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September 8, 2016 at 10:04 am in reply to: media previews the SF game (including bay area views) #52459
znModerator===
49ers’ big 3 questions
Eric Branch
link: http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-big-3-questions-9206317.php
Can Chip Kelly recapture his swagger?
The Eagles were 6-9 last season when Kelly was fired, but it’s understood that the decision to part with him was more about his supposedly lacking people skills than coaching skills. Still, there is a belief that NFL defensive coordinators have adjusted to the frenetic pace of Kelly’s offense. After ranking among the top of the league in most offensive categories in his first two seasons, the Eagles slipped to middle of the pack in 2015 and had moments when they were far worse. In a 20-10 loss to the Cowboys, they had 7 yards rushing, and Fox analyst Troy Aikman sounded disgusted by both teams: “This is not good football. This is a terrible game to watch.” Kelly can change the conversation by making the 49ers’ terrible offense (NFL-low 238 points in ’15) respectable, despite working with below-average personnel.
Can Blaine Gabbert take the next step?
After he baby-stepped from punch line to semi-productive last season, the 49ers hope the No. 10 overall pick in 2011, right, can jump to another level. It’s fair to say there is skepticism about that transpiring. Gabbert beat out Colin Kaepernick for the starting spot, but that was somewhat by default, given Kaepernick’s injuries. Despite Gabbert’s huge advantage, he still wasn’t named the starter until two days after the final preseason game. Was Kelly merely being sensitive to Kaepernick, or was it a reflection of Gabbert’s limitations and meh preseason? The situation means fans might be hollering for Kaepernick, who has his own limitations, the moment Gabbert falters. And it’s possible the screaming could start early, given a schedule that opens against the Rams before road dates against the Panthers and Seahawks.
Will the defense develop?
The 49ers have invested plenty of high-end draft capital in a defense that ranked 29th in the NFL last season. And now it’s time for those big-time college players to pay big dividends. General manager Trent Baalke has had 15 first-, second- or third-round picks since 2013, and 10 of those selections have been used on defensive players. Baalke has used his first pick in the past four drafts on defense (safety Eric Reid, cornerback Jimmie Ward, defensive tackle Arik Armstead and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner), and his emphasis on defense also has netted defensive tackle Tank Carradine (second round, 2013) and linebacker Eli Harold (third round, 2015). Carradine, who has converted to linebacker, and Harold will have chances to provide much-needed pass-rush pressure, particularly with Aaron Lynch serving a season-opening, four-game suspension. Given the resources invested, the 49ers should make a jump this season. If not, Baalke’s job could be lost, along with plenty of gamesSeptember 8, 2016 at 10:03 am in reply to: media previews the SF game (including bay area views) #52457znModerator===
Can 49ers’ revamped line keep quarterbacks upright?
CAM INMAN
link: http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/06/can-49ers-revamped-line-keep-quarterbacks-upright/?source=rss
SANTA CLARA — Down went Colin Kaepernick. Down went Blaine Gabbert.
Last season, no matter which “mobile” quarterback was in for the 49ers, pass rushers easily took down their prey, piling up 53 sacks last season and 52 in 2014.
A revamped offensive line should fortify things this season, beginning Monday night when Gabbert starts ahead of Kaepernick against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium.
It won’t be a dry run. Right away, the 49ers encounter defensive tackle Aaron Donald, last season’s runner-up for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award, behind the Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt.
“You’ve got to be on your toes with Aaron Donald,” center Daniel Kilgore said recently. “He’s an elite defensive tackle. If he’s not No. 1, he’s No. 2 or 3. He’s very explosive.”
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Donald told the Rams’ website. “A divisional game — a team that we know, they know us.”
Actually, Kilgore will have new guards flanking him. The projected starters are left guard Zane Beadles, the 49ers’ lone prize from free agency, and right guard Anthony Davis, who spent last season on the retired list after starting strictly at right tackle in his 71 previous games.
Joshua Garnett, a first-round draft pick out of Stanford, could sneak into the lineup, too, although his only exhibition start came in the finale at left guard. Andrew Tiller was the first-string right guard until Davis switched there about two weeks ago, with second-year behemoth Trent Brown (6-foot-8, 355 pounds) entrenched at right tackle.
Neither Gabbert nor Kaepernick got sacked in the exhibition season; Gabbert took 43 snaps in the first three games, and Kaepernick had 49, including 36 last Thursday in San Diego.
Last season, it was ugly. Kaepernick got sacked 28 times through eight games, then it was Gabbert’s turn to absorb 25 sacks, including nine sacks (tying a 49ers record) in a Dec. 13 loss at Cleveland.
“Everybody knows that last year is not anywhere near the standard and expectation here,” left tackle Joe Staley said upon reporting to his 10th training camp. “Everybody is excited to get back to work. That’s the only way to remedy the kind of season we had last year.”
The Rams only sacked Gabbert once in the regular-season finale, a 19-16 overtime win by the host 49ers. Kilgore carries confidence from that matchup into Monday night’s rematch, saying the 49ers have done “OK” against Donald, a third-year star who has 20 career sacks, but only one against the 49ers.
“Guys get caught up to much with his speed and strength,” Kilgore said. “You just have to go in knowing he’s an enforcer, but they have 10 others (on defense) that are good, too.”
The Rams defense does tout other solid linemen in Robert Quinn, William Hayes and Michael Brockers. But gone are defensive end Chris Long, defensive tackle Nick Fairly, cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebackers James Laurinaitis and Akeem Ayers.
Tank Carradine’s “excellent progress” in moving to outside linebacker earned him a one-year contract extension, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke announced Tuesday.
Carradine slogged through the past two seasons as a backup defensive tackle. After dropping 30 pounds and moving positions, he must pick up the pass-rush slack as Aaron Lynch serves a four-game suspension. Carradine received a $1.25 million signing bonus, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
“Tank is a hard-working, dedicated player who is making excellent progress in his transition from DE to OLB,” Baalke said in a statement. “We look forward to his continued development and contributions to our organization.”
Carradine has four career sacks in 23 games (one start) since 2014. He missed his rookie year recovering from his knee injury at Florida State.
September 8, 2016 at 10:02 am in reply to: media previews the SF game (including bay area views) #52456znModeratorAnalyzing 49ers’ offense, defense, special teams, coaching
Eric Branch
http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Analyzing-49ers-offense-defense-special-9206320.php
Run offense
Chip Kelly wants to run: The Eagles ranked fourth in rushing yards (6,301) in Kelly’s three seasons. Carlos Hyde could be the latest workhorse in Kelly’s attack, but the hard-running Ohio State alum has missed 11 games in his first two seasons and suffered a concussion in the preseason. His backups are Shaun Draughn and Mike Davis, who looked elusive in the preseason. Whoever runs the ball figures to benefit from an overhauled line that includes center Daniel Kilgore and guard Anthony Davis (combined three starts in 2015).
Pass offense
Even if QB Blaine Gabbert is better than last year, it might be hard to see the improvement, given his underwhelming corps of pass-catchers. After Torrey Smith, his wide-receiver options include Quinton Patton, rookie Aaron Burbridge and two men, Jeremy Kerley and Rod Streater, recently acquired in trades. Gabbert could benefit if tight end Vance McDonald, a 2013 second-round pick, has a breakout season. The front five has been upgraded; last year, the 49ers allowed the third-most sacks in franchise history.
Run defense
This area will be tested a lot early in the season: Each of the 49ers’ first six opponents ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in rushing yards in 2015. The 49ers ranked 29th in rushing yards allowed last season and won’t have run-stuffing nose tackle Ian Williams this season. Still, they figure to be improved. All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman is another year removed from his knee injury, and first-round picks Arik Armstead (2015) and DeForest Buckner (2016) are expected to play prominent roles.
Pass defense
The 49ers have one player, 32-year-old linebacker Ahmad Brooks, with more than 11.5 career sacks on the 53-man roster. The lack of pressure (29th in sacks) was an issue last season, and linebacker Aaron Lynch (6.5 sacks in 2015) is serving a season-opening four-game suspension. The 49ers hope linebackers Eli Harold and Tank Carradine, plus Armstead and Buckner, can offset Lynch’s absence. Cornerback Jimmie Ward made a seamless transition from the slot, but his replacement, Chris Davis, is unproven.
Special teams
The 49ers lost punt returner Bruce Ellington in the preseason, but his replacement, Kerley, ranks 13th among active players in punt returns (134) and 17th in yards (1,250). Kicker Phil Dawson, 41, returns for an 18th season. More was expected from punter Bradley Pinion last year, and the big-legged 2015 fifth-round pick will seek consistency in his second season. The coverage units figure to be headlined by Nick Bellore and Michael Wilhoite. Another core special-teams player, Bruce Miller, was released after his arrest Monday.
Coaching
They swapped Jim Tomsula, a position coach with no NFL coordinator experience, for Kelly, who had a 72-28 record in seven seasons at Oregon and Philadelphia. Kelly will oversee the offense, which was under the direction of coordinator Geep Chryst in 2015. Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, 38, and special-teams coordinator Derius Swinton, 31, are largely unproven. O’Neil is a Rex Ryan disciple whose scheme is heavy on blitzing and press man-to-man coverage. The players say it’s easier to grasp than Eric Mangini’s defense last year.September 8, 2016 at 10:01 am in reply to: media previews the SF game (including bay area views) #52455znModeratorWeek 1 Preview: Rams at 49ers
When the Los Angeles Rams visit the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, there will be so many major narratives surrounding this game that the key one is often lost in translation.
