Zooey wrote:

They have to keep Edwards. A guy who wins contested catches has a job. It doesn’t matter if he can’t always separate if he catches the ball anyway. Sometimes you need 6 yards.

We know they already have 4. Nakua, Adams, Mumpfield, Whittington. They won’t keep more than 6 I think (we’ll see).

My bet is that Daniels won’t make the practice squad. Edwards could make the practice squad.

They do seem to be going out of their way to giving Smith a 2nd chance after he cost them a super bowl. Plus he may be the only one out of all of them who has some speed.

99 was different. In hindsight you could see where it came from, but at the moment, when the season started, people were thinking they would be lucky to have a winning record.

And then it became a season that at the end had 2, not 1 but 2, “The Catches” (Proehl and Bruce).

This is different from that. If they don’t make it, it will be like “yeah, figures”—because it won’t be the team being a paper tiger, it will be some kind of bad luck or unexpected obstacle. If they do make it, it will actually be a huge feeling of relief.

But then we haven’t seen them play. Maybe they really are a juggernaut.

Zooey wrote:

What do you think?

I don’t think I have a real good handle on writing team v. team comparisons.

So I am just going to crow about the Rams team-building over the last few years. This was posted somewhere else a few days ago but it didn’t go anywhere so now I put it here.

The other day I was posting some media buzz about Josiah Stewart, who has impressed people in camp and then didn’t play in the PS games cause I guess he’s already elevated on the Rams roster. Then I posted a bit about Kobie Turner being a great pass rusher.

You know the feeling. I mean…this is ridiculous.

Think of the sad, empty days from 2000 through to probably 2017 when Rams drafting was sometimes downright awful though mostly was just mediocre. Name another team that completely wasted 2 #2 picks in the 1st round in the space of 5 years on complete busts at left tackle–-Jason Smith and Greg Robinson. (And even saying that much leaves out the bottomless abyss of despair that were the Rams drafts from 1989 to 1997.)

Actually the McVay/Snead regime was pretty much okay but not stellar from 2017-2023. Then, somehow, in 2023, they found their wings.

Plus this is the only team I can think of that had 2 blockbuster trades in one off-season–McDuffie and Garrett. It’s as if the 99 Rams traded for Faulk and then soon after that traded for Deion Sanders. And this regime can afford those big trades because their lower round drafting (plus UDFAs) are so good right now.

It’s like Rams fans overpaid for a house that needed some fixing up, and when they moved in, more and more went wrong (“now it’s the roof!”)…then one day while digging in the weed-choked yard to start a garden, find buried treasure.

Now of course I am just talking about personnel acquisitions. They haven’t won anything yet. And I always remember the 2007 Patz, who went 18-0 through the playoffs and then lost the super bowl. Results are finicky. Luck is part of that.

But…the Rams do have themselves some players.

…

Zooey wrote:

The sky is not falling in SF.

Well, based on the little bits that we know now, how do you rate the 3 big NFC West teams in comparison to each other? The Rams, the Searocks, and the SF Substationers? I’m honestly asking.

…

49ers’ offseason from hell somehow keeps getting worse

Michael Duarte

https://nypost.com/2026/08/25/sports/49ers-nightmare-offseason-jed-york-arrest-shanahan-crash-injury/

There are bad offseasons. There are even dysfunctional ones. Then there’s whatever the hell is happening to the San Francisco 49ers.

Ever since George Kittle tore his Achilles tendon in the NFL Wild Card playoffs things have been heading downhill for the 49ers. Their season ended a week later with the indignity of a 41-6 loss to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks.

And yet somehow, that miserable ending now looks like a warning of the things that followed.

On Monday, the news broke that San Francisco’s principal owner Jed York had been arrested in an Ohio-based prostitution sting.

It was the cherry on top of a string of offseason crises and controversies surrounding San Francisco, prompting the question: is this the most tumultuous and turbulent offseason in NFL history?

The NFL has produced plenty of infamous offseasons. What makes this one remarkable is the sheer variety.

