Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson could ‘unleash’ the Rams defense by bringing a different skill set than former corners

Wyatt Miller

https://www.therams.com/news/trent-mcduffie-and-jaylen-watson-could-unleash-the-rams-defense-by-bringing-a-different-skill-set-than-former-corners

The Rams and Chiefs employed vastly different defensive schemes last season. Naturally, their cornerbacks boasted contrasting skill sets.

Former Chiefs, now Rams cornerbacks Jaylen Watson at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds and Trent McDuffie at 5-11, 193 are physical players and top-tier athletes. Apart from Ahkello Witherspoon, who missed the majority of the season due to injury, no Rams cornerback weighed over 191 pounds last season, or stood over 6 feet tall. Watson and McDuffie offer stronger tackling and a more pronounced ability to press at the line and then stay tight to a variety of receivers throughout their routes, according to defensive expert and creator of matchquarters.com Cody Alexander.

The Rams’ smaller corners were poorly suited to succeed at that aggressive play style, but excelled with a wider cushion that enabled them to break on the ball. As smart, fast players, Watson and McDuffie can play that way as well, but are at their best in close quarters.

Still, the obvious question is why did the Rams add two Chiefs cornerbacks to their roster to kick off free agency if they don’t have experience playing in a scheme like Los Angeles’?

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula’s belief is that schemes should cater to players’ strengths. Watson and McDuffie’s could “unleash” the rest of the Rams defense without requiring a fundamental overhaul to their playbook, according to Alexander.

“(They are) really cleaning up that corner room to unleash the two safeties (Kam Curl and Quentin Lake) that I think they feel really good about, and then I think they also feel good about where they are at linebacker,” Alexander said. “And if we can get a little bit of stickier coverage, and then we can also have a better tackling on the perimeter, then I think that what you are going to see is that they can really unleash that front.”

The Rams could still run a primary pattern-match system, which starts out in zone and turns into man as the play unfolds and route concepts are recognized. Watson and McDuffie’s physicality and ability to play press coverage would allow middle-field defenders and deep safeties to focus more on their responsibilities and less on helping the perimeter corners, Alexander explained.

Here are two pass plays defended with similar technique that yielded opposite results.

Against the Jaguars in Weeks 5, McDuffie hand checked wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (6-2, 209) early in his route. He stayed glued to him as Thomas ran an intermediate dig and then dove to break up the pass at the tail end. It seemed as though McDuffie’s press coverage, which forced a prolonged release from Thomas, also disrupted quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s timing, as he took an extra forward shuffle before letting the ball go. McDuffie required zero help from the rest of the secondary.

Let’s compare that to a similar rep from Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. against the Lions in Week 15. He also lines up in press coverage against speedy wideout Jameson Williams, but instead of laying hands on Williams like McDuffie did to Thomas, he took a drop step and gave Williams inside leverage. He took it and sped across the middle on a dig route, and Forbes couldn’t keep up. The play-action fake drew in two safeties, Curl and Jaylen McCollough, who seemed out of position and tried to backtrack mid-play, but it was too late. It resulted in a 22-yard gain.

Those receivers ran the same route against similar coverage structures, but the mindset of the defenders was different. McDuffie wanted to stay attached to Thomas and influence his movement throughout the route, whereas Forbes aimed to give Williams a cushion and then break on the ball if the pass came. Had he employed McDuffie’s approach against Williams (who is tall but not big at 6-1, 182 and therefore vulnerable against more aggressive defenders), it may have given McCollough enough time to recover and help in the zone that was originally assigned to him.

It’s not clear whether Forbes was told to play with that technique or chose to do so, but a more belligerent approach likely would have changed the landscape of the entire play, and that’s what McDuffie can provide.

Watson shares that attitude, and his build is even more conducive to defending larger targets. Unsurprisingly, Watson and McDuffie rank sixth and 11th, respectively, in tight window rate (one yard of separation or less at the catch point), among cornerbacks with at least 1,000 coverage snaps since 2022, according to Next Gen Stats.

Curl, who the Rams recently re-signed to a three-year deal, could be one of the main beneficiaries of those additions.

