Countess is willing in run support, but his marginal strength and wild angles leads to missed tackles.
His versatile experience at boundary corner and safety and flashes suggest there is a NFL future for Countess, but it is the inconsistent plays in between that will make it tough to trust him.
–Dane Brugler (4/28)
===
DE Lenny Jones (previously with the Raiders) signed to practice squad..
from the wiki:
On May 6, 2016, Jones was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. He was waived by the 49ers on August 4, 2016 was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders the next day. On August 29, 2016, he was released by the Raiders. On November 18, 2016, Jones was signed to the Rams’ practice squad.
—
From doghouse to penthouse: The Lenny Jones story
Lenny Jones sat in a juvenile detention center near Oakland accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
Just 15 years old, Jones was stuck in that detention center for months. It wasn’t a jail, but it might as well have been. Jones would go to school from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. He’d get to exercise and play basketball. He just couldn’t leave. He was locked up every night. He was frustrated. But then came a realization.
“That was my eye-opener,” Jones said. “I was a good kid but I hit a bad period, my teenage years, from 13-16, when you try your own things. But that’s when I had my realization that that’s not the way I wanted my life to go. I had to get my act together. At the time, I was really upset when that whole thing happened. When I look back at it now, it’s probably one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”
Jones was locked up in that detention center for three months for alleged assault and robbery. Jones had already been locked up once before for inciting a riot and was developing a reputation as a bad kid.But on this day, Jones was innocent. He actually was on the San Leandro High campus that Friday for a grade check with his Spanish teacher. Meanwhile, a group of teenagers beat up two kids on campus. They fled after the act and Jones walked out of his grade check shortly after the incident.
“I was coming out of the building and the security had been called,” Jones said. “They saw me in the area after my grade check. The weekend went by and I was pulled out of class Monday and arrested.”
And sent to the detention center. It was all a case of bad timing, Jones being the wrong place at the wrong time. But there was nobody to plead his case, too. That’s just not how the system works.
“You have a court date,” Jones said. “You can’t go tell the police officer, ‘I’m being wrongly accused’ and they let you out. You have to go through the system and that was the most frustrating part.”
Three months later, Jones got his court date. His Spanish teacher and two other students vouched for him. Jones said a couple of people had written reports saying he was involved in the battery. Those people didn’t show up to the trial, neither did the students who were beat up. Jones was cleared of all charges and free to go home, but he did so a changed man. He was going to get on the right track.
Eight years later, Jones, a senior on the Wolf Pack football team, is a college graduate pursing a Master’s degree. He’s a team captain. He’s on the NFL draft radar. He’s had one of the more productive careers of any Nevada defensive end. And he’s more mature than ever, although it was hardly a smooth road.
“I knew I was going to do it,” Jones said. “It was just a matter of how I was going to do it.”
znModeratorAlden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff WriterWR Nelson Spruce was placed on injured reserve today, thus ending his season. An undrafted free agent, Spruce injured his knee towards the end of a big performance in the preseason opener, then came back, then injured his calf. Could’ve been a nice possession receiver, but wasn’t active for any regular-season games. DB Blake Countess (originally a sixth-round pick by the Eagles this year) promoted from the practice squad. DE Lenny Jones (previously with the Raiders) signed to practice squad.
znModeratorFor those that wont read that entire transcript this is a hack-sized-summary. Empire in action:
“…Well, I mean, it’s incredible this woman is a presidential candidate, that she’s doing like things like this, the fact that she would say we wanted to “render the question of Zelaya moot,” we wanted to bury the democratically elected president’s existence and act like the coup didn’t happen. I mean, that’s why it’s so terrifying that today—or rather, on Saturday, she would say—she would defend this coup, say it wasn’t a coup, and defend her actions in installing this terrifically horrific, scary post-coup regime. And, of course, that she would cut that out of her memoir, in the paperback version, is also very scary…”
w
vJust to stress a point.
This is of course as we know far from the first time something like this happened with US foreign policy.
And if anything it will be more frequent in the years to come.
..
znModeratorI will tend to “vote/think/see” this way:
Awesome. Thanks. That’s good information.
I KNEW it.
You’re the new board NSA informant.
znModeratorIt was the Jets. They looked worse than us. If that’s possible?
Jack I can’t agree with that. The Jets have a top DL and a very strong run defense. Looking good against them is an achievement.
znModeratorOn this board, by this political compass, we are mostly left libertarians.
What’s that mean to you?
Where might we differ?Okay I can only speak for me and not others. I hope others speak up. I also don’t necessarily know where you (X) and I differ.