The 49ers aren’t just dealing with one controversy, they’re collecting them the way Thanos collected Infinity Stones.

So, let’s examine this very long list of controversies:

Jed York’s arrest turns embarrassment into crisis

Nothing else belongs at the top of this list.

Principal owner and CEO Jed York was arrested Sunday morning in Ohio after authorities said he arranged to pay $160 for sex while communicating with an online advertisement placed as part of a prostitution sting.

York initially faced charges of engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools before pleading no contest Monday to a reduced disorderly conduct charge. He received one day in jail, credited for time served, and $1,150 in fines.

The 49ers said the legal matter had been resolved and declined further comment. The NFL said it is aware of the situation and will review it under its personal conduct policy.

For most franchises, an owner’s arrest would consume an offseason.

For the 49ers, it merely became Monday’s addition to the pile.

Kyle Shanahan’s frightening car crash

Before York’s arrest, Kyle Shanahan had already supplied the offseason’s most frightening story.

The 49ers coach was involved in a head-on collision in Palo Alto on July 14 that left him with broken ribs, a broken nose, broken hand, concussion and a facial wound requiring 40 stitches that nearly cost him his right eye.

After a state database error incorrectly blamed the other driver, a 21-year-old woman, Shanahan later accepted responsibility, saying he dropped his phone inside his Tesla, looked down for roughly two seconds and collided with a Mercedes.

The violent crash could have been far worse, and after missing the start of training camp, Shanahan eventually returned to his normal coaching duties.

But the offseason never returned to normal.

The electrical substation conspiracy gets another chapter

A viral conspiracy theory has blamed an electrical substation near the 49ers’ Santa Clara training facility for the organization’s extraordinary injury history, alleging electromagnetic fields could be weakening players’ tendons and ligaments.

Scientists have strongly disputed the theory.

That should have killed it.

Instead, the 49ers have suffered so many significant injuries that general manager John Lynch acknowledged the organization would investigate essentially everything affecting player health, including the substation claims.

When your offseason includes your GM addressing whether the local electrical grid is destroying Achilles tendons, things have taken a strange turn.

Brandon Aiyuk burns the bridge behind him

Former San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk decided to take a blowtorch to his deteriorating relationship with the 49ers.

Aiyuk’s four-year, $120 million extension in 2024 was supposed to end the drama. Instead, it became just the beginning.

After injuries, missed rehabilitation sessions, voided guarantees, disappearing communication and his placement on the reserve/left team list, Aiyuk spent this offseason publicly ripping the organization on a daily basis and pushing for an exit.

Eventually, Lynch acknowledged the obvious: Aiyuk had played his final snap as a 49er.

San Francisco responded by signing longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans.

The receivers start dropping, so Deebo Sameul comes home

Christian Kirk has battled a calf injury since July 26. Ricky Pearsall’s right knee injury landed him on injured reserve and ended his season before it began. De’Zhaun Stribling has dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues.

So the 49ers turned backward to move forward, bringing Deebo Samuel back on a one-year deal.

After all the roster construction and attempts to remake the receiving corps, San Francisco found itself calling one of Shanahan’s old security blankets because the depth chart was being devoured again.

Samuel knows the offense and gives Shanahan another versatile weapon.

More importantly, he was healthy enough to answer the phone.

McCaffrey and Bosa keep the anxiety alive

Christian McCaffrey missed nearly two weeks of practice with muscle tightness, creating speculation about both his health and contract.

McCaffrey dismissed the chatter after returning, describing his absence as planned load management designed to have him ready for the regular season.

Bosa has also dealt with tendinitis and soreness in his surgically repaired right knee while returning from the torn ACL that wrecked his 2025 season. San Francisco remains optimistic he’ll be ready for the Sept. 10 opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne.

For the 49ers, optimism might be the only healthy thing left.

The aforementioned list is just a handful of the offseason storylines surrounding San Francisco. Despite them all, the team still looks really good on paper and Shanahan remains one of the NFL’s brightest offensive minds.