“I think it really unlocks Curl to really be that Joker or that enforcer that he really was at the back half of the year when they really just started blitzing him a lot more,” Alexander said. “Because anytime you are going to drop a safety into the box… you are going to put stress on your corners.”

McDuffie and Watson can handle that stress, which also frees up inside linebacker Nate Landman and safety/star Quentin Lake to be more versatile. It opens to door for more blitzes as well as simulated pressures (where a lineman drops back and a linebacker or defensive back rushes). Both former Chiefs blitz often and are fierce rushers out of the secondary.

Among cornerbacks with 20-plus tackle attempts last season, McDuffie registered the fourth-lowest missed tackle rate in the league (4.5%) and Watson had the 10th-lowest (7.2%), according to Next Gen Stats. The Rams’ only cornerback with a sub-10% missed tackle rate was Darious Williams at 7.4%, who recently retired. Watson said in his introductory press conference that tackling, specifically in the run game, is all about having the right mindset, and it’s one he and McDuffie both share.

“You either want to or you don’t,” Watson said. “You tell yourself you can’t (tackle), you’re right. You tell yourself you can, and you’re right. So I just go out there, put my head down. This is football, it’s a physical sport, and just be physical. Put violence on tape.”

In the pass game, that violence is accentuated when corners can put hands on receivers early in the route, specifically within five yards of the line of scrimmage to avoid a penalty.

The Chiefs ran the highest rate of outside press coverage in the league last season at 45.8% so Watson and McDuffie could do just that. The Rams ran it just 22.9% of the time, ranking 17th, according to Next Gen Stats. This is not necessarily an indication that the Rams will suddenly become the one of the most press-heavy secondaries in the league, but it likely warrants an increase in that smothering style on the outside.

While neither player explicitly said how their previous usage might dictate their roles with L.A., they both indicated that Rams coaches are excited to implement skills they’ve prized in the past.

“They love what I have to offer for the team and I’m ready to put it on tape and get to work,” Watson said.

“I told them when they’re like, ‘Where do you want to play?’ I’m like, ‘Put me in a position where we succeed and I’m ready to go,'” McDuffie added. “I’m definitely excited to do some unique things.”

Then there’s the question of whether McDuffie will play in the slot or outside. He’s done both at a high level in the NFL, and he’s ready to do both, either or more with the Rams.

“It doesn’t matter where you put me. I’ll play safety, I’ll put my hand in the dirt if I have to,” McDuffie said. “I hope I don’t have to, but truly I’m out here wanting to play ball. No matter where you put me, I’m going to work day in and day out to make sure that I do my job at a very high level.”

Alexander’s thought process was that McDuffie could be used as a chess piece of sorts. The Rams played the highest rate of dime in the league last year (six defensive backs) at 32.4%. In those packages, McDuffie and Lake could both play inside, giving the Rams two versatile defensive backs on the interior who can rush the passer and defend the run as well as the pass.

The versatile All-Pro could also help the Rams match up against 21, 12 and 13 personnel sets out of smaller defensive packages like nickel, which was a calling card of the 2025 Super Bowl-champion Seahawks.

However the Rams choose to deploy Watson and McDuffie, they will bring a different skill set that can complement and even elevate the rest of this defense.

How Rams’ Nate Scheelhaase Became Architect of the Aerial Assault
In an exclusive interview, the Los Angeles Rams’ passing game coordinator provided an insightful look at his work, life, and vision for the future

Brock Vierra

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/onsi/los-angeles-nate-scheelhaase-became-architect-aerial-assault

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. When news broke last offseason that the Rams were able to retain offensive assistant Nate Scheelhaase, the move came and went from the news cycle but it’s impact has driven the Rams to new heights in 2025.

“He’s a great coach,” stated Rams head coach Sean McVay. “He has great leadership, great capacity for the game, similar to a lot of our other great coaches. First and foremost, he has great character. There’s an ability to be able to connect with all different types. There’s an ability to own the game from an all-22 perspective. He’s excellent. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s a great person, first and foremost, and he has a great family. He’s been outstanding, working with the receivers, but he has a tremendous impact on our team and our group as a whole.”