I will tend to “vote/think/see” this way:
* the state should stay out of issues of private morality
* government can be a public trust capable of serving a larger good, including things like single payer health insurance and support for education.
* the ways in which the government already does act like a public trust, for example social security, should never be dismantled—they are causes of public good
* the private sector does not belong in politics, though in actual fact it dominates american politics–which warps things and holds back democracy…this includes things like the abuse of corporate personhood
* the domination of big money/corporate power in the USA is the real threat to liberty, all the more so because it works by eroding public good instead of openly assaulting it
* we should always make sure we’re progressing toward real democracy which means an actual, de facto (and not just “in theory”) extension of human and civil rights to all peoples regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or which NFL team they follow…and me saying this means I don’t think we ARE there yet and in fact we still face many problems when it comes to this…I think maintaining the status quo in this regard just means maintaining many forms of injustice
* I don’t identify as “white” meaning I think people of european descent like myself are diverse and different and there is no “us,” though at the same time I do acknowledge that in this day and age anyway, walking around being male and white in the USA gives me some very distinct advantages, ones I am not willing to defend at the expense of more freedom and justice for others
* in fact I don’t accept any form of essentialism, ie. the idea that you are born to be certain things…the genes that make me male do not determine who I am, because being male can mean many different things, most of that being cultural…etc. etc. etc. on things like race etc.
* american foreign policy is not and has not been the domain of democracy and freedom–the USA has done as much harm as good in that regard if not more (see for a recent example Honduras)
* the problems we face in the international arena are just 4th and 5th generation effects of the collapse of old european colonialism, and to be specific that means things like political conflict is a more significant cause of anti-USA terrorism than any other factor, including especially religion
* the two major parties are at the end of the day just somewhat different versions of bought corporate bagmen, and the mainstream media being part of the same thing is incapable of seeing this
* more on the press…if I had to put it in one slightly exaggerated sound-byte, american mass media is corporate mass media and the mainstream sources of information in the USA are actually sources of DISinformation…their ideological orientation being toward a rigid center-right mainstream blah status quo
* a real democracy would include diverse views, including ones (such as mine!) that are currently excluded from the mainstream (which is not true of every democracy on the planet, where in fact there is greater diversity of information and viewpoints)
* economic inequality of the kind the USA now has, which basically is the effect of government policies, is destructive to democracy and social good…supply side pseudo-economics just serves this and nothing else
* as an extension of the last one, neo-liberal economic policies are destructive of public and social good and serve only a small faction of the population…in fact this is what caused the great crash of 2008, whose effects are still with us
* the more we privatize the more we kill democracy
* climate change is real, and is human caused
* I am not a dogmatic/programmatic leftist, I am a pragmatic leftist, so I don’t believe any particular doctrine is “truer,” but instead do believe more in practical left solutions than in purist leftist doctrinesWell that’s enough for now. If not too much.
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znModeratorHmm, not sure why it won’t just paste in.
Oh, well. I was closer to ZN’s than yours, X.
You have to use the image function. If I read you right.
znModeratorI think it’s time to do this again.
Do the thing and post the results. That will mean (for those who don’t know) that when you get the results, you right click it and hit “copy image address” and post it here.
On this board, by this political compass, we are mostly left libertarians.
This “poll” is not the be all and end all, just part of a conversation.
https://www.politicalcompass.org/
ME:
znModeratorThat’s because we’re both racist anti-Semites.
As a mod I consider this just a more light-hearted but still problematical version of name-calling and taunting.
It’s one thing to defend Bannon against charges of racism (the real issue is that he acts as if race isn’t an issue in the USA, but that’s another story.)
It’s another to get into this kind of taunting of posters who disagree, even if it is done jokingly.
In any way shape or form, public figures and writers posted here are fair targets, posters here are not. Agree or disagree with points made, and don’t go after posters, even in indirect ways.
This is not a debate topic, just me trying to keep an experiment (this forum) working.
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Who said I was taunting anyone on the board? I was talking about how the mainstream media and the protesting millennials would view my opinions (as well as anyone who would appreciate or agree with them). They’re the ones calling people racists and anti-Semites. Are there any posters here doing that? No? Then I clearly wasn’t addressing them. I respect everyone on this board – some of whom I’ve known a long time – and would never taunt them or be spiteful towards them.
Hope that clears things up.
That’s a good clarification in terms of the board and well put.
