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    McDonald’s Pro Football Focus rating through Week 8, the Kansas City game, was -11.3, which ranked him 82nd out of 83 safeties in the NFL

    Since Week 9, when the Rams beat the 49ers 13-10, McDonald’s PFF rating is +15.0, by far the best among NFL safeties. He ranks at or near the top of nearly every category, including run defense, pass defense and quarterback rating given up, which is down to a stingy 70.1 over that six-game span.

    That;s really pretty interesting.

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    This is my earlier answer, the one I put up in the Thread I Stole The Question From. I re-post the original, to counter bnw’s good-natured and desperately cruel implication that I would pilfer others’s lists.

    Re: What Rams players can become Elite players at their positions
    Posted: 01 Jun 2015 00:48 am
    zackn2012

    Quinn, Donald, Robinson, Saffold, Gurley, Hekker…

    and a surprise entry: McDonald.

    Ir doesn’t bother me that Robinson and Gurley haven’t done anything yet…I like their chances, is all.

    .

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    wow, good job

    in reply to: Wagoner(s) on the defense #25664
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    Where Rams’ D-line ranks among top position groups

    By Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/18846/morning-ram-blings-where-rams-d-line-ranks-among-top-position-groups

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — When the St. Louis Rams signed defensive tackle Nick Fairley to a one-year deal back in March, it gave them five former first-round picks on their defensive line.

    Over at NFL.com, analyst Bucky Brooks recently tried to put that group in perspective relative to the top position groups around the NFL. Brooks ranked the top 10 position groups in the league, with the Rams’ defensive line checking in at No. 3.

    Brooks believes the presence of a line that includes Fairley, Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers should provide the foundation for a defense that could become one of the best in the league.

    “The Rams have the ability to attack the line of scrimmage with a number of big-bodied athletes with exceptional size, strength, power and explosiveness. With coordinator Gregg Williams adept at using blitzes to create one-on-one opportunities for his disruptive defenders at the point of attack, the Rams should pummel opponents at the line of scrimmage on their way to becoming one of the NFL’s premier defenses.”

    The only two groups ranking ahead of the Rams are the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line and the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line.

    in reply to: Rams' Hayes and Long go 'undercover' for ESPN #25660
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    Rams defensive ends William Hayes and Chris Long on Sunday were featured in an ESPN story as they went undercover to experience life among the homeless, bringing awareness to an issue that impacts over 570,000 people in the United States. Hayes joined The Hollywood Casino Press Box on Monday to talk about his experience. We’ve typed out the notable excerpts below the full interview, which you can listen to here:

    William Hayes Talks Homeless Experience

    http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/STLSports/STLRams/tabid/137/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/17819/Rams-William-Hayes-Talks-Undercover-Homeless-Experience-on-The-Press-Box.aspx

    What made you passionate about the cause of homeless awareness?

    “I’m really passionate about kids. I’ve been in situations where I’ve seen a lot of children who were homeless. I always told myself If I was able to get to a platform where people can see me as a role model…I was going to try to do something positive within the community. And I felt this was a great avenue to go.”

    How long did you and Long go undercover and what was the most attention-grabbing thing you experienced?

    “We did it for a day and a half. I had two different scenarios. We were walking up the street and about to go to a homeless shelter and we started getting harrassed by a cop. That’s when I realized I was in a different type of light. Where I’m not getting seen as a football player. Generally a cop is really nice towards me and stuff. I feel like they would’ve seen me as William Hayes and Chris as Chris Long, we would’ve never been put in that situation. That was the first thing that really stuck out.”

    “The second thing…just going to the homeless shelter and seeing all these kids…and knowing at the end of the day these kids have nowhere to go. You just listen to conversations…real conversations…People (talking about what they’re going to do for the night). It’s just real. There was a kid and his mom and her mom is probably sleeping in a building one night. I got three kids…I can’t even imagine my kids not having somewhere to sleep at night.”

    You learned some homeless can be quite territorial, correct?

    “Oh yeah. We were at White Castle, asking a guy where some good places to go to…(We told him we were going to the bridge). And when we said that, we saw him start texting somebody. Me and Chris and our security guy are trying to warm up and stuff…and about 10 minutes later I see him looking at us, then talk to a group of guys, then we felt (stuff was getting kind of shady). I think that’s when our covers got blown. We didn’t feel comfortable any more.”

    Have you gotten any reaction from your teammates yet?

    “I’m actually going (back to St. Louis) today. We have our (reporting day for OTAs) tomorrow. But I got a lot of texts. People telling me it was a powerful piece. I felt like it turned out really good.”

    ============================

    =-============================

    Some thoughts on William Hayes and Chris Long’s homeless experience

    By Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/18858/some-thoughts-on-william-hayes-and-chris-longs-homeless-experience

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — For those that might have missed on it Sunday, this week’s SportsCenter Featured special centered on St. Louis Rams defensive ends William Hayes and Chris Long’s 24-hour homeless experience.

    Before reading much further, it’s worth watching the video and reading ESPN Senior Writer Liz Merrill’s piece. To go with that, it’s also worth seeing a little further on the team’s official website where they’ve posted a video and more explanation of the genesis of Hayes and Long’s night on the streets.