The Rams are back in Southern California after a 21-year stay in St. Louis. One of the most storied rivalries in football has come full circle to renew a once torrid intra-state rivalry between teams that were once the strength of the NFC West.
Ultimately, the Rams would have loved to open at home, but due to a scheduling conflict with the University of Southern California, the game is in the Bay Area as the second half of a Monday Night Football doubleheader. Kickoff is 10:20 p.m. ET.
A few months ago, this game looked like it would feature 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Rams No. 1 draft pick Jared Goff. But both will be on the sidelines as controversial backups.
Kaepernick received significant publicity the last two weeks for his action of sitting during the national anthem. However, lost in all the hyperbole is the play of starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Even before all the national media attention, which had nothing to do with on-the-field play, Gabbert won over the San Francisco locker room and head coach Chip Kelly.
“The whole body of work from April until today,” Kelly said when asked what impressed him about Gabbert. “He’s a good fit for what we want to get accomplished, and I have a lot of confidence in what he can do for us offensively.”
Kelly said Gabbert was “very matter of fact to him,” about getting the news that he was named the opening-day starter, “and let’s go to work.”
Gabbert’s best game of his NFL career came against many of the same defensive players he will face Monday night.
In the 2015 season finale, the 49ers signal-caller threw for 354 yards and helped beat the Rams, 19-16. The defensive backfield of cornerback Trumaine Johnson, cornerback E.J. Gaines, safety T.J. McDonald and safety Maurice Alexander will need to play sound techniques and limit the deep-ball opportunities of Gabbert to wideout Torrey Smith. Smith is a true deep threat and has the speed to get behind a nicked-up Gaines. Look for cornerback Lamarcus Joyner to play a significant role if Gaines struggles in coverage.
The Rams’ front defensive seven is as good as there is in the NFL. The 49ers’ offensive line is a middle-of-the-road unit. The Rams defense should be looking to control the 49ers rushing attack of Carlos Hyde and force Gabbert to make throws outside the pocket.
Rams defensive tackles Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers need to be able to control the interior of the offensive line. If this duo can get Hyde, who likes to run with vertical power, to play laterally, this will allow new middle linebacker Alec Olgetree to use his speed to stop the run game.
A key matchup in this game for the 49ers offense and the Rams defense is left tackle Joe Staley going against defensive end Robert Quinn. Five and half of Quinn’s 50 career sacks have come against San Francisco. Most of those sacks have been against Staley, who is one of the most technically-sound players in the NFL and will need to play his best against the Rams.
The Rams’ quarterback situation is another key to the game, but that narrative is a long way from being written. The Rams gave up six draft choices to select quarterback Jared Goff, who begins the season as a third stringer. Goff, the rookie from California, will spend the first game of his NFL career in street clothes.
“He’s not ready, but he’s really, really made significant progress,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said of Goff.
While Goff seems upbeat and willing to learn, the Rams made the move to mortgage the franchise because they believed the signal-caller could start from Day 1. Instead that honor goes to veteran quarterback Case Keenum.
No matter who the Rams start at quarterback for the opener, or for the rest of the season, the offense begins and ends with running back Todd Gurley. The second-year man out of Georgia tore up NFL defenses in 2015 and will be looking to add to his career totals after being healthy all offseason. The Rams will look to pound the football off-tackle behind right tackle Rob Havenstein and left tackle Greg Robinson.
The 49ers’ defensive front comes into the season with major question marks. The unit already lost starting nose tackle Ian Williams for the season with an ankle injury. Starting defensive end Arik Armstead and key backup at nose tackle Glenn Dorsey are currently nursing injuries. The Rams’ offensive line needs to attack rookie defensive end DeForest Buckner and see if the young player can hold his own in the NFL.[
September 8, 2016 at 9:53 am in reply to: media previews the SF game (including bay area views) #52452znModerator===
from 49ers Defensive Coordinator Jim O’Neil
What stands out to you about the Rams?
“I’ll start up front. They are very physical. They have their whole offensive line healthy. In my opinion, they have six really good players. They haven’t been able to play together this preseason, but they are starting to get healthy. The quarterback does a great job getting the ball out of his hands, puts them in a position to win football games. Obviously, [Los Angeles Rams RB] Todd Gurley at running back is a dynamic player. [Los Angeles Rams WR] Tavon Austin is a dynamic player as a receiver, running back, screen guy, down the field. They’ve got a big receiver in [Los Angeles Rams WR] Kenny Britt. They’ve got three tight ends that they roll that all do a good job. So, they are pretty good personnel-wise.What’s the emphasis for the defense in terms of stopping Gurley?
“Do your job. Takes all 11. You know, just execute.”Do you have to prepare any differently for a unique skill player like Tavon Austin where they really try to get creative to get him the football, use him in different ways?
“Sure. You’ve got to do some stuff schematically to get guys around him because he is such a dynamic player in space, yeah.”They use a lot of those kind of ghost sweeps with Tavon to play Tavon off of Gurley. What are some of the challenges trying to defend that?
“They just force you to communicate. You know, if you’re running any type of combo coverage stuff, if he’s running to the other side of the formation, you’ve got to change coverage or if your zone drops on one and now one could become two very quickly. So, it forces you to think a little bit quicker. It’s not the same thing, but it’s kind of similar to some of the up-tempo stuff. Just makes you think and react faster than probably what you want to as a defense.”===
September 8, 2016 at 9:53 am in reply to: media previews the SF game (including bay area views) #52451znModerator===
Jim O'Neil said the 49ers players have watched Hard Knocks and have picked up some clues on the Rams
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) September 7, 2016
znModeratorJared Goff won’t even dress for Rams’ opener, and there are other questions on the roster
Gary Klein
http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-roster-20160906-snap-story.html
The Rams’ trade to the top of the draft for quarterback Jared Goff impacted this season’s roster and will affect their roster for years to come.
The best-case scenario was that Goff would be ready to start next week’s opener against the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
Instead, Goff probably will be on the Levi’s Stadium sideline in a Rams’ sweatsuit.
Coach Jeff Fisher said after last week’s exhibition defeat at Minnesota that second-year pro Sean Mannion would be the probable No. 2 quarterback behind starter Case Keenum against the 49ers.That meant Goff probably would be inactive for the opener because teams have only 46 players on game days and rarely activate three quarterbacks.
Fisher told NFL Network on Tuesday that Goff would, indeed, be inactive.
So while Carson Wentz, the No. 2 pick in the draft, starts the Philadelphia Eagles’ opener, Goff will be a spectator in his return to Northern California, where he starred at California.
Goff, 21, is the second-youngest player on a Rams team that is one of the NFL’s youngest. The Rams’ two biggest stars — running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald — are Pro Bowl players beginning only their second and third seasons, respectively.
“Even though we’re young,” Fisher told an audience at a charity luncheon Tuesday, “we’re an experienced young football team.”
Whether the Rams have enough talent and experience to successfully navigate one of the NFL’s most challenging schedules remains to be seen.
The roster has not been significantly upgraded from last season, when the Rams finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season.
After trimming the roster to 53 last week, Fisher indicated the Rams would make a few moves before the opener.
“The roster is for the most part 99% set,” he said Tuesday. “There are a couple more things we have to do to get ready.”
Re-signing veteran linebacker Akeem Ayers won’t be one of them.
The Rams terminated Ayers’ contract last week, and Fisher had indicated that the door was open for Ayers’ possible return. It closed Tuesday when the Indianapolis Colts signed Ayers, who had been due to earn about $3 million with the Rams.
So add linebacker to receiver and the secondary as major question marks.
Middle linebacker Alec Ogletree will be learning his new position while flanked by Mark Barron on the weak-side and, probably, a rookie such as undrafted free agent Cory Littleton on the strong side.
That vulnerability might be protected somewhat by a Donald-led defensive line that supposedly is on the rise.
The back end, however, could be a liability, as the Rams did little to offset the free-agent departures of cornerback Janoris Jenkins and safety Rodney McLeod.
Trumaine Johnson established himself as a top-tier cornerback last season, but uncertainty surrounds cornerback E.J. Gaines’ ability to avoid injuries that slowed him during training camp. The Rams’ depth chart Tuesday listed Johnson and cornerbacks Lamarcus Joyner and Coty Sensabaugh as starters in a 4-2-5 scheme. And as of Tuesday, the Rams had only three safeties on the roster.
The offense is strong in at least one area.
Gurley — the reigning NFL offensive rookie of the year — and Benny Cunningham are a solid combination at running back.
Right tackle Rob Havenstein sat out off-season workouts and nearly all of training camp and the exhibition season because of a foot injury. He returned against the Vikings, which bodes well for an offensive line that will be together for the second consecutive season. Left tackle Greg Robinson, however, remains a question mark.
Rookie Tyler Higbee infuses the tight end corps with his pass-catching skill, but the Rams are still lacking at wide receiver.
Tavon Austin, who recently signed a four-year extension reportedly worth $42 million, and veteran Kenny Britt are the starters. Fourth-round draft pick Pharoh Cooper will be sidelined for the opener because of a shoulder injury. That leaves inconsistent veteran Brian Quick, second-year pro Bradley Marquez, inconsistent sixth-round pick Michael Thomas and undrafted free agent Nelson Spruce as the backups.