At the same time, the mod part of it completely aside, to me, the issues having to do with racism and the Trump inner circle people are real. (As are the issues with rolling back Roe v. Wade and the gains of diversity and so on.) To me, and so speaking personally, that’s the case regardless of how the mainstream frames it, which is not my touchstone on anything anyway. (I actually don’t watch any tv news whatsoever and rarely read a newspaper and when I do it’s a local paper with local news over breakfast in a diner.)
I’ve been in lecture mode a couple of times, and as usual will put that and the mod suit aside for a while and try to mostly post in my civilian identity.
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znModeratorAs you know, i agree with all that.
Its hard to converse about race. And politics. And religion. And play-calling.
w
vThat’s exactly the kind of nonsense I would expect from a dedicated Schottenheimerite.
Why don’t you just move to North Korea if you hate playcalling so much.
znModeratorAll I see is “yeah that’s THEIR kind of jokes” type humor.
Well …. yeah.
And … so?
And so I’m not interested.
You can advocate their stuff and/or defend them.
My own response to that is simply to say why I post them–and it was a long list of things, with WV’s contributions included. I just am going, who are they.
If you want to know my own view, as a principled leftist, I think they are deeply misguided throwbacks and that their policies, to the degree they are put into practice through the election, represent huge steps backwards that the majority of americans don’t want.
That’s just how I see it.
The fact that they are trying to be funny about it? It doesn’t register to me. I consider them a bad thing, in general. That’s my view. I’ve encountered all this stuff before, so it’s a time-tested view.
You of course can defend them at will, but obviously what I will be getting out of that is just your view of them. Which is different from my view.
so there’s no real “exchange of ideas” point to be made about that. To you their humor is provocative, to me it’s just in-group cheerleading. That’s because we approach it completely different from the get-go. Our very premises are different.
You are not, of course, to be offended because I scathingly dismiss them. That’s just the price of debating politics civilly. I am not personally offended that you defend them. That too is just the price of debating politics civilly.
If we do this forum right, in addition to all that civil restraint plus free thinking when it comes to emotionally charged political flash issues, we will also post a lot of OTHER stuff we agree with and both like.
znModeratorThat’s because we’re both racist anti-Semites.
As a mod I consider this just a more light-hearted but still problematical version of name-calling and taunting.
It’s one thing to defend Bannon against charges of racism (the real issue is that he acts as if race isn’t an issue in the USA, but that’s another story.)
It’s another to get into this kind of taunting of posters who disagree, even if it is done jokingly.
In any way shape or form, public figures and writers posted here are fair targets, posters here are not. Agree or disagree with points made, and don’t go after posters, even in indirect ways.
This is not a debate topic, just me trying to keep an experiment (this forum) working.
….
znModeratorbtw, i do ‘get’ the fact that the ‘racism’ issue really sets you and bnw off. You guys react strongly and swiftly to that issue/belief.
I hope you do understand no-one is calling you guys racists. Some of us do indeed believe that part of the Republican strategy is to pull in the ‘racist bloc’ of white folks in the south. I think its been a ‘strategy’ for a long time. Doesn’t even mean Nixon/Bush/Reagan were ‘racists’ — just means they wanted that voting-bloc so they exploited the issue.
I could be wrong of course. I haven’t studied on it much. I might change my mind after further review, who knows.
w
vThere are profound and deep and wide issues of race in the USA. There’s no getting around that. And it drives a lot of politics.
And it’s such a messed up issue because the conversations are always skewed. So for example, the general way the word “racist” is used, it means an open, militant bigot with clearly stated and repugnant views based on straightforward stereotypes and generalizations. Which is a generally rejected, morally abhorrent thing. If I put a type like this in a movie, they are meant to be reviled.
Problem with that is, it disguises the real problem.
Two things happen. We can look at that “type” and say, clearly I am not that.
AND when the term “racism” comes up, people can then get defensive and say “you’re calling me THAT.”
But…the racial issues in the USA persist, they are clearly part of the society, BUT most of it comes from just denying the racial issues are real and matter. Which is probably the biggest problem in the current impasse.
Of course there’s the “well there’s no problem” problem, and then there’s the AGGRESSIVE “anyone who says there is a problem is promoting victimhood” version. The latter being it’s own kind of problem.
Another problem of course is that the actual real open KKK, David Duke style openly bigoted racism still exists.
For example most people could not name the key platform points behind blacklivesmatter. If you actually look at them, they make unbelievable sense. In fact anyone from a right libertarian to an actual leftist ought to agree with every single principle (I of course do mean not what mainstreamers call the left, which isn’t, but the left).
znModeratorDespite that headline, I am absolutely positive that the alt-righters thought the media person was the one who got schooled.
Just out of curiosity, how do you define an alt-righter.