    Long and Hayes have both taken opportunities to explain why they wanted to do the project and the clear focus was on raising awareness about a cause they both value. The piece spurred plenty of thoughts and emotions on social media. I had no shortage of my own.

    Here’s a few takeaways from watching:

    Believe it or not (OK, it’s easy to believe), there were those on social media who found ways to complain about what Long and Hayes did. The argument, such as it was, was that spending one night on the street is nothing compared to what our country’s homeless go through every day and night of their lives. That’s undoubtedly true. It also misses the point. Long and Hayes never once have said that one night on the streets is enough to really grasp what the homeless endure. Others also argued that if it was a selfless endeavor then why would they have done it for television? Again, that’s a nonsensical argument. Hayes initially didn’t want to do the television segment but realized that it was a chance to call attention to a cause that’s close to him. And that really gets to the heart of why Long and Hayes did what they did. Hayes has been active with the St. Patrick’s Center here in St. Louis for the past year and routinely goes there to spend time with the people who have made their way off the streets. As Merrill’s story mentions, Hayes has taken teenagers from the St. Patrick’s Center to the movies on multiple occasions, among other regular visits.”We don’t understand,” Long told Merrill. “We weren’t hoping to understand. We were just hoping to gain a little perspective and put kind of a feeling with the cause that we had been [donating to] from a distance the last couple of years.”

    It’s worth noting that this is far from a one-off. After Rams coach Jeff Fisher took over in 2012, assistant head coach Dave McGinnis and defensive line coach Mike Waufle got involved in reviving the team’s “Sack Homelessness” program. That program had previously been in place but had been stalled for a few years. Upon its return, the Rams pledged $1,000 for every sack they’d rack up in a given season. In the time since, the Rams have the second-most sacks in the league with 145. That’s good for $145,000 right there but there have been extra dollars given here and there that actually push the total to closer to $150,000. So obviously, they aren’t just donating time but money to the project.

    Hayes and Long have a reputation for their comedic antics in the Rams locker room and that’s a deserved reputation. The whole defensive line group is consistently one of the most interesting, eclectic and, yes, funny, on the team. But it’s also a group that takes football and philanthropy very seriously. Long just launched a campaign to help provide clean water in East Africa and Hayes has been devoted to helping the homeless for most of his time in St. Louis. The entire Rams organization is as active or more active than any sports franchise you’ll find in any city, anywhere.

    Which is a truth that brought me to a different thought after digesting what I watched on Sunday morning. These are tense times in St. Louis for many reasons far more important than just the future of the local football team. But the reality is that there’s a very real chance that the Rams won’t be in St. Louis beyond 2016. That’s a shame for football fans here (just as it was for those in Los Angeles when that city lost the Rams) but it very well could be a bigger loss for a community that needs as many Chris Longs and William Hayes’ as it can get. The NFL is expected to release a market study soon that will focus on the fans here and their willingness to buy Personal Seat Licenses and whether local businesses are willing to bring money to the table for suites and sponsorships. What it won’t include is the value of having a professional sports franchise ready and willing to help those in need in their city. The bottom line and business is always going to win out. I get that and I’m not saying Los Angeles couldn’t use the good works of a pro football team. But while there might be no way to put a price tag or value on something like helping a couple of homeless people get back on their feet, as the NFL examines the future of the teams in their current markets, perhaps maybe they should.

    in reply to: Rams ready to put offseason program into high gear #25659
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    “It took some time for everyone to get familiar and learn what Gregg expected,” said Laurinaitis, who’s heading into his seventh NFL season. “But once we started to understand, things really started to click for us. Gregg knows us and we know him and there’s a great level of trust both ways.”

    …Laurinaitis continued: “Something Gregg Williams has been stressing lately is starting fast. I think that may be our motto through OTAs. We have to have the mindset that we can’t waste any reps, especially knowing that we open at home against Seattle (on Sept. 13).

    “We’ve gotta be able to start fast and get out of this 1-3 rut we’ve been in the last three years.”

    This is a big theme, apparently.

    .

    in reply to: Wagoner(s) on the defense #25657
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    Rams offseason roster review: Nick Fairley adds more push at DT

    By Nick Wagoner

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/18850/rams-offseason-roster-review-nick-fairley-adds-more-push-at-dt

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams don’t start organized team activities until June 2, but with most of the offseason heavy lifting complete, the roster you see now likely has the vast majority of players who will be on it come the start of the regular season.

    With that in mind, we’ll spend the next week or so delving into each position group with some thoughts on who will start, who might be on the bubble and how the depth chart could shake out.

    Position: Defensive tackle

    Returning: Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Doug Worthington

    Newcomers: Nick Fairley, Louis Trinca-Pasat

    Departures: Kendall Langford

    Projected starters: Donald, Brockers

    Battle to watch: There’s really not much suspense to be found here. Donald and Brockers will start, with Fairley getting plenty of opportunities to work his way into the mix, especially on passing downs. Theoretically, Trinca-Pasat and Worthington could evolve into a competition for a possible fourth defensive tackle spot on the roster. But the Rams paid Trinca-Pasat a hefty bonus, and he appears to be in the driver’s seat for a job. One thing that could alter the situation is how the Rams view end Ethan Westbrooks. Westbrooks can play inside as well and so, too, can fellow linemen William Hayes and Eugene Sims. Most likely, the competition won’t be to win the fourth defensive tackle spot so much as competing to prove they should keep one.