The question isn’t whether the 49ers possess enough talent to reach the playoffs, it’s whether all of the chaos and controversies off the field derail everything come Sundays.

York’s arrest doesn’t change a blocking assignment. Shanahan’s car crash doesn’t change Purdy’s progressions. Internet theories don’t change red zone scoring percentages.

But distractions, injuries, and uncertainty all accumulate.

At some point, a football organization can spend so much time putting out fires that it becomes difficult to navigate the season through the smoke.

Maybe by January all this is forgotten. The stars get healthy and Shanahan guides them to another deep playoff run.

Or maybe the entire offseason has been a foreshadowing of what’s to come

from * https://captaincomeback.blog/2026/08/25/nfl-quarterbacks-with-the-most-multiple-game-winning-drives-mgwd-in-history/

Two years ago, I first wrote about the way Patrick Mahomes was specializing in the art of the Multiple Game-Winning Drive (mGWD). This is a game where a quarterback takes the lead multiple times in the fourth quarter or overtime to win the game. For it to count as a mGWD, you have to get the final game-winning drive along with an earlier go-ahead drive in a tied or one-score game

…

Here is everyone with at least one mGWD

1. Ben Roethlisberger – 12
2. Drew Brees – 11
Eli Manning – 11
4. Matthew Stafford – 10
Patrick Mahomes – 10
6. Dak Prescott – 9
Warren Moon – 9
Tom Brady – 9
9. Drew Bledsoe – 8
Russell Wilson – 8
Aaron Rodgers – 8
Derek Carr – 8
13. Brett Favre – 7
Philip Rivers – 7

….

Cody Alexander@The_Coach_A
At the NFL level, offensive coordinators are increasingly misleading defenses with their personnel.

Non-standard formations in heavy personnel create matchup problems for many NFL defenses.

12 personnel, especially with a hybrid or “flex” TE, can function as 11 personnel.

In Base defense, DCs are forced to cover down with Edges when presented with two WRs.

Traditionally, that space is occupied by a player who is more of a defensive lineman than a cover man.

The space created places a lesser athlete on a premium target.

It also dilutes the box by pulling a frontline defender away from the box.

The Rams Chris Shula, when presented with this problem against the Saints in ’25, had a clever idea:

Break the Box.

Learn how Shula’s “Penny” adjustment in Base protects his defense when offenses space his defense out:

***

How Chris Shula’s “Penny” Adjustment Protects the Box
How the Rams blend Fangio coverage mechanics and Wade Phillips front principles to defeat 12 personnel.

Cody Alexander

https://www.matchquarters.com/p/chris-shula-5-1-penny-front-box-adjustment

Since 2020, the Rams have been under the Fangio-adjacent umbrella. The system requires heavy schematic lifting by the secondary and is amplified by the rush. Without an above-average-to-elite rush, the system leaves its defensive backs on an island.

With Raheem Morris leaving for Atlanta at the conclusion of the ‘23 season, Chris Shula was promoted to defensive coordinator, bringing a new evolutionary twist to the Rams’ defense. Shula’s background includes a stop at John Carroll (‘14) between Brandon Staley’s stints as defensive coordinator (‘13, ‘15-’16).

When Staley returned to John Carroll after a one-year stint at James Madison (‘14), Shula left to become the Defensive Quality Control coach for John Pagano’s Chargers defense, which ran a Fangio-adjacent system. In ‘17, Shula joined Sean McVay’s first Rams staff (they are college best friends from Miami, OH). Shula worked under legendary coordinator Wade Phillips until Staley took over in ‘20.

It’s important to point out Shula’s background because the schematic shifts in Los Angeles feature elements of his dual background: Fangio and Phillips. One relies on coverage to answer problems, while the other uses an aggressive front to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Enter Shula, who has blended the two systems to create his own unique take on the Rams’ defense.