Are they all the same? What’s your definition of the term?Yeah I know.

znModeratorHere’s what you can expect from Jared Goff in his first NFL start for the Rams
A breakdown of Goff’s skillset, what he showed in the preseason, and how he might fix the Rams offenseGoff was drafted first overall — nay, the Rams felt the need to mortgage their future for him — because he didn’t really have any real weaknesses in college. He was solid in just about everything. His biggest strengths were his accuracy, timing, and footwork within the pocket. Let’s start with his accuracy.
In three years at Cal, Goff completed 62.3 percent of his passes. Keep in mind, he threw the ball a ton: 42.38 passes per game. It’s also important to note that his completion percentage improved each season.
2013: 60.4 percent
2014: 62.1 percent
2015: 64.5 percent
He was particularly accurate on fades — one of the most frequent plays Cal ran in the red zone and, well, anywhere on the field. On those passes, Goff displayed the necessary touch and precision to place the football into pockets only his receivers could reach deep down the field.
Here’s one example:
That’s Kenny Lawler coming down with the pass. Here’s what he told me about those sort of passes last September.
“People think I make it look easy,” Lawler said. “But, man, it’s really easy because of Goff. We have our timing down and he knows exactly where the ball needs to be at the exact right time.”
Timing is the other aspect his Cal teammates raved about. For that, Goff can credit his footwork.
At least that’s what his offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin (now at Middle Tennessee State), told me last year, comparing Goff’s quick feet to Peyton Manning’s.
“Manning will move from the A gap to the C gap feet — feet hot, hot all the time, typing all the time. He can throw the ball back across the field because his body position is perfect,” Franklin said. “Guys who step have to wait until the foot lands before they can throw the ball.”
Take a look:
Goff will need that footwork behind an offensive line that’s allowed 23 sacks — the 10th-most in the NFL.
Goff’s weaknesses are more about hypotheticals than actual bad traits he developed in college. He played in a sibling of the Air Raid, so he handled pretty much every snap out of the shotgun alongside three or four receivers. They didn’t huddle. Most of his reads were pre-snap, as he had to determine whether to hand the ball off or throw it.
Here’s how I described the offense in that article last year:
At the core of the offense are nine passing concepts, five or six screen concepts and five or six running concepts.
“When you learn the concept, you understand the word,” Franklin says. “So when you say ‘sluggo,’ immediately your brain says ‘OK, sluggo means this. It means my eyes start here, there’s a player going there and I’m bam, bam, bam, one, two, three.’ So most of us, within a two-week period, can learn those concepts, they can master that in their brain.”
The point being, mastering an NFL offense will be a completely different challenge for Goff, which is probably why he’s been standing on the sidelines until now. Goff’s biggest weakness is that he had to transition out of a system that doesn’t exist in the NFL.
“I remember watching him in training camp and OTAs,” Rams receiver Pharoh Cooper told the OC Register. “He couldn’t even name the play in the huddle. Now, he’s out there, calling it out there fast. He’s learning his checks and reads. Just looking a lot more confident.”
We’ll find out Sunday if he successfully made that switch. It didn’t come to him immediately, evidenced by his poor preseason.What he showed in the preseason

A look at the best play from Goff’s preseason. NFL GamePass
In four preseason games, Goff went 22 of 49 (44.9 percent) for 232 yards (4.7 yards per pass), two touchdowns, two picks, and a 55.8 passer rating. He also fumbled three times. All of those traits I described above disappeared.
He was not ready for the NFL, even though he spent most of his time playing against (and with, to be fair) backups. That much was clear when I went back to watch all of his passes in the preseason.
Most of the time, he threw short and quick timing routes. According to Pro Football Focus, he attempted two deep balls in the entire preseason.
Out-routes were common. So, the Broncos began jumping them.
He also had some issues reading and diagnosing defenses. Take his interception from his first preseason game.
The Cowboys showed double a-gap pressure before the snap, but at the onset of the play, one linebacker dropped into the coverage while the other delayed his blitz. Meanwhile, another blitzer emerged off to the side.
The issue was how long Goff held onto the ball. The Cowboys showed blitz, blitzed, and Goff was still oblivious to the incoming hit.
He did, however, experience a few good moments. Later in his preseason debut, he diagnosed the Cowboys’ coverage, knew that he’d have the middle of the field open with both safeties shadowing the outside, and hit his receiver for what should’ve been a gain of 30 or so yards to the 5-yard line.
The pass was jarred loose by a defender.
The one critique of the play is that it took Goff a split second too long to release the football. If he threw the pass a bit earlier, that kind of hit wouldn’t have disrupted the catch. That’ll come with time, though.