    Outlook: Donald changed the entire look of this group in 2014, instantly becoming one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the NFL on his way to the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Entering his second season, Donald should be even better than he was as a rookie. And it should only help him that the Rams have added a motivated Fairley, who signed a one-year “prove it” deal with an eye toward cashing in following a big season. He’s already trimmed his weight below 300 pounds and looks poised for a breakthrough season. With Fairley, Chris Long and Robert Quinn, the Rams have a group that should leave plenty of one-on-one opportunities. Brockers embraced his role as a run-stuffing nose tackle in the latter stages of last season but is still only 24 years old with plenty of upside as a pass-rusher. Trinca-Pasat is built like Donald but without the quickness or hands. He still figures to have some upside as a pass-rusher. Donald, Brockers and Fairley should handle the majority of the work inside on a line that should again be among the best in the league in 2015.

    in reply to: the Philly/Bradford side of the trade story #25643
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    Will Bradford be ready? For now, Sanchez is the man

    http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20150529_Will_Bradford_be_ready__For_now__Sanchez_is_the_man.html

    As Chip Kelly noted, if the Eagles played their regular-season opener Thursday, it would have been “illegal” or something like that. His underlying message: Just because Sam Bradford’s left knee doesn’t appear remotely close to 100 percent healthy on May 28 doesn’t mean that Mark Sanchez will be the starting quarterback 109 days later.

    But with each passing day that Bradford is not completely back from tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, the specter of Sanchez under center on Sept. 14 in Atlanta becomes more and more of a reality.

    Kelly said Bradford’s recovery was on schedule. Many NFL players return from ACL injuries in the nine months since Bradford tore his. But not many had to endure a second ACL tear in the same knee only 10 months after the first.

    So the Eagles will proceed cautiously

    in reply to: acl recovery time #25634
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    2 good ACL threads.

    Here’s the other: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/whats-the-deal-with-acls/

    Maybe I will do a “synopsis” highlights post kinda summarizing it all.

    in reply to: the Philly/Bradford side of the trade story #25633
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    THAT…is why he was traded – not that Foles was better- but that Foles would stay healthy and be better than our 2nd/3rd stringers and I think Foles can be. But Foles is not the passing talent that Sam is. imo
    However, if he’s always hurt it doesn;t matter how good he is if he can’t play….and that’s why Fisher traded him.
    It was the right thing to do. imo

    Yeah I think there’s a consensus here on all that.

    in reply to: Trey Watts suspended four games #25632
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    You know this is interesting.

    Watts is out 4 games and they traded Stacy. No one knows how soon Gurley will be 100% good to go.

    Yet…the Rams RB situation is as good as it has been in years.

    Mason, Cunningham. Maybe Pead, if necessary? Brown, perhaps.

    That’s before getting Watts back (if he comes back) and before Gurley Gets Going.

    When was the last time it was like this? Meaning, depth at RB. Not just having Faulk or Jackson.

    Remember the days of …

    June Henley?

    s

    in reply to: more on Gurley #25631
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    from off the net

    ==

    jrry32

    Gurley’s a great talent and I think he’ll develop into a great NFL HB if he stays healthy. Think Edgerrin James or Steven Jackson in terms of how good I think he’ll be. I see Edge with a little more power but a little less wiggle.

    He doesn’t have Adrian Peterson’s juking ability/elusiveness in the open-field nor his top-end speed. If he’s faster than prime Jackson, it’s not by a lot. It’s a negligible difference.

    Gurley’s burst is amazing. His balance and power are both awesome. But he’s not got a ton of wiggle and he doesn’t have that second gear to pull away like Peterson used to once he gets into the open-field.

    I think that Mason starts off the year as the starter and Gurley gains more and more carries as the year goes on while also being our red-zone HB.– Mason, 200 carries for the season, Gurley 200. But this is assuming that Gurley’s injury and rookie status keep him from contributing too much during the first quarter or so of the season. If he comes in and is ready to play immediately, I think we’ll see something closer to 250 carries for Gurley and 150 carries for Mason.

    in reply to: what were you the MOST wrong about this time last year? #25630
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    zac stacy. i thought he and mason would provide a great running back tandem.

    Interesting thoughts on what happened to Stacy (I thought the same):

    ==

    from off the net

    ==

    tim199009

    In the offseason it seems like he put on too much weight. During the pre-season and early parts of the regular season you could tell he was a bit sluggish. Just wasnt hitting the holes as hard as he could and not as nimble as he used to be. His rookie year he had a good combination of power and quickness and his feet never stopped moving on contact. Not to mention our offensive line was better at power blocking that season too.

    Don’t think it was fat. It was just way too much bulk. He tried to bulk up to take the pounding of a full season but got too big. Dude looked like a cement truck out there.

    in reply to: the ballad of Johnny Manziel… #25629
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    After incident at golf tournament, agent says fan harassed Manziel

    Michael David Smith

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/31/after-incident-at-golf-tournament-agent-says-fan-harassed-manziel/

    Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was involved in some type of incident at a golf tournament on Saturday, although reports conflict about the details.