Then there’s Goff, who cost the Rams a total of six picks in the third round or higher in the 2016 and 2017 drafts.
Fisher said that he probably would flip the roles of Mannion and Goff in Week 2.
In the meantime, the Rams will tap into their roster depth for an emergency backup: punter Johnny Hekker.
znModeratorRams Preview: Case Keenum won the QB job, personifies team’s uncertainty
Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News
It’s funny how things work out sometimes.
When the Rams left Southern California for St. Louis 21 years ago they did so with an uncertain quarterback situation befitting an organization that never seemed to nail the most important position on the field.
They return to Los Angeles with the same uncertainty.
Welcome home, guys.
Uncanny how you look remarkably like the team that kicked us in the gut to make a Midwest money grab more than two decades ago.
• Rams schedule | Rams roster | Rams photos
Some things never change, apparently.
With all due respect to Case Keenum, who has played well this offseason and rightfully won the starting job over future face of the franchise Jared Goff, he isn’t Russell Wilson or Cam Newton or Tom Brady or Eli Manning or Philip Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger or any other current NFL quarterback you can hand the keys to with confidence they can guide the team to respectable places.
At his best, Keenum is a game manager capable of stabilizing the position and keeping the Rams in games. And considering he has started 15 games over his four-year career and never more than eight in one season, it’s a hunch to assume even that.
There simply isn’t enough sample size to say definitively he will consistently do that.
So we hope.
And cross our fingers.
Sounds kind of familiar right?
From James Harris to Ron Jaworski to Pat Haden to Vince Ferragamo to Jeff Rutledge to Dan Pastorini to Bert Jones to Jeff Kemp to Dieter Brock to Steve Bartkowski to Jim Everett and beyond, the Rams over the years knelt at the alter of the Football Gods praying they could squeeze out just enough from the young to the old to the has-beens to the never-were’s to the would-be saviors and the seriously flawed to lift the team to the next level or over the finish line.
The Rams over the years always had wildly talented rosters, but unable to land their Roger Staubach or Terry Bradshaw they operated a revolving door that welcomed in new candidates as quickly as it hurled the previous ones onto the street.
Aside from a brief period of brilliance provided by a lightning bolt named Kurt Warner and the stability of Marc Bulger, it was more of the same in St. Louis.
Lest we forget the Tony Banks and Sam Bradfords and Kellen Clemens of the world.
And as the Rams return to the region they called home for 46 years, it’s deja vu all over again.
So take your place among all the others, Keenum. It’s a crowded room to be sure.
Here’s the thing, though.
Even while the Rams conducted a quarterback merry-go-round through the 1970s and 1980s they won a ton of football games. In fact from 1973-89 they won eight division titles, reached eight NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.
They never quite got it right at quarterback – at least not the long-range answer – but they managed to field highly competitive teams nonetheless.
Into that kind of world steps Keenum, who doesn’t do any one thing especially well but does enough things satisfactorily that he can be trusted.
Yes, the Rams drafted Goff first overall with the hope he’d start sooner rather than later. But it looks like sooner is going to take a lot longer than expected.
That might be disappointing, but it’s not the end of the world.
The Rams always knew they had Keenum in their back pocket, fully understanding he isn’t Newton or Wilson but more than convinced he can be a missing piece that enables them to finally move beyond the 7-9 teams they’ve been recently to a potential playoff contender.
It’s a tip of the cap to Keenum, certainly, but also the belief in the infrastructure in place around the quarterback position.
The Rams boast a defensive line as good as any in the NFL led by All-Pro tackle Aaron Donald and defensive end Robert Quinn.
The linebacker group is young, fast and athletic with Mark Barron and Alec Ogletree a pair of playmakers poised to step into stardom.
And running back Todd Gurley is as good as it gets and operates behind an offensive line that grew considerably over the course of training camp and preseason.
“That’s a good young roster they’ve built,” a prominent NFL assistant coach told me recently. “The pieces are in place. If the quarterback can just be solid, they have a chance to be a good team.
Keenum isn’t a star, but neither was Brock or Haden or Ferragamo, and all three of them won division titles and advanced their teams deep into the playoffs.
Dare we dream that Keenum can be to Gurley what Brock was to Eric Dickerson or Haden was to Lawrence McCutcheon back in the day?
The NFL assistant coach I spoke to felt so, pointing out the roster in place is one Rams coach Jeff Fisher can win with.
“There’s a recipe in place that he’s proven he can succeed with,” the coach said. “Look, Jeff Fisher didn’t forget how to coach. This is a team right up his alley with a spectacular talent like Gurley – who is special – and a very good defense. If the quarterback can be effective – he doesn’t even have to be a star – just steady. It could be a good year.”
Sounds pretty familiar, doesn’t it?
It never meant the ultimate prize back in the day.
But the Rams won a bunch of football games.
Can Keenum be to the Rams what Haden, Ferragamo and others were to run-first, defensive-minded Rams teams of the past?
It sure has a familiar ring to it.
znModeratorJared Goff suffering from Rams’ poor judgment, uncomfortable environment
Alex Marvez
The franchise’s giddiness when making Goff the top pick in April’s draft was way too evident when coach Jeff Fisher spoke from his heart and not his head following the selection.
Although he wouldn’t immediately name Goff his starting quarterback like other clubs have when addressing the position with the No. 1 overall choice, Fisher did little to temper such expectations heading into the 2016 season.
“It’s going to happen pretty soon,” Fisher said during a news conference. “Sooner than probably later.”
Instead, such a move will be happening later than sooner. Maybe much later.
Goff not only failed to push journeyman Case Keenum for the first-string job during the preseason. He won’t even dress for Monday night’s opener, with 2015 third-round pick Sean Mannion handling backup duties.
The slow-play may very well be remembered as a prudent move. As shown on Hard Knocks, the 21-year-old Goff is so green he didn’t know the sun rose in the east. He also turned pro following his junior season at Cal, which used a spread-style attack that requires Goff to make the challenging transition to an NFL offense.
Riding the bench right now isn’t the end of the world, either. Carson Palmer and the late Steve McNair — a Fisher protege dating back to the Houston Oilers of the mid-1990s — are among the high QB picks who sat as rookies before enjoying prolific NFL careers.
If Goff isn’t ready, he isn’t ready. It’s better to accept that reality than throw him to the wolves a la what happened to high-profile prospects like David Carr, Joey Harrington and Blaine Gabbert. All of them picked up bad habits from playing prematurely and had their confidence shattered. Carr and Harrington never recovered. Gabbert is still trying to get on track five seasons later In San Francisco after washing out in Jacksonville.
MORE: Should rookie QBs start or sit?
Such history, though, is being forgotten as some media and fans already have started associating Goff with another four-letter word: Bust.
Yes, it’s silly. But that reality doesn’t insulate Goff from outside negativity that can seep into his subconscious. His friends and family surely hear it, which exacerbates the problem.
Fisher and Rams general manager Les Snead also have put themselves in the firing line with how everything has unfolded. A duo that never found a quarterbacking answer during four seasons in St. Louis — wither Nick Foles — is being second-guessed again for sending a boatload of draft picks to Tennessee for the chance to draft Goff while another passer who was available will be starting in Week 1.
This brings us to the team that handled the situation with far more savvy — Philadelphia.
From the minute Carson Wentz was drafted at No. 2 behind Goff, the Eagles insisted he would serve as a third-stringer entering the regular season. The stance continued throughout training camp even as the North Dakota State product displayed earmarks in practice that his development was ahead of schedule.
Neither first-year head coach Doug Pederson nor general manager Howie Roseman ever let on publicly that Wentz could potentially make starter Sam Bradford expendable. Yet that’s exactly what happened last week, when Bradford was dealt to quarterback-desperate Minnesota following Teddy Bridgewater’s knee injury.
FANTASY: QB rankings | Sleeper picks
Explaining the reasons for Wentz’s promotion to co-host Gil Brandt and me last Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Roseman said, “It’s just his feel for the game, his study habits and where he was mentally even though he was missing (practice) reps the last couple weeks. He has done such a great job picking up the offense.
“He’s such a sharp guy and then there’s obviously the physical tools you see that made him the second pick in the draft.”
Whether Wentz is actually ready for his regular-season debut Sunday against visiting Cleveland is dubious, especially because he played in only one preseason game as a reserve before suffering a rib fracture. But unlike the Rams, the Eagles created a comfortable environment that allowed Wentz to hone his craft away from the kind of glaring spotlight Goff is under.
“Every day in training camp he’d make a throw that would just make you go, ‘Wow!'” said Roseman, who, like the Rams, traded multiple draft picks to acquire a projected franchise quarterback in Wentz. “I always joke that he’d do that and then all of a sudden he’d take off and run and you’d remember he could do that, too.
“In terms of when you knew he was ready, what you saw from him is total command whether he was with the third-stringers or having a workout with (wide receiver) Jordan Matthews when rehabbing. It’s total confidence. That’s the most impressive thing.”
MORE: Worst QB situations | QB graveyards
To better shield Goff from the scrutiny he is under, the Rams should have remained as coy and vague as possible about his chances for immediate action. Had he ended up winning the starting spot, Fisher could have borrowed a line from Roseman by bluntly telling reporters, “Circumstances change.”