The Rams’ defensive identity is built on a relentless pursuit of the quarterback and an active defensive line. In ‘25, they led the league in Stunt Rate at nearly 30%, a full five points ahead of the Patriots at #2.

Last season, the Rams were top five in total pressures (5th), QB Hits (3rd), and QB Hit Rate (4th). There is an emphasis on attacking the line of scrimmage with the front.

LA also doesn’t send much pressure from the second or third levels, where they ranked 24th in Blitz Rate (<25%). The defense is designed to attack up front, which is a hallmark of a Phillips defense.

Shula’s front features five defensive linemen, giving him flexibility in sub-packages and Base (3-4) to rush the passer and attack protections. The goal in Base is to create one-on-one opportunities with five on the line of scrimmage. In Sub, the goal is to win with four and have one of the inside players require a double team.

Jared Verse: 80 total pressures | 16.8% win rate

Byron Young: 64 total pressures | 13 sacks

Kobie Turner: 55 total pressures | 8 sacks

Braden Fiske: 42 total pressures

Poona Ford: 30 total pressures

One of the major headlines this offseason was the trade for Browns DE Myles Garrett, in which the team gave up Jared Verse, their former 1st Round pick. Garrett is arguably the best defensive player in the league and finished with 25 total sacks last season. Verse is seen as an above-average pass rusher who had only 7.5 sacks last season.

Myles Garrett in 2025:

Sacks: 25.0 (1st)

PFF Pass Rush Grade: 93.3 (1st among edge rushers)

Pass Rush Win Rate: 24.6% (2nd among edge rushers)

Total Pressures: 84.0 (4th)

Shula already knows how to isolate pass rushers, but now has a force multiplier for the defensive front that was a fringe top-10 rushing team in ‘25. Garrett brings a near 25% win rate to the defense and should shift focus to the edges, which will only amplify the interior rushes of Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. Turner has the potential to be a double-digit interior rusher, which would put him into a special category.

The Rams’ defense wants to keep its front intact, even when in Base. Simulated Pressures have become more popular in the NFL, and the Rams were fifth in usage (~11%). That is a feature of the Fangio system, but with Garrett on the line of scrimmage, Shula isn’t going to want to drop him.

When offenses try to force light box responses by aligning in Spread sets within heavier packages, removing a team’s best defender from the line of scrimmage creates an advantage. The NFL is trending toward heavier packages, but that does not mean offenses are giving up space outside.

Similar to LA’s 13 personnel pivot last season on offense, it often meant getting defenses in Base personnel and attacking them through the air with TEs. Seeing this in practice daily, Shula created a clever way to “break the box” and cover down to two-receiver formations without sacrificing his front five in Base.

Against the Saints, instead of flexing Jared Verse out to cover down on a Slot receiver, Shula pushed his Mike, creating a Penny, or 5-1 alignment in his 3-4 Base. If the D-line is the “motor” for the defense, why take it apart?

In this article, I examine the 5-1 structure Shula created to keep his five-man rush intact. For LA, keeping their D-line together was essential, and he trusted them more than most coordinators. The Rams led the NFL in Dime usage at almost 30%. A DC doesn’t do that unless he thinks he can win with four.

Whether he is using 5-1 “Penny” looks against heavy personnel or leading the NFL in Dime usage on obvious passing downs, Shula’s overarching philosophy stays the same: win up front with four or five down linemen and let the coverage structure fit around them. Let’s dive into the tape!

Blaine Grisak@BGMediaOnSI
Rams EDGE Wesley Bailey was credited with TEN…yes 10 pressures against the Saints.

That was twice as many as the next closest player in Week 2 of the preseason.