My favorite play came against the Broncos. It won’t go down as anything more than a completion in the middle part of the field, but it represented Goff’s ability to hang in the pocket, step up, and throw a perfect pass.
Goff’s receiver wasn’t really open, but he recognized the defender had his back turned. So, Goff threw the ball directly above the defensive back’s head. He threw his man open.
But those kinds of plays didn’t happen enough in the preseason. That’s why Goff started the year behind Keenum and even Sean Mannion on the depth chart. The glimpses were nothing more than brief flashes of potential. He looked like, well, a rookie who came from a college system. And that lone weakness was enough to take away from the positive parts of his game.
He didn’t look like the quarterback the Rams drafted. There’s no way around that.
znModeratorCal coach Sonny Dykes: Rams ‘very wise’ to wait with Jared Goff
Alden Gonzalez
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal coach Sonny Dykes learned everything he ever really needed to know about Jared Goff during Goff’s freshman season as a teenage quarterback for a program that won only once in 12 tries.
“He never blinked,” Dykes said in a phone interview this week, days before Goff makes his long-awaited debut for the Los Angeles Rams. “I think we played Ohio State in Game 3 that year, and we weren’t very good, and we were playing with a ton of young players. Bunch of freshmen. Bunch of O-linemen that weren’t ready to be playing, I can promise you that. He got hit a bunch, and I learned that he was incredibly tough physically, incredibly tough mentally. He never complained one time. He just got up, dusted himself off, went back to the sideline and went back to work. And that’s the best thing about Jared Goff.”
This won’t be easy for Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft.
His own coaches have cautioned as much. Jeff Fisher, who warned against judging Goff solely on the merits of his first game Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins, said Goff is “going to have some moments, like all young quarterbacks do.” Or offensive coordinator Rob Boras, who acknowledged that taking practice snaps is “different than actually playing.” And quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke, who talked about how the Rams “have to accept that there’s going to be some bumps in the road.”
Goff will be tested from Day 1 against a Dolphins team with a devastating front four and standing behind an offensive line that has not performed well this season.
One thing that should help him, Dykes believes, is his footwork in the pocket and his willingness to absorb hits, a trait teammates have already picked up on.
“When they sat down and looked at all the quarterbacks, I think that’s what made him stand out, made him unique and made him the first pick,” Dykes said. “It was his toughness, ability to stand in there and throw the ball with somebody in his face. Also, his ability to shuffle around and create space is pretty unique. The NFL game is different than the college game. Everything has to happen much faster than it does in college, but I’m sure he’s made that adjustment. I think he’ll do a great job.”
The Rams waited to start Goff largely because he came from an offense in which he did not take a snap from under center and did not call plays from the huddle. Besides getting acclimated to NFL speed, those have been his two biggest adjustments. The system Goff ran at Cal was the pass-happy Air Raid offense that lends itself to gaudy collegiate statistics but traditionally has not produced successful NFL quarterbacks.
Goff ran a lot of run-pass options that mostly required two simple reads, but Dykes doesn’t believe his progressions were much different from what he will now face.
“We asked him to full-field read all the drop-back passes, so he’s gone through a progression-reading system where he reads pre-snap one read, starts on one side of the field and progresses to the other side,” Dykes explained. “Every one of our five-step passes he had a full-field read on. So he’s done a lot of that. I don’t know that the passing game stuff is going to be that much different. Maybe a little bit more play-action.”
Dykes has his own season to think about, so he hasn’t watched any of the Rams’ games and he doesn’t know a whole lot about their overall situation. But he and Goff constantly exchanged text messages throughout the year, even though the two teams work on opposite schedules. Dykes figured the Rams would be patient with Goff. Heading into the year, he guessed that Goff would debut by Week 10.
“This is Week 11,” Dykes said, “so I wasn’t too far off.”
Dykes says Rams fans are getting a quarterback who is “going to be prepared” and “put the time in” and “be very competitive” and “make all the throws.” But he also believes it is going to take time and that a lot of it will hinge on Goff’s supporting cast. Dykes is glad the Rams took their time, even though Goff has felt ready for a few weeks.
“Jared just turned 22,” Dykes said. “He’s a young guy. When you are the first pick in the NFL draft, there’s a certain amount of pressure that goes with that. When you’re the face of the franchise that just moved from one city to the other, there’s a certain amount of pressure that goes along with that. And I think they were certainly aware of all that, and I think they wanted to make sure, before they threw him in the fire, that he was ready. And I think they were very wise to do that.”
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