    Manziel’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that Manziel was harassed by a fan at the Byron Nelson Classic on Saturday. According to Burkhardt, Manziel handled it appropriately by going to security, and that’s why photos have surfaced showing Manziel talking to police officers.

    But Colin Cowherd of ESPN wrote on Twitter, “Expect a Johnny Manziel story from Byron Nelson tourney over next day or two.” Cowherd provided no details, but his tweet seems to be suggesting that there may be more to it than what Manziel’s agent offered.

    TMZ reports that there was indeed more to it: According to TMZ, Manziel “got into a fight with a buddy” and threw a water bottle at his friend. Manziel missed, prompting the friend to sarcastically scream, “Nice throw, Johnny.” A source told TMZ that Manziel responded to that by charging at his friend, although someone else in the group held him back.

    There’s quite a difference between the agent’s account and the TMZ account. Manziel hasn’t had anything to say about it yet.

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    St. Louis Rams mailbag: Are Rams ready to compete?

    Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer

    http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/18833/st-louis-rams-mailbag-finding-tavon-austins-fit-in-run-heavy-offense

    EARTH CITY, Mo. — With organized team activities finally set to begin this week, the St. Louis Rams have some sorting out to do with their offense after an offseason full of change.

    At the top of that list might be receiver/returner Tavon Austin, who at first blush doesn’t look to be a fit in the run-heavy offense. We explore that and more in this weekend’s mailbag, Part II.

    Chad @squick4n
    Where do Tavon and Cook fit in to ground and pound? Big offseason acquisitions just a couple of years ago look like square pegs


    @nwagoner: I’ve been wondering about this myself. It goes back to the team’s inability to go all in on an offensive identity until this, the fourth year of the Jeff Fisher/Les Snead regime. Going back to that offseason, the team wanted to be a spread-it-out, throw-it-around offense and invested heavily in skill position guys like Austin and Cook to make it happen. But they didn’t invest in offensive linemen who could protect well enough to handle the offense. Now they have those pieces, but they’ve invested in offensive linemen (through the draft) to go all-in as a power-running team. That puts the onus on new coordinator Frank Cignetti to find ways to use them. Cook should be OK and will likely come in around his usual production, but Austin is a bigger test. In an ideal world, he can represent a real change of pace from what the Rams will be doing down to down. But it’s fair to wonder if a team that’s struggled to get the most from him in his first two seasons can flip the switch and do it now that the team has gone even further in the opposite direction of his skill set.

    Mark Warren @MarkWarren_39
    Where is WR Brian Quick in his rehab? Will he be ready to go week one?

    @nwagoner: As I wrote about in March, the Rams don’t want to commit to a timetable for Brian Quick, given the severity of his injury and what’s required for him to get back up to speed. But all signs point to him making progress and it seems like Week 1 is going to be realistic. We’ll get a better idea when we get to see what he’s up to during OTAs starting this Thursday and, more importantly, how far along he is when training camp rolls around in late July.

    Chris @BiggameCB
    5th CB? Do the Rams like Marcus Roberson for the spot or do they give McGee another shot (injury prone)

    @nwagoner: The battle will likely come down to those two players, but the Rams are high on Marcus Roberson and he performed pretty well when given some chances late in the year last year. I’d tend to think Brandon McGee’s best chance it to make it in addition to Roberson as a sixth corner rather than as a fifth corner who beats him out. With Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson set for free agency after the season, Roberson might have a chance to stake a longer-term claim this year, if given the opportunity.

    Jim Everett @dcfilmninja
    Fish does orientations, not OTAs, doesn’t that contribute to the teams slow starts year over? 4 old school guy its odd


    @nwagoner: I’m not sure that’s really at the root of that problem, but there’s no doubt that the slow starts are a major issue that must be corrected. They continue to dig themselves in an early hole they can never get all the way out of. And they do OTAs just like every team. He does orientations instead of minicamps. I don’t think that’s really a problem. In fact, I think it’s one of the “different” things the Rams do that makes a lot of sense. Fisher does it to protect his players and it generally seems to work. I don’t know the reason for the slow starts, but I don’t think this is it.

    Eric W @biggs_73
    How do you see the battle for OC and OG playing out? Who gets the first crack at ota’s?

    @nwagoner: As it stands right now, it’s hard to make a call on center. I think the Rams would like to see Barrett Jones claim that job, but I get the sense they really will evaluate all of the options. Tim Barnes has at least a little experience and don’t underestimate Demetrius Rhaney, who has the toughness and quickness to be an intriguing option. But when evaluating centers, I always tend to lean toward intelligence above all else and from talking to people at Rams Park, Jones is one of the smartest players on the team. If he’s healthy, he’s probably the favorite, but that guarantees nothing moving forward. At guard, I tend to wonder if the team is comfortable just plugging Jamon Brown into a spot and having him start right away. If they didn’t have so much youth elsewhere, maybe there’s no concern there. That’s not to say it would be a surprise if he did, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if Garrett Reynolds got some work there until they’re comfortable with Brown in one spot. I still maintain signing Justin Blalock would be the best move (unless there’s injury issues or something else I’m unaware of), but they don’t seem to be in a rush to do that.

    derrick costoplos @costoplos
    EJ starts opposite JJ with LJ in the nickel…TJ to the 4th corner?