Unfortunately for Goff, there’s no going back by Rams brass to fix what was a preventable error in judgment.
znModerator8 takeaways from the season finale of ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Los Angeles Rams
Pete Blackburn
The fifth and final episode of this season’s Hard Knocks aired on HBO Tuesday night, bringing an end to the latest installment of the annual series that takes football fans behind the scenes of an NFL training camp.
This year’s series has followed the Rams as they return to Los Angeles and try to establish a new identity both on and off the field. But just as the Rams have had some pretty unspectacular seasons of football in the past few years, this has been a pretty unspectacular season of television. The first four episodes were mostly vanilla, and the finale was never going to undo that regardless of what went down.
That being said, some drama finally arrived and brought some brief reminders of why we watch the show in the first place. Let’s jump into the final takeaways.
Time to grow up, Lamarcus Joyner
Last we checked in with cornerback Lamarcus Joyner, he was being a big baby and refusing to practice because he wasn’t getting enough reps in camp. Tuesday’s finale kicked off with the 25-year-old threatening to quit the team during a meeting with head coach Jeff Fisher.
“I want to be a starter,” Joyner told Fisher in his office. “Ya’ll can have your money back. I don’t play football for money. Coach, I love this game.” He told his coach that he would be happier if he quit and went to work at Wal-Mart. (I wish Fisher called his bluff there.)
Fisher told Joyner he wanted him to be the nickel cornerback because he thought it was the hardest position to play. Then, he shared a story with Joyner about how, back in 2000 as head coach of the Titans, he thought Steve McNair lost some passion for the game after taking a big hit. Eventually, Fisher saw it come back, and he said he wanted to bring it back out of Joyner as well.
Ultimately, Joyner and Fisher were able to clarify their stances and work it out, and the cornerback returned to the field soon after. These probably the most interesting and revealing moments of the entire series this year, as fans don’t often get an inside look at how conflicts like this one find a resolution. This is exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff that makes Hard Knocks valuable and interesting. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of it this year.
Musical. Montages.
I can’t pinpoint when exactly Hard Knocks decided they’d have a musical montage featuring pointless super slo-mo closeups every 10 minutes, but that was a thing this season and it got old pretty quickly. We can probably chalk that up to the Rams being super boring and HBO needing to fill time.
William Hayes inception
Speaking of needing to fill time, we got to watch Will Hayes watch an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in which Kimmel talked about the defensive end’s love for mermaids and showed scenes from previous episodes of Hard Knocks. Seriously, we got to watch Hayes watching Hard Knocks on Hard Knocks. It was weird.
Todd Gurley hits the Pro Shop
The Rams second-year running back actually visited the Vikings’ Pro Shop to buy an Adrian Peterson jersey that the Vikes’ running back could sign after the Rams’ final preseason game in Minnesota. A couple of teammates ribbed Gurley for the move, but he defended himself.
“What’s wrong with buying another man’s jersey, bro?” asked Gurley. “That’s what’s wrong with y’all. People got too much pride these days.”
It’s not uncommon to see players exchange game jerseys on the field, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a player hitting up the team store before a game to purchase another dude’s jersey.
A heartbreaking muffed punt
Heading into the finale, one of the biggest complaints I had regarding this season of Hard Knocks was the lack of emotional depth or high stakes. The finale brought those stakes, as a lot of the players profiled through the previous four episodes had to fight for a spot on the final 53-man roster.
The last preseason game is where a lot of those jobs are won and lost, and wide receiver Paul McRoberts knew that. After not getting much of a chance to impress while lined up on offense, he decided he needed to make his impact felt on special teams. Unfortunately, his desperation backfired when he attempted to return a punt that clearly should have been fair caught and ended up fumbling away a turnover.
Knowing he’s on the bubble, McRoberts’ reaction to the mistake was pretty devastating. After competing intensely for a spot all training camp, he recognized that he could (and likely would) be undone by that one mistake. It was brutal to watch, but that’s the kind of stuff that makes Hard Knocks great. Or at least used to.
Fortunately for McRoberts, he went on to make a nice touchdown grab later in the game and would eventually be signed to the Rams’ practice squad. Other guys weren’t so lucky, which brings us to …
Final roster cuts
Hard Knocks always highlights several fringe roster players, making the round of final cuts pretty dramatic and interesting for viewers. This season’s finale provided a number of harsh realities for familiar Rams players, as several who were focal points of the series ultimately didn’t make the team.
Ian Seau, the nephew of late Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau, was cut. Austin Hill, the undrafted free agent wideout competing against McRoberts, was cut. Eric Kush, the goofy center who loves tank tops more than anybody in the world, was cut.
For what it’s worth, the conclusion to this year’s Hard Knocks provided a pretty interesting juxtaposition of fates. While not making a roster means coming up short on a lifelong dream for some, it’s not always the end of the road for others.
Kush took his release pretty hard but was signed almost immediately by the Chicago Bears, his sixth team in the past two years. Linebacker Brandon Chubb didn’t make the 53, but joined McRoberts on the practice squad, which was a win for him. Hill, however, didn’t get any such breaks. He was left in “limbo,” stuck at home with his family while he waits for a call from another NFL team. It’s a call that may never even come.
“I’ve been cut multiple times and you always think it’s going to be easier each time, but it’s not,” Hill said.
The face tattoo pays off
Rams defensive end Ethan Westbrooks is a guy we saw getting chewed out on several occasions during this season. It wasn’t a sure thing that he’d make the final roster, but he did.
That’s extremely good news for him, considering he got a face tattoo with the hopes that it would motivate him to make it in the NFL and not have to pursue another, “normal” job with a tattoo on his face. It looks like he’ll get to put off that worry for another year.
Hello, Hollywood
After preseason officially wrapped up, we got to see some of the guys loosen up a bit. Cameras followed rookie wide receivers Austin Spruce and Mike Thomas as they hit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where they danced with (and failed to tip) a Michael Jackson impersonator, took pictures with fans and made fun of a way-too-skinny SpiderMan impersonator. Call it too little too late if you want, but it was one of the few standout examples of personality from a very vanilla Rams team this season.
znModeratorHow Rams’ Jeff Fisher made sense out of nickel role to Lamarcus Joyner
Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — The “Hard Knocks” finale opened with Lamarcus Joyner missing.
The Los Angeles Rams couldn’t locate their third-year cornerback, until he showed up in the middle of a walk-through with a T-shirt, shorts and a backpack. Joyner was distraught over his belief that he was not a starter and was ready to quit. “Hard Knocks,” the HBO series that follows the Rams through training camp, captured the closed-door meeting he had with coach Jeff Fisher that day. Here’s a partial transcript …
Fisher: “You want me to start, or you want to start? Because I’m here to help.”
Joyner: “I don’t know, Coach. I don’t have any passion anymore. … I work hard. I do want to be a starter for this team. What’s going on? If y’all don’t need me, let me know. And just release me. Y’all can have y’all money back. That’s what I told them. I said, ‘I don’t play football for money.’ … Coach, I love this game. I can go work at Walmart. I don’t need these people’s money. But while I’m here, I’m not going to waste y’all time with the way I work and what I put into it. So why would I want to let any of them waste my time? Like, what’s my role? Be honest with me.”
Fisher: “The nickel spot, inside. It’s the hardest position to play. It’s harder than outside. It’s the hardest position to play, OK? You’re the best that I’ve had here in years inside. It’s a starting position, OK?”
Joyner: “I don’t even know, Coach. … I don’t know.”
Fisher: “I’m going to tell you a story. You know Steve McNair, right? OK. We’re playing in Kansas City [in 2000]. He takes a shot in the chest. And so we put him in the hospital, and then I go over to see Steve at the hospital. Steve tells me he can’t do it anymore. He can’t play. He’s lost his passion. It’s not fun. OK. So, we get to the Sunday. And he says he’s OK with being the 2. In the Pittsburgh game, the starting quarterback — backup — gets the s— knocked out of him. And we’re down by four, with less than two minutes left to go. And I turn at Steve, and I look at him. And he winked at me — went on the field, four-play drive, we’re in the end zone, and we beat ’em. I realized he had the passion. I had to capture it and get it back. I want Lamarcus back. I want your passion. I have to pull it back out of you.”
A couple of short exchanges later, Joyner and Fisher were hugging, and Joyner ultimately went back to playing football — in the nickel spot, technically as the No. 3 cornerback but basically as a starter.
Lamarcus Joyner
Lamarcus Joyner had a frank discussion with Rams coach about his role on “Hard Knocks.”
The Rams surprisingly cut linebacker Akeem Ayers, who started 11 games last year and went on to join the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams were holding out hope of bringing him back on a restructured contract, but the closed-door meeting that “Hard Knocks” aired might have shed light as to why they were willing to part with Ayers in the first place.It’s seemingly because they see their third cornerback (Joyner) getting more playing time than their third linebacker (which would have been Ayers).
Last year, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams often ran what some would call “big nickel.” It’s a 4-2-5 set, though what made it “big” was Mark Barron — listed at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds — playing a hybrid position that had him both helping out in coverage and rushing the passer. With Joyner in the game, however, it appears the Rams would run more of a traditional nickel package. Barron and Alec Ogletree would be the two linebackers and Joyner would be the third cornerback, along with Trumaine Johnson and E.J. Gaines, who might miss the Week 1 opener with a quad injury. Maurice Alexander and T.J. McDonald would thus be the two safeties.