McVay highlights an important point about Scheelhaase’s magic and it’s his ability to connect. Earlier this season, Scheelhaase was gracious enough to sit down with Rams On SI for an exclusive interview and now that reports have emerged that Scheelhaase is a name being looked at for offensive coordinator jobs next season, with some believing he has head coaching potential, here is an inside look into the man who helped Los Angeles retake the skies.

The Man Who Stands Ahead Of The Curve

Via information accumulated across the Rams’ entire 2025 regular season, it’s clear that Scheelhaase is not only a respected coach within the facility, he’s one of the brightest minds in football, blending his intelligence with his emotional understanding to form a platform for which the Rams have set repeated high marks.

“He’s a smart dude,” stated Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. “One, he’s incredibly efficient with finding stuff around the league and what people are doing and keeping up with the times, which is so important. He’s just eager to not just know what we’re doing or what the Houston Texans defense is doing, but he’s eager to know what the landscape of the league is and that’s a big factor.”

“As coaches we’re the best thieves out there. Someone does something cool, we’ll steal it, make it our own and call it our own then not cite our source. He does an incredible job at gathering that stuff. He’s awesome with the receivers. He’s awesome in front of the unit. I don’t think he really cares about his future, but his future in my opinion is really bright. He’s where his feet are and we’re really lucky to have him.”

Scheelhaase is the man keeping the Rams ahead of the curve, introducing new offensive concepts into the meeting room, giving the offensive staff more than enough to create new offenses such as the game-changing 13 personnel package.

I asked Scheelhaase about offensive innovation and what does the next evolution of offensive football look like in his mind. Scheelhaase, like most brillant offensive minds, believes offensive football rotates on a cycle and that the teams who are able to best weather the storms of change are those who control the controllables.

Nate Scheelhaase

“As many times as people ask me that question, the more important question that I ask myself is, what doesn’t change,” questioned Scheelhaase. “What in the last ten years, or the last five years, what’s not changing? What are the consistent foundational things that are important no matter what kind of offense, no matter how things are changing defensively, no matter how you’re trying to attack people, what are some, some of the like, mainstay, foundational, pillar, items that like, man, if you want to have good offensive football, this is what it takes.”

Looking at patterns across the game has been a key piece to Scheelhaase’s success. There are many similarities in Scheelhaase and Sean McVay’s school of thought, using pre-snap looks to induce poor decisions by painting similar pre-snap looks and then masking the play through similar actions on a variety of calls/ designs.

“I’m always like looking for the next idea, the best idea but I’m also trying to figure out, as much as anything, what has been tried and true throughout the last two, three, four, five years, that still is true today…I think that it’s cyclical,” cited Scheelhaase. “As far as, like, what happens in football, the ability to attack people both pre and post snap, Sean [McVay], his offenses, how that’s affected and influenced NFL offenses.”

“I always think the pre-snap operation is a huge part of what happens in the NFL,” continued Scheelhaase. “I think you’ve seen us do some stuff, the motions, the shifts, the personnel changes, the tempo, those things have infiltrated the NFL in a unique way and I think just continuing to watch what quarterbacks are doing pre-snap, and watch how that affects offenses in a positive way, that’s probably what I feel like I pay the most attention to.”

And it is in that through that since being named Rams’ passing game coordinator in the offseason, the Rams finished the season on top of several statistical leaderboards. Matthew Stafford is the NFL’s passing yards and passing touchdowns king, while being tied for second for fewest interceptions thrown by a quarterback who played 17 games. As a result, Stafford is in a dead heat with Drake Maye for the MVP award.

But while Scheelhaase steals concepts for the Rams to exploit, it was actually Scheelhaase who stole from the Rams originally, paving his path to Los Angeles.

A True Hustler

Not many men can produce multiple NFL-grade wide receivers out of a program with the history of Iowa State, but at the same time, not many men can replace Juice Williams and then set program records. That’s Nate Scheelhaase. A standout collegiate quarterback who parlayed his on-field success to a coaching career that took him from his alma mater, Illinois to Iowa State, where he climbed up Matt Campbell’s coaching ladder to be his offensive coordinator, before being hired by the Rams for the 2024 season.

Back in 2022, when Scheelhaase was Iowa State’s wide receivers coach, he stole McVay concepts built for Cooper Kupp to turn wide receiver Jaylin Noel from a little-known prospect into a household collegiate playmaker.