Tom Brady builds the perfect NFL quarterback

• Agility: Steve Young
• Speed: Lamar Jackson
• Toughness: Brett Favre
• Pocket Presence: Andrew Luck
• Throw Power: Aaron Rodgers
• Throw Accuracy: Drew Brees
• Identify Coverage: Peyton Manning
• Playmaking: Patrick Mahomes… pic.twitter.com/Mjz4unylsS

— dank (@cptdankkk) August 24, 2026

Stetson Bennett gets moxie back vs. Saints, strengthens case to be Rams’ backup QB

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7532130/2026/08/23/rams-stetson-bennett-ty-simpson-backup-qb/?unlocked_article_code=1.7lA.PNNy.qz1Wculmw-Ee&source=emp_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

LOS ANGELES — Stetson Bennett rolled to his right on a fourth down, saw a pass rusher in his face and a cornerback draped over the receiver he needed to find, so he tried something he’s seen Matthew Stafford do time and again.

Bennett contorted his arm to toss the ball around the outstretched pass rusher, floating it over the New Orleans Saints cornerback in coverage and with a low enough trajectory to drop right into a spot where Tyler Scott could slide to make a 16-yard catch for a first down.

“At least give us a shot,” Bennett said of his approach. “I got pulled up. The flat guy got ran into, so I was thinking, ‘Just put it in a safe spot so T-Scott can go get it.’”

Saturday’s 34-0 win over the Saints featured Bennett playing loose and confident again, as he had earlier in training camp before something seemed to disappear over the past week and a half.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was playing a full half this week, with reps to build on and find a rhythm. Or perhaps the egg came before the chicken, and that throw — just his eighth of the game — got him feeling like he could play freely.

That’s how Bennett looked from that moment on. He scored two rushing touchdowns from the red zone, one on a designed keeper where he dove and reached the ball to touch the pylon, and a second after he dropped back, saw no one open and raced to a similar spot along the left sideline for the score.

Bennett finished 19-of-31 for 181 yards with no passing touchdowns, no turnovers and a quarterback rating of 77.5. The passing numbers were more safe than prolific, but they could have looked different if not for the open routes he pulled the trigger on that became pass interference calls, or a deep ball to Scott that was just a bit out of reach.

“I don’t think I put the ball in harm’s way today,” Bennett said. “Obviously, you have to keep the ball in play and keep it moving. That’s what drives defenses crazy. But it is fun to hit the big ones.”

This was the statement Bennett needed to make in a race for the backup quarterback role that had felt like it was shifting before this game. Ty Simpson, the No. 13 pick in this year’s draft, had the big performance in last week’s preseason game. Then the Rams began splitting the No. 2 reps in practice, with Bennett losing the efficiency and touch on the deep ball he had previously shown. Both areas looked improved against the Saints.

Simpson, meanwhile, only really got a mop-up duty sort of role based on how the game flowed. The Rams had slotted him in for the second half, but the Saints took the ball first for a long drive before Spencer Rattler threw a 100-yard interception to Rams safety Alex Cook, and suddenly Los Angeles was up 27-0 before Simpson got to throw his first pass with less than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Simpson finished 8-of-12 for 73 yards, no touchdowns, no turnovers and an 83.0 rating. It wasn’t anything flashy, but it was another day he felt comfortable rather than overwhelmed by an NFL playbook.

“You just have more confidence when you understand where to go with the ball and understand the game,” Simpson said. “The game in general goes in flows. The more you have the pen in your hand, the easier the game is. Once I understand the same thing the play caller understands, it’s always easier.”

As of now, it feels like Bennett is back in the lead for the No. 2 role, but we’ll get more clarity on the situation when the Rams decide whether either quarterback will play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Wesley Bailey makes statement

The Saints were driving toward the end zone on the ground, and Ty Chandler was bouncing in and around the middle of the mush when Bailey dove in and punched the ball out of his grip and into the arms of Payton Zdroik.

Through two preseason games, Bailey has been the Rams’ best player on either side of the ball. Saturday’s performance against the Saints was the latest notch, as he finished with four quarterback hits, one sack, one tackle for loss and the forced fumble.

“I thought his body of work today compared to last week was improvement, and he did some really good things last week,” coach Sean McVay said. “He was able to force the fumble. There’s certain guys you just feel on defense, where you just know they’re making their presence felt. That was how I felt about Wes Bailey all day today.”