It would keep the Rams from having to rely on an inexperienced player as the third linebacker, a group that includes a sixth-round draft pick (Josh Forrest), two undrafted free agents (Nic Grigsby and Cory Littleton) and a second-year player who has yet to start an NFL game (Bryce Hager).
And it appears Joyner is all-in now.
“Let’s play some ‘ball,” Fisher told him as that closed-door meeting was winding down.
Some additional highlights from the fifth and final episode of “Hard Knocks” …
Channeling Montana: Rams defensive line coach Mike Waufle finally realized why Jared Goff wears No. 16 — because, as a kid from northern California, he grew up a fan of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana.
“You do a lot of things like him,” Waufle told Goff during a recent practice. “You really do. I got to watch him play in practice all the time; I used to watch him all the time.”
“He was pretty good,” said Goff, the No. 1 overall pick who is currently the Rams’ third-string quarterback and will thus be inactive for the regular-season opener. Sean Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015, is currently the backup to Case Keenum.
Quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke compared the two in a meeting, saying: “Sean, really, I think he’s had an outstanding camp. I liked him as a rookie, but he’s that much better now, in my opinion. I feel comfortable having to put ’14’ in the ballgame. Next will be Jared. I think the kid has made some great strides. I believe reps are his best friend. He has the mental capacity, and I think as he continues to get more reps, it will help him.”
“OK,” Fisher chimed in, “who’s the 2 against the 49ers?”
Silence.
‘I’m cut, bro:’ Those were the words uttered by undrafted rookie receiver Paul McRoberts after he muffed a punt during the preseason finale in Minnesota on Thursday. McRoberts redeemed himself with a leaping catch in the end zone, but he did get cut and was ultimately placed on the 10-man practice squad. “Hard Knocks” spent a lot of time profiling players who were among the final cuts on Saturday, specifically McRoberts, fellow receiver Austin Hill, defensive lineman Ian Seau and veteran center Eric Kush.
“I had a lot of fun here,” Kush, who promptly joined the Chicago Bears, told general manager Les Snead. “That’s what hurts the most.”
znModeratorTrees are made of air, mostly, you know.
Yes but then if you accept that, then, you have to also accept the necessary and logical corollary — air is made of wood.
Right?
znModerator‘Hard Knocks’ Episode 5: Brutality of NFL cutdowns on full display with Rams
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/memories-728178-great-play.html
Tanks for the memories, Eric Kush.
Great little daughter you have there, Austin Hill. Now you’ve got more time to play.
As much as we respect the heck out of your uncle, you just need to get stronger, Ian Seau. Stay in touch. And stay strong.
By Saturday morning, most of the Rams’ final 22 cuts were made, and disclosed to the public. But until HBO cut up and spliced together its final episode of “Hard Knocks” and aired it Tuesday night, viewers might not have achieved proper closure, especially those invested in the docu-series going back to its Aug. 9 beginning.
Episode 5 reinforced the quick and sometimes blunt nature of the business as the Rams, put in the spotlight this year, got to the NFL-mandated 53-player limit before the regular season began. Through this month-long journey, the NFL Films cameras and documentarians tried to also incorporate the fact that the team was kind of operating while the ground was shifting below as they moved from St. Louis to L.A., with stops at camps in Oxnard and Irvine, and then a final trip to Thousand Oaks to set up headquarters.
As seemed to be the case in every installment, Coach Jeff Fisher came out making the best impression for his attempts to inject compassion into an otherwise brutal way to make a living. For the finale, it started with Fisher’s heart-to-heart talk with defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, who some may not have cared whether or not he made the team by the way he pouted on the practice field during Episode 4, but then explained his conflicted emotions. Joyner’s desire to quit sparked Fisher to recall a story about the late quarterback Steve McNair, and it seemed to connect with Joyner.
The same viewer connection came with receiver Paul McRoberts, whose reaction to the death of his step-brother was covered in Episode 3, and his making the practice roster and earning a $7,000-a-week paycheck was a relief. McRoberts was all but resigned to the fact he would be cut after fumbling a punt in the final exhibition game against Minnesota, but then followed it up with a nice TD reception, which may have been the separation point between him and Hill.
The decision to let tank-top diva Kush go as he tried to stick as a center or guard on the offensive line took the most storytelling of the second half of Episode 5. Kush not only met with Fisher but also General Manager Les Snead, who made his first appearance of the series. At least there was some consolation that Kush almost immediately was signed by the Chicago Bears – his sixth team in two years.
The departures of Hill, who did a lot of camera milking, and Seau, who didn’t even seem to show much emotion at all throughout the series, bordered on the cliché.
But as for quarterback Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in April who slipped to No. 3 on the depth chart by the time the final exhibition game ended, the “Hard Knocks” experience probably didn’t win him over a lot of support from start to finish.
A scene of him reclining in a nice home with his Cal jersey framed on the wall might not have best framed his situation. The kid who will turn 22 years old during Week 7 didn’t appear to show a lot of urgency in getting into the starting lineup. He may not be as easy to root for as starter Case Keenum, who came off much better in front of the cameras, with his wife Kimberly.
Then again, the Rams “aren’t expecting miracles in the city of angels,” according to the final line of narration by Liev Schreiber. “But they know that in Hollywood, happy endings happen all the time.”
Whatever that’s supposed to mean.
znModeratorI think it’s waaaaaay to early to step off the ledge.
Heck they ain’t even really on a ledge. They mistook the 2 front steps leading to the lawn and mailbox for a ledge.
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off the net from Rampage2K-
NFL Insiders today on Goff
Wow, I was shocked … An actual level headed logical conversation about Goff being inactive for week one…. All of them were on point about why and what the Rams plan is.
Unlike the sensationalism from some of their other daily shows who have no clue what’s going on with the Rams and just throw out words like “bust” when talking about Goff.
Basically just said that the Rams like what they have in Case Keenum in the short term and that there is no sense of urgency to get Goff on the field so they will wait until he is ready.
Caplan said he talked to the Rams and they’re “going to bring him along slowly” Snead told him it’s going to be an organic situation “we’re not going to froce him”
Caplan pointed out that Wentz is coming from a pro system and Goff is coming from a spread system and it is going to take time.
Ed Werder talked about Mannion was a third round pick and “they like him a lot ”
Ed also pointed out that people forget the Rams did not earn that number one pick and they moved up 15 spots to get him, they have a good football team… There is no rush to get him out there.
..
znModeratorSo WHO is the back-up center?
Rhaney.
znModeratorWhy sitting Jared Goff is smart for a Rams coach, GM seeking new deals
Also, why the 49ers got it right on Kap and why the Eagles aren’t done dealingJason La Canfora
There are a few different ways to look at the fact that No. 1 pick Jared Goff will spend his first NFL game as an inactive observer. It’s less than ideal and not what was expected, but on a certain level I applaud the decision.
The kid is not ready and the Rams did not try to pretend he was. It would’ve been easy to let him go out there and start taking his beatings and learning his lessons as the NFL makes its big return to Los Angeles. The Rams could have pushed him as the face of the franchise and mounted a full-blown marketing campaign. But he isn’t ready and might not be for a bit and going ahead and letting him sit behind two veterans, at least for a week, is prudent as far as I’m concerned. It might not be the sexiest business decision, but we’re playing football here.
Now, on the flip side, you can’t convince me anyone with that franchise is real happy about this (save for Case Keenum, perhaps).
This isn’t what anyone had in mind when the Rams made the bold move to package a ransom of picks and move up to the first overall pick for the California quarterback who had already played big-time college football in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. And it’s not exactly like he entered a quarterback room with Joe Montana and Steve Young blocking his path to the starting role.Jared Goff shouldn’t get too comfortable on the bench. USATSI
This was the least effective quarterback group in the NFL in 2015, and this is Keenum and Sean Mannion we’re talking about here in LA. The thought of having them be in uniform and Goff wearing shorts for the big season opener on Monday Night Football is not what anyone had in mind.
None of it will matter and all of it will be forgotten if Goff develops as hoped. But in the short-term, the optics are less than ideal. One assumes that by the time the Rams make their home debut, Goff is at least holding the clipboard in uniform. While Keenum is a gamer and I love the spirit he brings to the huddle and his ability to wrench every iota of ability from his body, I suspect Goff is playing NFL football by midseason.
The decision to make Goff inactive has engendered some talk among their peers and rivals around the league, of course, as you might anticipate. Some are of the mindset that, had coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead secured their much talked-about extensions already, it would make it a little easier to go ahead and play the kid passer, however green he may be, and begin the process of bringing him along as their futures will clearly be tied to his.
Instead, as Fisher and Snead enter this week still in line for new deals but with nothing announced, well, probably best to go ahead and play your best game-ready QB and try to beat a moribund 49ers team and win some early games and make it a little easier for owner Stan Kroenke to go ahead and stroke those checks.
Human nature and all, even subconsciously.
Regardless, I like the fact that, with Goff not winning the job, clearly, they aren’t just giving it to him so easily. At least not just yet. They absolutely, positively need to get this right with the first-overall pick, or any extensions might not mean much by the time Kroenke opens his new stadium in Inglewood in 2019.More news and notes from around the NFL:
Philadelphia Eagles
I told you guys a few weeks back, when I was at Eagles camp, that GM Howie Roseman wasn’t close to being done dealing and that I expected three more trades from this club before the dust settled Week 1. And while no one could have foreseen the Sam Bradford trade — Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t injured yet at the time — the front office continues to clear out players with strong Chip Kelly ties. Few teams, if any, have worked the phones as hard as Philadelphia this summer.