“I remember sitting with Jaylin Noel after the LA Rams 2021 Super Bowl year, and watching Cooper Kupp stack, choice, decision-making based on coverages and, I mean I literally remember after his freshman year, watching that cut up and just showing him all the different looks that Cooper Kupp got, and saying man, we’re going to do this play with you this next year.”

“And then Jaylin ran a ton of that, I mean, all throughout his time there at Iowa State. So there was an appreciation, for Sean, the offense, of what they were doing here, for Cooper Kupp. So those things happen naturally.”

In the three years after the 2021 season, Noel recorded 206 catches for 2,586 and 18 touchdowns. The Houston Texans drafted Noel and Iowa State teammate Jayden Higgins, whom Scheelhaase recruited and coached, in the 2025 NFL Draft. Scheelhaase was on the opposite sideline for their debuts in week one.

Higgins and Noel made their first NFL catches in that game.

Why Scheelhaase Is Built to Lead

Regardless of what happens, there’s is a very slim chance Scheelhaase isn’t an offensive coordinator next season. He has the knowledge, the experience, the ability to successfully teach, and the resume for the job. He was interviewed twice last season, by Tampa Bay and Jacksonville, and to be frank, I thought the Jaguars’ job was a done deal.

Scheelhaase came back for a reason and that reason is to get a premier coordinator job in 2026, whether with the Rams or with someone else, while putting another year of experience within the McVay system under his belt. But when it comes to the prospect of Scheelhaase being a head coach, here’s why I believe he will be one within the next five years.

Scheelhaase, a very personable professional, spoke about the times his professional life crossed over with his personal, with that exposure benefiting both sides. Back at Iowa State, long before NFL wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was making millions with the Houston Texans, he was making sure Scheelhaase’s eldest son was okay while Scheelhaase and his wife would run out of the house.

“Xavier Hutchinson literally babysat my oldest son,” stated Scheelhaase. “His girlfriend really was the one who babysat my son, but my son would be most excited about Xavier Hutchinson coming over. My son’s stows away the jerseys that he has…it’s more than just football with those dudes like Xavier Hutchinson.”

The Family Man Turns Into the Teacher

While Scheelhaase is a family man, having started his home in Ames, Iowa, before moving to Southern California, his job is what pays the bills and for any coach, the struggle of balancing work and home life is one that often leads to failures that affect both sides.

Whenever there are problems with either, they bleed into each other and that’s where Scheelhaase has the leg up. As someone who was in the collegiate ranks, who is now working at the highest level in the NFL, he has an ability to impact young players in a meaningful and beneficial way.

Scheelhaase joked that some of the receivers he’s worked with during his time with the Rams had never been in a huddle at the collegiate level. They’ve also only been utilized in one way, taking away the mental aspect of the position, leading players to be behind the eight ball once they get to the league.

Thus, Scheelhaase’s whole philosophy is about finding things that players know, concepts they’re comfortable with, designing his offense around those concepts while introducing new ideas with common tones. That system has led to instant success and a buy-in from his group.

A True Team Builder

Why has Los Angeles been such a fit for Scheelhaase? It’s because the Rams mimic the feelings of collegiate ball. There is a time and a place for everything and having an emphasis on fun has been the calling card for the franchise’s ability to get through tough times.

“Coach McVay, what’s cool about him is if you’re like, picturing an image of college football, the right culture, environment, five years ago, and what you want to build,” stated Scheelhaase. “The connection that you want the coaches and the players to have amongst each other. That’s what this place feels like. I feel like I’ve heard players say before, you know, the University of Los Angeles Rams and there is a little bit of that college feel that we have because of the connection that’s made, the authentic, real connection that’s made from a relationship standpoint that I do think is unique.”

“Again, for me, this is the only NFL environment that I’ve seen so I’m not able to compare to a lot of places, but I do know people love coming to work here every day and I do know that there’s a certain culture and environment that is the tone that’s set by Coach McVay, the rest of the staff, that is appreciated on a player level, on a coaching level, and that’s that is unique to our place, our environment.”