    @nwagoner: As it stands, this would be how I’d project everything to play out. E.J. Gaines and Janoris Jenkins on the outside with Lamarcus Joyner in the nickel. Theoretically, they could also go with Trumaine Johnson as the third corner and bump Gaines inside in the nickel. But having Gaines and Jenkins on the outside with Joyner in the slot not only makes sense for this season, but could be how they want to line up for the long term as well.

    in reply to: Rams' Hayes and Long go 'undercover' for ESPN #25623
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    But the problem of “homelessness” is a “systemic” problem. A ‘system’ creates the conditions
    of “Homelessness.” And these kinds of little endeavors never seem to result in the celebrities
    having any “aha” moments where they realize the problem is “systemic”.
    …so i get annoyed. It pushes wv-ram’s political-buttons. That was my last word 🙂

    That’s clearly true, that homelessness is systemic, but then, everything is either blind to or hides that.

    So…I wouldn’t expect 2 decently well off celebrities to get that.

    Heck if they had the analytic bent to get something like that, it would have shown up in different ways before this, and…they would have been crucified for it already.

    in reply to: Rams' Hayes and Long go 'undercover' for ESPN #25620
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    Rams DEs Chris Long, William Hayes confront homelessness in St. Louis

    http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12977001/st-louis-rams-des-chris-long-william-hayes-experience-homelessness

    Elizabeth Merrill

    THE IDEA WAS hatched as the St. Louis Rams’ team bus inched through a rugged part of downtown St. Louis, and, like many of the plans William Hayes and Chris Long come up with, it wasn’t taken very seriously. Hayes and Long are the team’s jokesters, bantering about everything from the existence of mermaids to opening a plus-size yoga studio.

    But this conversation was different. From their comfortable seats in the bus, they saw homeless people on the streets, and Hayes turned to Long and asked him if he thought they could handle living like that. Hayes had been moved by the plight of the homeless since his days in Tennessee when he befriended a man who panhandled near the Titans’ practice facility. On the Rams’ bus, Hayes told Long he wanted to experience what it was like to be homeless and asked if Long would join him.

    They’d turn in their cell phones and credit cards and wander the streets in sub-40-degree temperatures with no place to go. Long, one of the NFL’s deep thinkers, gave Hayes a funny look at first, but then he said yes.

    “I wasn’t going to let him do that alone,” Long says. “I’m sure he wouldn’t let me, either.”
    Rams DEs William Hayes and Chris Long went undercover to raise awareness of a life most people ignore. Courtesy of St. Louis Rams

    THEY ARE BEST friends with little in common, aside from the fact that they are both enormous 30-year-old men who play defensive end. Chris Long has never wanted for anything. His mother is a retired lawyer and his father is Howie Long, a Hall of Fame defensive end. Shortly after Howie’s career ended, he moved his family from Los Angeles to a 65-acre spread in Virginia because they had the means to live anywhere, and this seemed the most peaceful place to settle in. Chris inherited many of his father’s athletic gifts, dominated in college at the University of Virginia, and was picked second overall in the 2008 draft.

    Hayes wasn’t invited to the NFL combine back in ’08, and it was a surprise when the Titans selected the unknown lineman from Winston-Salem State in the fourth round. As his parents scrimped to stay afloat, his childhood was full of nos: No, he couldn’t have the toy he wanted, and no, this bill couldn’t be paid on time. But Hayes had a roof over his head and food in his belly. He was happy. He was showered with love, and never felt as if he was missing anything. It wasn’t until Hayes was older that he realized how much his family really struggled.

    The thing Hayes loved most about Long is that he never acted like a guy who had everything. “Treat the bellman the same as you treat the president of the United States,” Howie Long used to tell his three boys, hoping that privilege wouldn’t affect the way they acted toward others.

    Long’s mom, Diane, always called her son an old soul. He has a bucket list, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and started a project to help provide clean water to the underprivileged in east Africa. He has always seen the world differently. But he had no clue what kind of challenges the homeless face.

    For the past several years, the Rams’ defensive line has donated $1,000 for every sack to the St. Patrick Center, a local homeless resource. Long had never visited the center.

    Meanwhile, Hayes became a regular. He took a group of teenagers to the movies and played bingo at the Rosati Group Home, St. Patrick’s mental illness facility. This spring, Hayes treated about 15 homeless people to a meal at Golden Corral, an all-you-can-eat buffet.

    “I’m telling you, you’d thought they’d died and went to heaven,” says Judson Bliss, chief program officer at St. Patrick. “It’s very rare for these folks, so it was very special.

    “We have a lot of people who give money to us, and that’s a good thing. But I think a lot of these social problems that we have, with homelessness and the violence, what it really does take is people being involved in other people’s lives. That’s what makes a difference.”

    HAYES IS SO entertaining that some say he deserves his own reality show, and, sure enough, this had all the makings for prime-time television. Long and Hayes wore makeup, hats and second-hand clothing to avoid being recognized. They were followed around by hidden ESPN cameras and were flanked by an off-duty police officer in case they ran into trouble.