They still aren’t done. Within a short period of finalizing the deal that sent Eric Rowe to New England, the Eagles were trying to move offensive lineman Josh Kline, who, was originally in the package for Rowe. But the Eagles were unable to deal Kline, who ended up returning to New England. Then the Patriots released Kline this morning.
The Eagles had continued to shop offensive lineman Josh Andrews and also told teams they would move interior lineman Stefan Wisniewski as well under the right circumstances. Roster shuffling is ongoing and with the trade deadline still months away, I wouldn’t rule out another significant swap or two — especially since this Eagles team is not going to be very good. Chip Kelly’s draft picks/signings/busts are dwindling, but the ones left shouldn’t get too comfortable.
I like the aggressive approach and the willingness to push the trade market in a league where many are afraid. The Eagles have spent a ridiculous amount of money, so they must now show restraint in free agency. They also parted with a ton of picks to move up and take Carson Wentz second overall, so they are looking for young and cheap future picks to help offset those losses.
They might not be good, but they sure won’t be boring. I still wish they were sitting Wentz at least through their bye in Week 4, but it’s clear this team is playing for the future and aiming for a big run a few years from now. The Eagles figure they might as well start Wentz’s clock now and get his roughest play out of the way now to position him to try to take off in Year 2.San Francisco 49ers
It’s been easy to rip the 49ers in recent years, and I’ve certainly partaken in that exercise (as they have courted such commentary), but they deserve high marks for how they have handled this Colin Kaepernick situation. He has Constitutional Rights and protected speech and protest rights and even going down the road of trying to terminate him for not standing for the national anthem would have been yet another legal battle this league does not need.
The fact is, as much as Chip Kelly has been trying to make this Blaine Gabbert reclamation attempt a pet project all offseason, Kaepernick is the best (only?) quarterback on that roster and he was coming off a series of surgeries and procedures that robbed him of his spring and stunted his summer. Casting him aside for nothing and eating a bunch of salary now — after the team stubbornly refused to eat a small portion to facilitate a trade to Denver months ago — would have been shortsighted.
Let this thing play out, let the situation breathe — and maybe finally some of the bad blood between the quarterback and the franchise is finally dissipating. I have a feeling they’ll need him again on the field soon enough.September 7, 2016 at 11:50 am in reply to: informal poll: Goff not starting, being #3 – disaster? not concerned? #52395znModeratorSo Snisher drafted first overall a QB who never took a snap under center.
And he’s not the first in the NFL either.
Big boys don’t use the misery loves company defense.
I know. I was using the “actually if you look at the league there are good starters who began in the spread offense” defense.
Including, I might add, Keenum. Who is a good stopgap/placeholder and the best #2 the Rams have had in years and years.
There’s also Flacco, Newton, Mariota, Smith, Brees, Tannenhill, Rivers, and Roethlisberger.
The spread offense is all over college football so yes teams have to adapt college spread qbs to play in pro style.
It takes time. Some teams do it through reps, and just put the guy out there and let him learn the hard way. Usually that’s teams that were picking high in the draft because they were losing, so they can handle losing again to develop the qb.
In the Rams case, it is VERY rare in all NFL history for a team picking below the top 10 to trade up to the top and take a qb. Teams in that position are not as bad off as teams that won 2, 3, 4 games the year before. A team like the Rams can play to win now, and let the qb develop over time.
//
znModeratorHard Knocks 5 : The Final Edition
off the net from Riverumbbq
Joyner had a well publicized bad week. Whining after his Game 3 eviction because of a fighting penalty, and not being allowed to practice, then whining over who know’s what and got dressed to leave camp. Fisher talked him down and seems to have gotten him back on track.
Westbrooks & Chubb getting called out by coaches.
McRoberts tells team-mates he knows he’s cut immediately after flubbing punt return for fumble. Later his TD reception from Mannion highlites the ups and downs these guys face every minute of trying to make the team.
Kush really shows good leadership on the field and in the locker room, his block frees up a long rush TD. Would have liked to have kept this guy on board.
Rams packing up and moving to Thousand Oaks on the same day final cuts have to be made.
Rock, the grim reaper, back at it for the final :redcard: cuts. Looked as though he was messing with some guys as he approached some players who were safe, they wondered if they were next.
Ends with a production mistake in Fisher’s office, and one of the off camera guys says that’s some 7 – 9 shi*. Fish says yeah, that’s fu*kin 7 -9 shi*. :LOL:
znModeratoroff the net from -X-
Steve Wyche was on the radio (and he spoke to Fisher) saying that the 2-3 spot behind Keenum could change as early as next week. It’s all up to Goff now to get the terminology down and establish a higher level of comfort with what he’s doing. Exactly what the coaches have been saying since day one, so this isn’t much of a surprise
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Fisher: Goff is probably going to be inactive Week 1
Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher talks about QB Jared Goff’s status for Week 1 to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.
znModeratorRams to ease Jared Goff in, make him inactive for opener
Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writerhttp://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17480315/jared-goff-inactive-los-angeles-rams-week-1
Jared Goff was handpicked to someday become the face of the Los Angeles Rams, but he won’t even be in uniform when the season begins.
Goff, who finished his first preseason as the Rams’ third-string quarterback, will be inactive during their Monday Night Football opener against the division rival San Francisco 49ers, coach Jeff Fisher said during a charity luncheon in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Fisher told NFL Network that punter Johnny Hekker will be the team’s emergency backup, with teams rarely keeping three quarterbacks active due to the increased need for special-teams players. Case Keenum has maintained his standing as the Rams’ starter throughout the preseason, and Fisher said after Thursday’s finale in Minnesota that Sean Mannion, a third-round draft pick in 2015, is currently his backup.
Goff finished the preseason completing only 22 of 49 passes for 232 yards, with 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles and 4 sacks.
“Jared’s had a great camp. So has Sean,” Fisher told NFL Network. “Case is clearly our starter.”
Goff’s situation stands in contrast to the player taken one spot after him, Carson Wentz, whose potential convinced the Philadelphia Eagles to trade their former starter — former Rams No. 1 pick Sam Bradford — to the Minnesota Vikings.
Wentz will start his first game this weekend, while Goff will watch his in street clothes.
“I just want him to feel and sense and absorb the pressures of Week 1,” Fisher told NFL Network, regarding Goff. “He’s going to be a great player. As we’ve said from day one, we’re not rushing him. We don’t have to rush it. I’m really happy with where he is right now. It’s unfair to compare him to anybody else. I know Philly has got their situation; it’s a little different. … Jared is in a good place right now. He’s done some really good things, so I’m really pleased with his progress.”
Fisher indicated that Goff and Mannion would take turns with scout team reps during practice this week and could potentially switch roles for the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, which would make Goff active and Mannion inactive.
Jared Goff
Quarterback Jared Goff won’t be on the field for the regular-season opener as the Rams plan to make him inactive.Back in mid-April, the Rams sent a passel of picks to the Tennessee Titans for the right to select No. 1 in the 2016 draft and potentially land a quarterback to build around.
In order to attain the top selection — along with a fourth- and sixth-round pick in the same draft — the Rams sent the Titans their No. 15 pick, plus two second-round selections and a third-round pick in 2016 — and also first- and third-round picks in 2017.
After much debate between Goff (out of Cal) and Wentz (North Dakota State), the Rams chose Goff, who was believed to be more polished. Wentz played in only one preseason game before suffering a hairline rib fracture on a violent hit. Goff, meanwhile, struggled to make quick decisions and hold on to the football, never once actually challenging Keenum for the starting job.
“We’re in a good place,” Fisher stressed. “Regardless of what everybody else is saying out there, [Goff is] our quarterback; he’s going to be our franchise player. It’s just not right now.”
znModeratorCase Keenum will be the Rams starting QB; Jared Goff is inactive for week 1
By Rich Hammond,
The coaches have decided and the players have voted. The Rams have a quarterback plan for the first week. It’s not one that most thought probable a few months ago, but it’s a plan nonetheless.
Case Keenum will start, as had been all but assured throughout training camp, and on Tuesday, Coach Jeff Fisher announced that teammates voted Keenum as one of their five team captains. And not only will rookie Jared Goff not start, he likely won’t even be in uniform for Monday’s opener at San Francisco.
Fisher strongly hinted last week that Sean Mannion, not Goff, would be his season-opening backup quarterback. Given that NFL teams can only activate 46 players for a game, dressing three quarterbacks makes little sense for most teams.
Fisher confirmed to NFL Network on Tuesday that Goff would not be a part of the plan for the San Francisco game, but left open the possibility that he could flip the quarterbacks for the second game, against Seattle, and have Goff as the backup and Mannion inactive.
“I just want (Goff) to feel and sense and absorb the pressures of week 1,” Fisher told the network. “He’s going to be a great player. As we’ve said from day one, we’re not rushing him. We don’t have to rush it. I’m really happy with where he is right now.
Goff, a Bay Area native and the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, took second-team reps throughout most of training camp but did get some time with the first-team offense. The results were mixed at best.
It’s believed that Carson Palmer was the last No. 1 overall pick not to suit up for his first possible NFL games. Palmer didn’t play at all in 2003, his rookie season with Cincinnati, but took over the following season and now is preparing to start his 14th NFL season.