Why do I think he’ll be a head coach soon? Because that’s who you’re bringing into the facility. Those were the same words echoed by Davante Adams when he first came to the Rams and continue to be the standard for the team.

wv wrote:

I get the signing of Grant Stuard the coverage-maniac but i didnt think Long Snapping was an issue. I didnt think the blocked kicks had anything to do with the long snapper last year.

w

It was an issue. That’s why they replaced Alex Ward during the season with former snapper Jake McQuaide, who had been retired for 5 years.

Ward mishiked a few balls. That came up during the season. Also the LS is like the center of the OL–he calls adjustments and sets the tone. Ward was obviously not good at that, and McQuaide was retired so they can’t count on him in the future.

At New England, Cardonna was a team captain as a long snapper, which tells you about his “like the center on the OL the LS is the boss of the kicking units” role.

The Rams aren't playing around on special teams. Contract details show they made Joe Cardona the highest-paid long snapper in the NFL, giving him a fully guaranteed two-year deal. https://t.co/hzzt3xmdlK

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) March 16, 2026

zn wrote:

ATKINS: After bringing in three big-name defensive backs, perhaps the only need that stands out on offense or defense now is wide receiver.

from Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50: 2026 NFL Draft prospect rankings — https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremiah-s-top-50-2026-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings-3-0

Rank 6: Carnell Tate
Ohio State · WR · Junior
Tate is a tall, long wideout with better play speed than timed speed and outstanding production. He has excellent suddenness to defeat press coverage, and he covers ground quickly with his long stride. He attacks the defender’s leverage when they play him in off coverage. He has strong/reliable hands in traffic and tracks the ball beautifully over his shoulder down the field. He can access an extra gear when the ball is in the air. He is a loose athlete and that shows up when he adjusts to balls thrown on his back shoulder. He is efficient with his footwork when working back to the quarterback. He’s not exceptionally dynamic with the ball in his hands. Overall, Tate should provide an immediate impact in the vertical passing game.

Rank 11: Makai Lemon
USC · WR · Junior
Lemon is one of my favorite players in this draft. He is a wideout with a running back’s body and a linebacker’s temperament. He is at his best working in the slot. He wins with quickness off the line, understands how to tempo routes and consistently wins in traffic. He doesn’t waste steps and he can explode in and out of the break point. He plays bigger than his size, displaying several 50/50-ball wins on elevated throws. To see his entire repertoire, just throw on the Iowa tape. He was a craftsman in that game and couldn’t be covered (10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown). He is ultra-competitive after the catch, breaking tackles and fighting for yards. Overall, Lemon is going to draw a lot of comparisons to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and they are warranted.

Rank 18: Omar Cooper Jr.
Indiana · WR · Junior (RS)
Cooper is one of my favorite players to study in this year’s draft. He’s strong, reliable and explosive. He uses his lower-body strength to run through press coverage and he’s a loose/fluid route runner. He plays without fear in the middle of the field, making combat catches look easy. He can really pluck the ball and stays grounded through the catch on crossers. Also, he can elevate and play above the rim (SEE: game-winner against Penn State) when necessary. After the catch, he has the power to break tackles and enough speed to pull away. Sources at the school rave about his makeup and competitiveness. Overall, Cooper fits the exact model of wideouts finding immediate success in the NFL.

Rank 21: Jordyn Tyson
Arizona State · WR · Junior (RS)
Tyson is an explosive receiver with a lot of “wow” plays littered throughout his tape. He is a very fluid mover, and he incorporates a variety of releases and general creativity into his route-running. He has suddenness off the line and out of breaks down the field. He will weave and get cornerbacks off balance before exploding away from them. He makes some incredible catches on deep balls; he tracks the ball with ease over the shoulder and can almost hover in the air waiting for it to come down. After the catch, he has some wiggle to make defenders miss and excellent speed to pull away. Durability was an issue throughout his college career — that’s the only factor keeping him from a higher grade/projection.

Rank 25: Denzel Boston
Washington · WR · Junior (RS)
Boston is a big-framed wideout with exceptional ball skills and production. He lines up both outside and in the slot. He uses his upper-body strength to power through press coverage. He is a long strider and understands how to use his big body to wall off defenders at all three levels. He is an outstanding ball winner. He has a huge catch radius and can play above the rim in the red zone. He makes some outstanding catches (SEE: the Colorado State and Michigan games). After the catch, he relies more on physicality than finesse to create extra yardage. Overall, Boston’s skill set is very similar to Courtland Sutton’s when the two-time Pro Bowler was coming out of SMU.