The undrafted rookie out of Louisville has looked unblockable at times in the run and pass games with his mix of 6-foot-5 length, a chiseled frame and the speed to dip around the edge of tackles in the pass rush and through the middle of double-teams, and across the bodies of climbing guards in the run game.

It makes you wonder how a prospect like this went undrafted. Bailey didn’t explode in any single season in college, but he had at least four sacks in a season at two different schools: Rutgers and Louisville. He also posted terrific athletic testing this spring, including a 1.53-second 10-yard split, which ranks in the top 1 percent of all defensive ends in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I’m going to continuously keep working,” Bailey said. “There’s going to be good days, bad days. I’m going to continuously have that relentless effort and keep going.”

The Rams are as loaded as they come on the defensive line, and that could grow even more unfair if Aaron Donald decides to come out of retirement. Los Angeles tends to reserve its backup spots for players who can move inside and outside and provide depth in multiple spots, which isn’t Bailey’s style as a pure edge player.

But the Rams have to know by now that if they cut him, they won’t be getting him back on the practice squad. It could make for a challenging decision between him and Desjuan Johnson for the final defensive line spot.

Quick hits

• This was another busy day for CJ Daniels. The sixth-round rookie out of Miami led the Rams with 13 targets, eight catches and 68 yards. Like he has most of training camp, Daniels did most of his work in the short range on slants and crossers, but he made a nice leaping grab along the sideline for 17 yards and a first down. He also had a route where he broke open vertically into the end zone, but Bennett overthrew him. He’s battling with Xavier Smith for a potential final wide receiver spot, unless the Rams opt to keep six this year in addition to loaded rooms at running back and tight end.

• Cam Lampkin continues to look like a heads-up, physical player in this secondary. He tipped a pass and made several physical stops from the nickel position, forcing the Saints into dump-off mode rather than letting them gain much out of the slot. He’s made some nice plays on the ball in training camp, and if he can find a special teams role, he’ll have a solid chance of earning a spot as the Rams’ fifth cornerback.

• Jarquez Hunter showed many of the rushing skills that had the Rams enamored enough to trade up and draft him in the fourth round last year, just to stash him behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Hunter was decisive in his cuts between the tackles, powerful in his finishes to runs and elusive in his moments in the open field. He finished with 12 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. But to find any playing time this year, it would have to be an injury to Williams or Corum or a role to emerge for him on special teams, which has not been a big part of his involvement in camp.

• This was an important game for Blake Hance and AJ Arcuri to get some reps on tape in what could be a battle for a back-end offensive line spot if either Justin Dedich (hand) or Keagen Trost (hamstring) aren’t available to start the season. The offensive line had some penalty issues at times, but it paved the way for the run game to average 5.0 yards per carry and three touchdowns, and it held the Saints without a hit on either quarterback.

Matthew Stafford’s Top 20 Longest Throws With The Rams

.@danorlovsky7 shares a story from being teammates with Matthew Stafford while discussing Caleb Williams' arm talent 😅 pic.twitter.com/sXvKHh6dzX

— First Take (@FirstTake) August 24, 2026

Reminds me of when I talked to Sam Darnold before a Vikings game. He told me the first time anybody ever taught him and spent time on the true details of something as simple as Cover 3 was when he got to San Francisco. The why behind each defenders technique and responsibility…

— Adam Archuleta (@AdamArchuleta) August 23, 2026

Zooey wrote:

What do you mean?

I don’t see anybody else who is not on the bubble. I think Murchison, Dolac, and Thomas are all replaceable. I was just trying to add to the list of “safe” players. I’m not trying to predict a final roster, or anything. I don’t know. But I don’t think any of those 49 players will get cut in the end.

Okay.

I just think WB (Bailey) will make it.

Zooey wrote:

Players not getting McVay protection treatment, likely on roster:

QB-SB, TS
OL-JD, KT, AA
TE-MK
LB-NL,OS, GS
K-HM
P-EE

So that’s 49.

DL and Edge?