Until 2011, NFL teams had 45-player game-day rosters but also were able to activate a third quarterback who didn’t count against that limit. Now, the roster is set at 46, and the third quarterback is not exempt.
September 6, 2016 at 11:34 pm in reply to: informal poll: Goff not starting, being #3 – disaster? not concerned? #52380znModeratorSo Snisher drafted first overall a QB who never took a snap under center.
And he’s not the first in the NFL either.
znModeratorJeff Fisher: Goff probably inactive this week, we’ll flip it next week
Josh Alper
Jeff Fisher: Goff probably inactive this week, we’ll flip it next week
Before the Eagles traded Sam Bradford to the Vikings, they said their plan for the immediate future was for second overall pick Carson Wentz to be inactive for games as the No. 3 quarterback.
That plan changed with Bradford’s trade and Wentz will now be the team’s starter. The plan in Los Angeles isn’t changing, however. Coach Jeff Fisher said last week that first overall pick Jared Goff will likely be the No. 3 quarterback and said Tuesday that nothing has changed on that front.
That means Goff is slated to be in street clothes Sunday with Sean Mannion backing up Case Keenum, although the coach added that things will flip for Week Two.
“Jared’s had a great camp, so has Sean. Case is clearly our starter. I think Week 1 just to settle things down … it’s probably going to be, like I mentioned last week, it’s probably going to be three and inactive,” Fisher said to Steve Wyche of NFL Media. “That’s just how it goes. And then next week we’ll flip them. I just want him to feel and sense and absorb the pressures of Week 1. He’s going to be a great player. As we’ve said from Day One, we’re not rushing him. We don’t have to rush it. I’m really happy with where he is right now. It’s unfair to compare him to anybody else. I know Philly has got their situation, it’s a little different and trading Sam so Carson is going to start, but you know Jared is in a good place right now. He’s done some really good things, so I’m really pleased with his progress.”
Fisher also reiterated that the team believes Goff is a franchise quarterback “regardless of what everybody else is saying out there.” Those voices are unlikely to quiet down until Goff is at least a starting quarterback.
znModeratorAny tips? The best thing I’ve found there is to load up the kindling and use a gas torch to get the flames burning as quickly as possible.
One of my stoves is easy to light. Zoom–it just lights. The other is trickier. If I am not careful it will back smoke into the room. On that one, if I can, I burn candles in the stove for a while before trying to light er up. I always start slow with that one…doing bits of kindling first and then building up from there.
I have maple, ash, walnut, and oak.
I love oak. It burns slow and hot and burns down to nothing.
Cats, I find, burn too fast and don’t give off much heat. I prefer otters.
znModeratorI heated a house I used to own exclusively with wood (except when I was out of wood…my back-up heat was electric). I went through 2 cords a month.
Wood stove or fireplace?
As you know there’s a huge difference in efficiency.
znModeratorImagine an alternative universe where Stan Kroenke worked with St. Louis civic leaders to keep the Rams in St. Louis. Do you think the Rams would have moved to Los Angeles?
I know…speaking as a nomad, that’s my view too. Nothing obligates owners to act like “growing the brand” is more important than community ties.
znModeratorYou chop your wood better than I do. I rented a splitter with my neighbor, (we split a splitter) and my many of my pieces are too big, I fear.
Oh, well. I will have time to hand split them later. I have nearly four cords of wood right now, about 1/3 of which is ready to burn, and last winter I burned about 1/2 cord.
I’ll burn most of 2 cords. That’s partly, of course, Maine v. California.
But it’s also a luxury I like. We have 2 wood stoves. We don’t need 2 wood stoves (the furnace is fine obviously)…I just really genuinely prefer wood stove heat. To me it’s the very definition of cozy.
znModeratoroff the net from alyoshamucci
Isaiah Johnson that’s our Randolph replacement.
Instinctive violent athlete with hands. Overlooked like GTECH always is.
More our type of player.
Bryce? I liked Williams all year.
Countess is another athletic DB.
September 5, 2016 at 9:42 pm in reply to: informal poll: Rams record…predicti-guesses (barring injuries) #52316znModeratorAgainst all odds, Los Angeles Rams could get back to .500 this season
Alden Gonzalez
As if making the transition back to Los Angeles weren’t enough, the Rams face an exhausting regular-season travel schedule, with one trip to London and five others to the eastern half of the United States. And on top of all that, their opponents may be the toughest, because four of their games will come against two teams — the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals — that may just be the best in the NFL. Talk about a hectic calendar year. Still, I have them finding a way to get back to .500 after nine straight losing seasons. Former Rams beat writer Nick Wagoner, who now covers the San Francisco 49ers, also predicted 8-8 back in mid-April. But we took different paths, especially at the end.
Week 1: Monday, Sept. 12 at San Francisco 49ers, 10:20 p.m. ET
It would be really cool if the Rams and 49ers could somehow reignite their intense rivalry from the 1970s. But for now, the 49ers are the team the Rams must beat up on in their division. The Rams lost to the Niners in last year’s regular-season finale, but they’ll be a lot healthier now and should take this one, opening their season on the right foot in front of a national TV audience. Record: 1-0
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET
So this will be fun. It’ll be the Rams’ first regular-season game in 37 years at Los Angeles Coliseum, which promises to be stuffed with 90,000 fans. And returning there will be Pete Carroll, the longtime USC coach who now guides the heated division rivals. The Rams will be riding an emotional wave, but the Seahawks are due for a win. They dropped both games against the Rams last year and are too good not to figure something out. Record: 1-1
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 25 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. ET
The Rams have won this matchup four straight times, but the Bucs should be getting better. Facing them on the road, with Jameis Winston throwing against a secondary that will probably still be learning how to play together, will be a tough test. Los Angeles falls here, too. Record: 1-2
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 2 at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET
The Cardinals set franchise records in wins (13) and points (489) last season and many believe they are even better this year. When they last met in Arizona, the Rams unveiled Todd Gurley, who rushed for 146 yards in his first game with significant carries to help his team sneak out with a win. Arizona will be better prepared this time. Record: 1-3
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 9 vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:25 p.m. ET
This is a good time for the Rams’ first regular-season home victory. The Bills are a flawed team on both sides of the ball that struggled to put pressure on the quarterback last season. The Rams will be fueled by a desperate home crowd and should cruise in this one. Record: 2-3
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 16 at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET
The Lions figure to throw the ball a lot, even without Calvin Johnson, but the Rams’ star-studded defensive line should consistently get pressure on Matthew Stafford. And the offense should be able to score on a Lions defense that generally lacks playmakers. This is another win. See, it’s getting better. Record: 3-3
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 23 vs. New York Giants (London), 9:30 a.m. ET
There’s some bad precedent here. The Rams gave up a whopping 45 points to the Patriots the last time they played in London. Yeah, that was 2012. But Odell Beckham Jr. had 148 receiving yards against the Rams as recently as 2014. And winning back-to-back games with this schedule — fly cross-country to Detroit, then head directly for Europe — is not easy. Record: 3-4
Week 8: Bye
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 6 vs. Carolina Panthers, 4:05 p.m. ET
Call me crazy, but I have this as the surprise, uplifting victory of the Rams’ season — at home, coming off a bye, against the reigning NFC champions. The Panthers won 15 games last season, promise to be great again and are led by a top-five (top-three? top-two?) quarterback in Cam Newton. So I don’t really have a logical explanation for why the Rams will win this game; I just think they will. Record: 4-4
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 13 at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Another tough game on the road after a long flight. The Jets have a solid defensive line that could make it difficult for the Rams to run the ball effectively. And they’ll be dangerous throwing it with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker lined up on opposite ends. This one may not go well. Record: 4-5
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 20 vs. Miami Dolphins, 4:05 p.m. ET
The Dolphins enter the 2016 season with an assortment of questions, mainly at quarterback and on defense. And the Rams will be back home. They’ll take this one to move back to .500 for the fourth time. Record: 5-5
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 27 at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET
The Saints have a potent passing game but a horrid pass defense, one that allowed a league-high 476 points while intercepting only nine passes (26th) and recording only 31 sacks (25th). I would take Drew Brees in a shootout over practically anyone, but the Rams’ defense is much better than this. This is the day they move back above .500. Record: 6-5
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 4 at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET
… And then, just like that, it’s over. Let’s see — on the road, against a Patriots team that may be one of the best in the Bill Belichick era, with Tom Brady far removed from his suspension and probably terrorizing the league again. Yeah, this is probably not the game for the Rams. Record: 6-6
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 11 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 4:25 p.m. ET
The Falcons are a combined 5-9 since the start of December over the past three years. The Rams will be back home against a team that is expected to be right about mediocre in 2016. If they can keep standout wide receiver Julio Jones from going off, they should be just fine. Record: 7-6
Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 15 at Seattle Seahawks, 8:25 p.m. ET
The Seahawks went a relatively pedestrian 5-3 at home last season. But over the previous three years, they won 22 of 24 regular-season games at CenturyLink Field. They’ll probably have a lot to play for at this time of year, making it really difficult for the Rams to leave Seattle with a win. Record: 7-7
Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 24 vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET
I marked the Nov. 6 game against the Panthers as the Rams’ uplifting victory of the season — and I have this one as their big letdown, on Christmas Eve. Bah humbug. The Niners will be a lot more comfortable with Chip Kelly’s offense by then and will pull an upset here. Record: 7-8
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 1, vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET
But the Rams will still have something to play for. Motivated to reach eight wins for the first time since 2006, and the first time in Jeff Fisher’s five years as head coach, the Rams ride the home crowd to a win over the dominant Cardinals, who may be looking ahead to the postseason by this point. Whether a .500 record is good enough to get the Rams there too remains to be seen. Record: 8-8
znModeratorSt. Louis fans mourning the loss of the Rams
By Vincent Bonsignore, Los Angeles Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160904/st-louis-fans-mourning-the-loss-of-the-rams
ST. LOUIS >> For 21 years Lois Linton had a tradition while attending St. Louis Rams games — of which she did at a remarkable rate through the two decades they called this blue-collar Midwest city home.