    Many of these details were hammered out by Nicole Woodie, the Rams’ community outreach manager. Woodie went to several thrift stores in search of clothes big enough to fit 270- and 280-pound bodies. She then distressed the clothes to make them look more lived-in, adding dirt and holes.
    Hayes and Long wore clothing that had been distressed to make it look more lived-in. Courtesy of St. Louis Rams

    Long and Hayes took to the streets on the afternoon of March 22, Hayes in floodwater pants too short for his long legs; Long with penciled-in wrinkles around his eyes. Though the forecast called for a fairly mild evening, the temperature dropped into the 30s. Between them, Long and Hayes had $8 in their pockets.

    Surprisingly, neither one was recognized, even when they panhandled for money to buy hamburgers just outside the Edward Jones Dome, their home on Sundays. When night fell, they searched for a place to sleep. Long and Hayes found warmth from a fire in a barrel, but were quickly chased off by a scruffy middle-aged man who said they were trespassing on his space.

    They came upon an empty box truck and slept in the back. It provided little warmth, and Hayes couldn’t sleep.

    “I wasn’t scared,” he says, “but it was more so the idea of not knowing the next move. I’m trying to close my eyes. We have a security guard with us, but he was like, ‘If somebody really wanted to come in here to lift this thing up to shoot all of us and rob us, they could easily do it.’

    “Basically, I’m trying to sleep, but I’m trying to figure out what’s going to be my next move in the morning. When you get up, it’s like, gosh, we’ve got nowhere to go.”

    They awoke just after 5 a.m. It rained that morning, and Long said he was glad they were able to experience the elements. Hayes wasn’t so enthusiastic. Their experiment lasted about 24 hours. Then they hopped in a van and toured the places they’d gone the day before. When they reached the abandoned warehouse where they’d gone to warm up near the fire, they came upon the man who ran them off the night before. His name is Marty.

    Marty ran his own construction business once, but then he split up with his wife, got some DWIs and couldn’t get his driver’s license back. His life unraveled, and he wound up in the warehouse along with a homeless woman named Nancy, whom he was trying to protect.

    Hayes and Long were so moved by Marty’s story that they decided to put him and Nancy up in an extended-stay hotel for two months. When Woodie came by to pick them up a couple of days later, Marty was surprised. He said he didn’t think anyone would come back. So many times in their lives, nobody came back.

    “It’s something intangible,” Woodie says. “It’s like someone believes in them and has hope in them.

    “We want this to be the moment that changes their lives forever. We hope that’s the case. We also know it might not be.”

    Hayes and Long bought disposable cell phones for Marty and Nancy and paid for groceries and bus passes.

    Marty found a job in construction recently; Nancy received help through outreach support. But it’s far more complicated than that. The issues that put them on the streets for years can’t be fixed in two months.

    Hayes is “absolutely” worried about them, he says. “I can’t change the world. They could relapse.

    “With Marty, I see he wants to make a difference. I feel like he was getting tired of the lifestyle he was living.”

    WHEN HAYES CAME up with the idea for this experiment, he did not want cameras following him and Long. He didn’t want to make it look like he was grandstanding or being fake. But both Woodie and the St. Patrick Center encouraged him to use his platform to raise awareness of homelessness.
    When William Hayes came up with the idea of experiencing the life of homelessness for a night, Chris Long agreed. Courtesy of St. Louis Rams

    Both Hayes and Long say the experience changed their lives. Hayes hated the way people stared at him as he walked the streets, judging him by the way he looked. Long used to look the other way when he saw a homeless person. He’d write checks to the St. Patrick Center, but for a long time, he says, the people there were just faceless recipients of his good fortune. Long made his first trip to the facility right after his night on the streets, and promised he’d be back.

    “We don’t understand,” Long says. “We weren’t hoping to understand. We were just hoping to gain a little perspective and put kind of a feeling with the cause that we had been [donating to] from a distance the last couple of years.”

    Long went home that night, rested his head on a pillow in his apartment and stared at the ceiling. He felt warm and lucky, but not quite comfortable. He hopes that feeling lasts.

    in reply to: Donald 2014: all the awards & some highlights #25613
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    from Fastest 40 Yard Dash

    http://www.freelapusa.com/fastest-40-yard-dash/

    Fastest NFL players by position (Donald 4.68 40, #1 among DTs in combine history)

    Of course, there is a difference between speed and quickness (you can be fast and not quick, quick and not fast, and rarely, both – like Donald smiling smiley ). Former Defensive Pleyer of the Year, BAL LB Terrell Suggs ran a shockingly slow 40 time (4.8-4.9 range?), but his HC or DC (Rex Ryan at the time?) said he would be more worried if a pass rusher had to run 40 yards to get to the QB. Point taken. Traits/attributes like burst and short area quickness can be more important. With Donald, as noted, you get the freakishly accelerated get off, plus his mutant/extreme outlier size/speed combo. Suggs is proof a slow but quick DE/OLB can get to the QB with regularity. But better is to be fast and quick. Plus Donald has an inherent “shortest distance” advantage, with a reduced vector from the inside, going against generally less athletic interior OL (relative to DEs lined up wide against often more athletic OTs). On top of that, Donald is a student of the informal martial art that comprises hand-to-hand combat in the trenches practiced by NFL linemen, as well as a mature beyond his years repertoire of pass rush moves, and ability to string them together. He is good against the run as well as being a generational athletic prodigy and pass rushing talent for his position, defensive tackle. As a YOUNG complete player with a well rounded game, I wouldn’t say he can’t improve (maybe he gets washed out in the run against bigger, more athletic OL at times?), but as a pass rusher, it is hard to imagine him doing much better as a rookie – Defensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl, PFF or Football Outsiders metrics indicating he was the #1 DT in the league, over even newly made highest paid defensive player in league history, Suh. But he could improve even there, even for a natural and potential all time great (maybe in the pantheon with fellow Rams Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen, barring injury, when its all said and done?), coaches and players often say the biggest improvement is made between years one and two, he may have been been recalibrating internal, unspoken, instinctive speed to power ratios, mixing up and adapting better, more efficient/effective pass rush moves and tactics by varying, individualizing and personalizing them for different opponents, etc.