Rank 33: KC Concepcion
Texas A&M · WR · Junior
Concepcion is an undersized receiver with elite burst and inconsistent hands. His speed jumps off the screen. You can see it right off the snap: He uses a quick jab step and then explodes down the field. He creates massive separation against quality competition. He hauls in a lot of quick-hitters (bubbles, slants and shallow crossers). His hands have been the biggest issue; he has too many concentration drops. When he does finish the catch, he is dynamic with the ball in his hands. His transition from catch to run is immediate and explosive. Overall, Concepcion is an intriguing player who needs to decrease his drop rate.

Rank 48: Antonio Williams
Clemson · WR · Junior (RS)
Williams is a slightly undersized slot receiver. He has outstanding short-area quickness, ball skills and run-after-catch ability. He explodes off the ball with quick, choppy steps, setting up defenders and creating separation out of the break point. He’s very twitchy and excels on pivot routes because of his stop/start skills. He has a good feel for settling in zones and presents a good target to his quarterback. He plays much bigger than his size when the ball is in the air. He can elevate and play above the rim. He’s very competitive in all areas of his game. Overall, Williams is an ideal slot receiver with the upside to be a high-volume pass catcher at the next level.

Rank 50: Germie Bernard
Alabama · WR · Senior
Bernard is a strong, sturdy wideout. He was utilized in a variety of alignments in the Crimson Tide offense, taking snaps out wide, in the slot, at running back and as a Wildcat quarterback. His quickness is a weapon off the line and at the top of routes. He can separate underneath and has strong hands to attack the ball. He tracks the ball well down the field, too. Bernard is at his best with the ball in his hands. He’s quick, elusive and strong to generate yards after the catch. His speed is good but not elite, and he lacks a home run gear to pull away from pursuit. I love his toughness and competitiveness as a blocker. Bernard should earn a spot as a quality starting slot receiver early in his NFL career.

Felix Prehn@felixprehn
Private equity firms bought 500 hospitals. Death rates in their emergency rooms went up 13%. They fired 12% of the staff. Then they paid themselves billions in dividends.

A Harvard study just confirmed what doctors already knew: people are dying so investors can hit quarterly targets.

Exactly what happens. A PE firm buys a hospital using debt. The debt gets placed on the hospital’s balance sheet, not the firm’s. Now the hospital owes hundreds of millions it never borrowed. To service that debt, the hospital cuts costs. Costs mean nurses.

The numbers from the Harvard/University of Chicago study are horrifying. After PE acquisition, emergency department salary spending dropped 18.2%. ICU salary spending dropped 15.9%. Hospital-wide employees were cut 11.6%. Emergency department deaths rose 13%, seven additional deaths per 10,000 visits.

A separate study found patients undergoing surgery at PE-acquired hospitals had 17% higher odds of dying within 90 days.

Steward Health Care, owned by Cerberus Capital, filed bankruptcy with $9 billion in debt after closing hospitals across Massachusetts. The CEO lived on a $40 million yacht while emergency rooms went dark. Eight hospitals serving 2 million people nearly disappeared because a PE fund extracted more cash than the system could survive.

The private equity industry has poured over $1 trillion into healthcare. They operate a quarter of ERs nationwide. This isn’t going away.

The investing angle nobody talks about.

Non-PE hospital operators like HCA Healthcare (HCA) and Tenet (THC) are the direct beneficiaries. Every time a PE hospital closes or deteriorates, patients flow to the nearest competitor. HCA has returned 1,200% since 2011. Patient volume from PE closures is a structural tailwind nobody’s pricing in.

Medical staffing firms (AMN Healthcare, Cross Country) charge premium rates specifically because PE hospitals cut staff. The staffing shortage IS the business model for these companies.

The disruption play: outpatient surgical centers (SCA Health, now part of UnitedHealth) are pulling profitable procedures out of hospitals entirely. PE-owned hospitals lose their highest-margin surgeries to outpatient, and the death spiral accelerates.