Win or lose, through the glorious years and the historically bad, she arrived early at the Edward Jones Dome armed with the signs of support she hand crafted, yelled and cheered till her voice nearly gave out, and then stayed until the very last Rams player left the field.
“Right through the postgame prayer at the middle of the field, and not a moment before,” said Linton, who, along with her late husband were ardent Rams fans from the day they arrived in St. Louis from Los Angeles in 1994.
No matter the final score, whether the Rams were victorious or not, the passionate, colorful fan that came to be known as Sign Lady around these parts left the dome with a sense of hope.
There was a winning streak to build on the next week or a chance to get back on the right track following a tough lose. The playoffs awaited, or an offseason offering a chance to improve and get stronger so that next season would be better than the last.
“The Rams were such a big part of my life, after all,” she said.
But search as she might to tap into that faith last Dec. 17 after the Rams closed out their final home game of 2015, she kept coming up empty.
“In the pit of my stomach, I knew it was over,” Linton said, he voice cracking.
There was no next game to turn to or even a next season. And as Linton watched her Rams leave the field after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers it might as well have been a plane to Los Angeles that was waiting for them outside their locker room.
The 21-year love affair between the Rams and St. Louis was over. And Linton didn’t need a big fancy meeting in Houston or a 30-2 vote by NFL owners or Commissioner Roger Goodell to officially declare it.
“That’s when the tears came,” said Linton.
Behind her, more than 10,000 Rams fans filled the Edward Jones Dome to gather and cheer and cry and hug and share their Rams memories one last time.
With a tip of the cap to St. Louis legend and former Rams great Isaac Bruce, who pulled together a Legends of the Dome event last July in which Rams greats like Kurt Warner and Dick Vermiel and Marc Bulger and Mike Martz and Torry Holt and Ricky Proehl and Az Hakim and Mike Jones and so many others played a charity flag football game in downtown St. Louis.
“He’s a good man for doing this,” said longtime Rams fan Rob Brockelmeyer.
The event was to raise money for Bruce’s foundation, but it went even deeper than that for a bunch of fans that came decked out in Warner and Marshall Faulk and Holt jerseys.
“This is closure for many of us,” and Brockelmeyer.
He was talking about the St. Louisans with blue and gold blood running though their veins upon falling in love with the Rams and climbing all the way up to the sky with them, only to plunge fast and furiously downward during a 21-year rollercoaster ride that delivered the only Super Bowl championship in franchise history, followed by a historically bad decade-long run in which the Rams went 15-65, and then came to an abrupt end when the Rams were approved to move back to Los Angeles last January.
“It was an unbelievable run — wasn’t always great mind you, but we always had their back,” said longtime fan Charlie Franke.
And as they are left picking up the pieces, they wonder how they’ll spend their Sunday afternoons without the Rams or whether they’ll still care at all when they line up to play as the L.A. Rams.
For every fan who kicked them to the curb upon getting approved for relocation — and social media confirms there are many — another vows to stick with them in spite of the 2,000 miles standing between them.
“Just look around,” Brockelmeyer said. “There’s a lot of fans who will stick it out here today, still wanting to support them. I’m one of them.”
It’s as awkward as it is painful.
For St. Louis, the vote by NFL owners in Houston that sent the Rams back to Los Angeles ended an ugly and contentious year-long relocation process that left St. Louis feeling betrayed and lied to by the NFL.
They point to the league’s relocation guidelines, which St. Louis was led to believe would be ardently followed only — in their eyes — to get tossed aside as if it was a meaningless piece of paper in order to accommodate a billionaires wishes to move to greener pastures.
A quest many in St. Louis now believe Rams owner Stan Kroenke began plotting the moment St. Louis rejected an arbitrators ruling to pay $700 million in renovations to the Edward Jones Dome and triggered a clause in the original lease the Rams signed upon moving to St. Louis that enabled them to go year-to-year with the EJD and look elsewhere for a new home.
In retrospect, that decision left them helpless to stand in the way of a billionaires wishes.
“With an owner intent on only one thing, the right to go year to year on the lease, and a tightly written lease that provided no room for negotiation without a willing owner, there is little that we could have done differently,” said Kitty Ratcliffe, the head of the Saint Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, which operated the EJD.
There is almost as much anger for the NFL as there is Kroenke for how the league and the six-member L.A. owners committee kept urging them on to follow through on plans to help finance a new stadium for the Rams.
And in doing so, created a false sense of hope things would work out.
Only to be told by the NFL in the closing moments that the $1 billion riverfront stadium proposal St. Louis leaders worked nearly a year to deliver fell short of the league’s goal line.
“St. Louis did everything the NFL asked it to do. We spent $17 million doing it,” said Jeff Rainford, a longtime St. Louis political figure and former Chief of Staff to Mayor Francis Slay. “The NFL owners committee with oversight on this matter voted for us to keep our team. Then, 15 minutes after the vote, it was like it never happened.”
But even worse, St. Louis was left wounded when its good name was dragged through the mud in order to justify the Rams move west in a scathing relocation application that painted St. Louis as unable to properly support an NFL team while also backing the baseball Cardinals and hockey Blues.
“That’s the part I’ll never quite understand or accept,” said Brockelmeyer. “It was ridiculous and ludicrous and disrespectful.”
Added Franke: “They didn’t need to kick us on their way out of town like that. That wasn’t right.”
In the Rams 29-page relocation application to fellow owners, Kroenke pointed to a loss of population and a lack of local economic infrastructure as reasons St. Louis can’t adequately support three professional teams and that, despite plunging money into the team, attendance at Rams games had fallen below league average levels.
It was an unfortunate aspect of a process that pitted the Rams against the Oakland Raiders’ and San Diego Chargers’ competing stadium bid in nearby Carson, and with all three teams vying for the lone spot available in Los Angeles, things were said to state their cases.
But for St. Louisans, it was a kick in the stomach from a fellow Missourian who felt compelled to right a wrong and help the league solve the complex Los Angeles issue.
And that was tough to swallow, according to Rainford.
“We St. Louisans can from time to time be hard on ourselves. We know we are not perfect. But, a lot of people are especially angry at the way Stan blasted St. Louis on his way out the door,” said Rainford, who also had some choice words for the NFL.
“How Roger Goodell was so elated at the news conference to announce that we were losing our team,” Rainford said. “It hasn’t helped that no one from the NFL has apologized, or had the courage to come to St. Louis to explain the process, or at least had the courtesy to use the old break up line, “it wasn’t you, it was me.”
In St. Louis, the consensus is the NFL essentially co-piloted Kroenke’s plane back to L.A., knowing his deep pockets and ambitious $2.7 billion stadium and entertainment hub he was proposing in Inglewood were the perfect combination to fill the league’s 21-year-old hole in the second-biggest market in the country.
“In no way was (the process) fair. The ground was laid for the move when Kroenke gained controlling ownership of the team in October 2010, and the plan was put in motion one month after the CVC officially informed the Rams in July, 2013, that they would not pay the $750 million necessary to renovate the Dome,” said longtime St. Louis sportswriter and radio personality Howard Balzer.
NFL sources argued throughout the process and in the months since that the St. Louis task force tasked with putting together a stadium deal was kept in the loop on where the NFL stood with their efforts.
In the league’s eyes, St. Louis fell short by altering the proposal more than once and that, in spite of explicit guidance to get the deal back to the original form to give themselves a legitimate chance to keep the team, St. Louis remained on a path that left the NFL little choice but to side with Kroenke.
“It was a recipe for failure,” a high-ranking NFL source said.
Through a spokesman, St. Louis Stadium Task Force head Dave Peacock declined comment for this story, but the NFL’s account of what unfolded has been verified by multiple sources.
And in fact, NFL vice president Eric Grubman, who was in charge of the league’s Los Angeles relocation process, went on St. Louis radio shortly before the January owners vote and warned St. Louis it was marching down an ill-advised stadium path.
Multiple league officials contacted for this story suggest some in St. Louis didn’t heed the warnings or simply heard what they wanted to hear — some of which might have been forwarded to aid the Raiders and Chargers competing Los Angeles stadium bid in nearby Carson — rather than the harsher feedback about their stadium effort.
“The flaw may have been listening to the wrong (people),” an NFL source said.
That doesn’t help the anger and disappointment for a bunch of fans who supported the Rams through the good years and the bad. Most of whom felt stuck in the middle of the NFL’s quest to get back to Los Angeles and the billionaire owners financial might to make it happen.
“It’s more frustration than anything else,” said Rams fan Leonard Meyer. “From the beginning, everything that was said, you knew they were going to move. They never gave us a chance. And really, there wasn’t anything we could do to stop it.”
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