    in reply to: Rams' Hayes and Long go 'undercover' for ESPN #25612
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    Get a behind-the-scenes look at Chris Long & William Hayes’ project as they spend 24 hours on the streets of St. Louis.

    http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Home/62619e6b-b6d9-4b06-a943-e7bee8e43c2d

    from off the net

    ==

    OldSchool

    Long was on the Van Pelt and Rasillo show again today talking about this. Even discussed at one point an office exec walked by them and didn’t recognize them and they also went up to the ticket office and asked to buy season tickets and the gal didn’t recognize them either. They were apparently going to go longer with their undercover adventure but were recognized on the 2nd day and a guy wouldn’t stop following them so they cut it off.

    Chris really went out of his way during this interview today to talk up Hayes and how it’s him that is really leading this push and he even said at one point “like all of Wills ideas good or bad I follow along with him”. The whole DLine has kind of adopted this shelter as their charity of choice and last year donated so much to it the shelter was able to open a special wing/shelter for children. These two in my book are great people.

    in reply to: Rams' Hayes and Long go 'undercover' for ESPN #25611
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    Get a behind-the-scenes look at Chris Long & William Hayes’ project as they spend 24 hours on the streets of St. Louis.

    http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Home/62619e6b-b6d9-4b06-a943-e7bee8e43c2d

    in reply to: more on Gurley #25610
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    from 2015 NFL draft round 1 grades

    by Chris Burke

    http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/04/30/2015-nfl-draft-round-1-analysis-grades

    When general managers insist they will draft the “best player available,” this is what they have in mind. With the No. 10 pick, despite getting an impressive rookie season out of 2014 third-rounder Tre Mason, the St. Louis Rams took Georgia RB Todd Gurley. Prior to suffering a devastating knee injury last season, Gurley had established himself as one of college football’s true superstar. Recent medical checks showed that Gurley’s rehab was on track, even giving him a shot to be ready for the start of the regular season. A healthy Gurley could wind up as the 2015 draft’s best player—he really is that good, both as a runner and pass-catcher. Gurley is a physical back, with the vision to find creases and the speed to pull away from secondaries. Talent-wise, getting him at 10 has the potential to be a steal.

    ..

    in reply to: Rams' Hayes and Long go 'undercover' for ESPN #25608
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    SC Featured goes undercover into homeless community with St. Louis Rams
    by Andy Hall

    http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2015/05/sc-featured-goes-undercover-into-homeless-community-with-st-louis-rams/

    In Sunday’s editions of SportsCenter, the weekly SC Featured segment will follow two St. Louis Rams players as they go undercover for 24 hours to learn more about the plight of the homeless.

    The players, William Hayes and Chris Long, wore makeup to help hide their identities and were dressed in second-hand clothes. They had small button cameras on their clothing and were wired for sound as they were followed by the ESPN crew.

    Co-producers Gustavo Coletti and Steve Buckheit from the ESPN Features Unit learned of their assignment on a Friday night in March and were quickly on their way to St. Louis to start shooting on Sunday night.

    “Within 36 hours, we had to put together a team,” said Coletti.

    “The challenge for us was that this was a little bit out of our element,” said Buckheit. “We needed someone who knew how to spy on someone at night, be sort of a fly on the wall, and not intrude on what we wanted to remain a very organic experiment. We got consultation of a private investigator for that.”

    Coletti said equipment such as night vision lenses was needed. “There were a lot of quick decisions and quick research,” he said.

    Working with ESPN Global Security, Coletti and Buckheit hired some off-duty police officers to work with them, one of whom was also disguised and stayed with the players, and others who stayed with the ESPN crew. They also communicated with local police so that law enforcement was aware of what was going on and would not be suspicious.

    “At no point did we feel unsafe,” Coletti said.

    Although they were never recognized as Rams, an issue did arise after the first night when the players began to express concern that some in the tight-knit homeless community might think they were undercover police officers. For their own safety, they decided to stop the experiment after one of two planned days.

    “We still feel like we captured the essence of their wide-eyed experience of being homeless,” said Buckheit. “I was very relieved at how genuine our two principles came across. There was no agenda; they were very genuine in everything they did. I feel it was mission accomplished.”