Pull up tradevision and monitor healthcare M&A alerts, hospital closure filings, and patient volume migration data. When a PE-owned hospital announces “restructuring,” the patient volume shift to competitors like HCA starts within 30 days. That 30-day window is when the competitor’s earnings revisions haven’t updated yet. Free to try.

(a private equity firm bought your local hospital. borrowed $500 million in the hospital’s name. fired 12% of the nurses. emergency room deaths rose 13%. then they paid themselves dividends. nobody went to prison. they’re currently buying another hospital.)

from quora, by Franklin Veaux

Q: Is Quora currently under assault by Russian propagandists?

Kind of. I mean, yes, Russian propagandists are trying to assault Quora, but rather surprisingly, it’s been a lot less effective on Quora than on other social media.

As I write this, in March 2026, the narrative Russian trolls are pushing online is “as a Democrat, I stand behind President Trump and the war on Iran, do you?” I’m seeing this everywhere: Facebook, the social media hate site formerly known as Twitter, Threads, indie political forums, Quora, you name it.

Basically everywhere I go online, I see people saying “I’m a liberal Democrat but I think Trump’s war on Iran is wonderful, don’t you?”, often with word for word identical posts across different profiles on different sites.

It’s obvious why:

The attacks on Iran have caused oil prices to skyrocket, which has given Russia an enormous, unexpected influx of cash.
The US is depleting its supply of missiles, cruise missiles, and defensive weapons at a prodigious rate.
It’s costing the US staggering amounts of money.
It’s fracturing US society.
It’s damaging US allies in the Middle East.
It’s distracting people from the war in Ukraine.
It’s depleting stores of weapons that might otherwise be bought from the US by Europe and sent to Ukraine.
It’s providing Russia and China with an absolute treasure trove of information about American capabilities, performance, tactics, and strategies. Russia and China are getting vast quantities of high-quality, real-world data on how our stealth technology works in real-life combat, how we use it, how we deploy it, how well it performs, and how we support it logistically. That information is incredibly valuable to them. Combat tactics and strategies that were highly classified are being broadcast live to the entire world.
Our attacks on Iran are the best thing that could ever happen to China and Russia right now. We are pouring money into Russia, harming our own economy, giving away reams of data about our most modern weapons and combat capabilities, distracting attention from Ukraine, depriving Ukraine of arms, and shooting ourselves in the foot, with no clear objective.

So yeah, Russian trolls are all over the internetverse cheering it on.

It’s not as effective on Quora as it is on sites like Facebook and Xitter, and that honestly kinda surprises me.

Rams Wire@TheRamsWire
Trent McDuffie told Puka Nacua ‘he better be ready’ for battles in practice

Zooey wrote:

Turns out that the Rams tendered Smith on March 2.

Smith is the perfect player to use in the “fake fumbled punt” play they are working on. I mean, unless he fumbles.

Steve and Sam explain why the Rams are in a GREAT spot heading into the draft 👀

“They have no real weakness on the roster right now, plus the 13th overall pick and a history of trying to trade up. So the question we’re asking now is: who do you want in this draft?” pic.twitter.com/mr0UIo5lrS

— Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson (@CTM_Show) March 13, 2026

Dianna Russini@DMRussini
After serious conversations with both the Rams and Patriots, the Eagles will not trade A.J. Brown at this time, according to multiple league sources.

Both teams remain interested, but no move is imminent. If a trade were to happen, it would likely heat up closer to June 1.

Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
No AJ Brown craze coming right now. The cap hit on the Eagles was quite big to move him before June 1.

It’s possible this is something the Rams could circle back on later.

But they also need to find a WR3 by the draft.

Otto@hawkeyeram4life
A #Rams/#Eagles and AJ Brown connection..

In 2023 AJ Brown caught 106 passes for 1,456 yards and 7 TDs.. ever since then his stats have dropped off.

Who was his OC in Philadelphia in 2023? Brian Johnson and then they fired him after that season.. Sean McVay just brought Brian Johnson onto the staff and would have a very good idea of what AJ Brown would bring.

LAFB Network@LAFBNetwork
Cobie Durant is headed to Dallas.

After four seasons in LA, the Rams defensive back signs with the Cowboys. Thank you for the memories Cobie.