    “Life on the Streets” debuts in the 10 a.m. ET SportsCenter on Sunday, May 31, and will air in other editions of the program throughout the day. A companion piece on ESPN.com will also be posted Sunday.

    in reply to: Keenum 2013 highlights #25589
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    ReFo: Jaguars @ Texans, Week 17

    Neil Hornsby | December 29, 2014

    https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/12/29/refo-jaguars-texans-week-17/

    Case Keenum, QB: -1.5

    Breakdown: If you wish to believe Keenum is the answer based on a win and a QB rating of 98.5 then be prepared for disappointment. He was only pressured on 10 drop-backs all game and when he was his QB rating dropped from 105.6 to 56.3. He can’t expect this type of protection going forward and needs to improve markedly when under duress.

    Signature Stat: Had a QB rating of 113.4 when not blitzed and 47.9 when the Jags brought extra rushers.

    in reply to: Keenum 2013 highlights #25588
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    An analysis from after the 2013 season from PFF:

    https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/07/31/qbs-in-focus-schaub-keenum/

    Case Keenum

    All categories with a * are normalized so that the league average is 0.0.

    Positives

    • Graded at +3.1 when lined up under center.
    • Eighth-highest grade on passes thrown at least 20 yards in the air (+6.3).
    • Ranked fourth with a +4.8 grade on passes thrown at least 30 yards in the air.
    • Showed well on drop-backs in the 4-to-6-yard range (+2.0).
    • Graded at +5.7 when throwing to slot wide receivers.
    • Sixth-highest grade on go routes (+8.2).

    Negatives

    • Struggled on second down (-4.8).
    • Graded at -7.7 on drop-backs from the shotgun or pistol.
    • Third-lowest grade on passes thrown in the 1-10-yard range (-7.8).
    • Graded at -7.2 when pressured.
    • Graded at -5.8 on drop-backs of nine yards or more.
    • Struggled on passes lasting 3.1 to 3.5 seconds (-4.0).
    • Fourth-lowest grade on out routes (-4.4).

    Tendencies

    • Threw 32.0% of passes in the 5-10-yard range; fourth-highest in the league.
    • Faced pressure on 45.5% of drop-backs; second-highest in the league.
    • Threw 50.9% of passes outside the numbers; above the league average of 46.7%.
    • 68.8% of drop-backs lasted at least 2.5 seconds; well above the league average of 49.0%.
    • Threw 24.6% of passes to tight ends, including a league-high 20.2% of attempts to inline tight ends.
    • 15.8% of attempts were crossing routes; second-highest in the league.

    in reply to: Keenum 2013 highlights #25586
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    From the wiki.

    On December 15, 2014, Keenum was signed off the Rams practice squad back to the Houston Texans. He filled a roster spot after starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick broke his left leg in a game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 14, 2014, and on December 21, 2014 he won his first NFL game beating the Baltimore Ravens 25-13. On December 28, 2014 he won a second consecutive game with the Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17.

    ================

    Baltimore game
    Case Keenum HOU 20 of 42, 185, 0 TD, 1 INT, rushing: 4 for 19

    Jagz game
    Case Keenum HOU 25 of 35, 250, 2 TD, 1 INT, rushing: 6 for 16

    avg.
    22.5 of 38.5 (58%) for 217.5 (5.6 YPA), 2 TD 2 INT, rushing: 5 for 17.5

    in reply to: reviews of Mad Max: Fury Road are over the top #25580
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    Fury Road is great, PA, I promise.

    in reply to: reviews of Mad Max: Fury Road are over the top #25578
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    hey PA

    Seen Mad Max: Fury Road yet?

    wv has been I can’t get him to talk about it.

    http://theramshuddle.com/topic/reviews-of-mad-max-fury-road-are-over-the-top/

    in reply to: Don't expect Rams to hurry to sign draft class #25574
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    Rams’ picks are all unsigned, with financial counseling coming first

    by Michael David Smith

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/30/rams-picks-are-all-unsigned-with-financial-counseling-coming-first/

    Most of this year’s NFL draft picks have already signed their contracts. But none of the Rams’ picks have.

    That’s because the Rams’ policy is to give each player financial counseling before anyone signs a contract.

    In each of the last two years, the Rams have signed all their picks en masse, after gathering the rookie class together and giving the players a course on financial management. Players are instructed on what the team calls “Financial Planning 101,” with information about how to invest and how not to go broke.

    The Rams’ rookies will get signing bonuses of anywhere from $70,000 for seventh-round pick Martin Ifedi, all the way up to more than $8 million for first-round pick Todd Gurley. The Rams want to give those players the money they need to use that money wisely.

    The Collective Bargaining Agreement agreed upon in 2011 makes rookie contracts so straightforward that there’s little to negotiate, and little reason not to sign immediately. Except for the reason the Rams have found: Making sure players have some information about how to invest their money before they receive it.

    in reply to: reviews of Mad Max: Fury Road are over the top #25556
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    n

    in reply to: Trey Watts suspended four games #25553
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    Who said PEDs?

    Well no one, really.

    But assuming it’s PEDs just makes for a better quip.

    What’s the Rams without an annual PEDs scandal.

    You know my oft-state philosophy of Rams analysis. Always bend facts in the interests of a zingy quip.

    Actually I never said that, but I thought it would make a good quip.

    .

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