The 33rd Team@The33rdTeamFB
Puka Nacua’s career is off to a special start 💫

Since 2000, only two players recorded more receiving yards in their first 28 games than Nacua (2,476):

🍎 Odell Beckham Jr. (2,828)
🟣 Justin Jefferson (2,609)

#Rams are set to have the cheapest defense in the NFL for a 3rd consecutive year.. seems like that isn’t much of an issue with all the young talent the Rams have on D, they ranked at #10 in pass defense last year, and 5th in red-zone defense with a 50% TD rate and 44% in the… pic.twitter.com/pbRkeKYOli

— Rams Tapes 🇵🇷 (@RamsTapes) April 8, 2025

Matthew Gertz@MattGertz
The current GOP plan is to support Trump’s tariffs as they trigger a global recession, then, as unemployment soars, slash Medicaid, food stamps and other social safety net spending while implementing a massive tax cut weighted toward the rich.

Happy birthday @MarcBulger10 ! One of my favorite players to watch growing up. A very underrated QB in franchise history.

Highlights from one of his many 4th quarter comeback victories – this against San Diego in his breakout year of 2002

What is your favorite Bulger moment? pic.twitter.com/VGtJmXcLDy

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) April 5, 2025

.

Bulger was a great example of a how “arm strength” isn’t about how far someone can throw the ball. I doubt Bulger could pass over 60+ yards in the air but his ball speed & velocity was incredible. His release was one of the fastest in league history

41 yard STRIKE to Curtis pic.twitter.com/Uq6qCpgey0

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) April 6, 2025

No one can convince me that anyone in this world is Tougher/Grittier than Matthew Stafford…. 😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/SVEPIx5hpo

— RamsNation (@LARamsey46) April 3, 2025

from https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2025/4/3/24399928/rams-news-sean-mcvay-power-ranking

A power ranking done by the highly recognized football source MSN recently placed Sean McVay at #2 on its head coaching power ranking. Being ranked so high (more or less regardless of who does the ranking) is a feat.

NFL Head Coach Power Rankings: All 32 Coaches In 2025 (msn.com)

3) John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

The other Harbaugh brother has been one of the top head coaches in the NFL since the Ravens hired him in 2008, winning the Super Bowl in 2012. Furthermore, he has won double-digit games in six of the past seven seasons, including 12 or more three times.

2) Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

Whenever an NFL team fires its head coach, it is looking for the next McVay. He has been one of the top head coaches since taking over the Rams in 2017 at the age of 31. McVay has had only one losing season in eight years, making two Super Bowl appearances.

1) Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

Reid might go down in NFL history as the top head coach of all time. He has made six Super Bowl appearances during his 26 years as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, winning three of the past six titles.”

canadaram wrote:

will be interested to see what happens with QB. I’m glad that they took Verse last year, but I would’ve been fine had they traded up for Penix or Nix. There needs to be some succession plan for Stafford. I kinda think the market for Jaxson Dart will start with the Steelers at pick 21 and run through to pick 25. Not that I expect any of the teams currently picking between the Steelers and Rams to pick a qb, but if none of the Browns, Giants or Raiders pick a QB in the first round, it wouldn’t surprise me to see one of them trade up in front of the Rams if there is any inkling that the Rams might go qb there.

Of course, this is assuming that Sanders doesn’t drop like some pundits have suggested.

I appreciate your thoughts on this.

Mine are considerably less well-informed or detail-based.

I just think that if they keep drafting the way they have been since 2023, then they will score some players no matter what they do. QB probably being the chanciest, but then that comes with the territory.

This is a good draft to go a lot of different ways and act opportunistically depending on how things fall out on draft day (ie who gets picked before them, who will trade with them so they can move up or down).

They nailed free agency I thought and therefore are in a great position to find and make the most out of draft day opportunities.

Lots of room to maneuver and different things they can do.

In 2024 they were stuck in a “draft for need” situation because they needed an edge, period. And…they picked the DROY at 19.

Now the “need” issue is less pressing. They have a deck full of wild cards and could go any number of different directions and do well no matter what. In alphabetical order: CB? DL(in a DL rich draft)? OL? QB? TE? WR?

Looking back, it’s like 97 and 98 v. 99. They had things they needed in 97/98. In 99, after the Faulk trade and signing Green, they were pretty well set. They didn’t NEED Holt, but there he was.

…

Los Angeles Rams NFL Draft 2025 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs

By Jourdan Rodrigue

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6233149/2025/03/31/los-angeles-rams-2025-nfl-draft-picks-needs-predictions-guide/

A season after a surprise run to the playoffs that ended in a wild-card loss, the Rams won the NFC West and lost to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Eagles in the divisional round in 2024. Matthew Stafford is returning in 2025 after his representatives were given permission to explore a trade. Meanwhile, the young defensive line has quickly become a team strength. That’s put the Rams in position to compete for another division title and you know McVay and company would love to find themselves in Super Bowl contention after winning the 2021 championship.

Scouting the decision-makers

Last draft, the Rams made a first-round selection for the first time since 2016 when picking outside linebacker Jared Verse — the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year. This year, it would hardly be a surprise to see GM Les Snead trade back from No. 26 to stockpile more picks, especially a second-rounder given up to trade up for Braden Fiske last year (he was a finalist for DROY).

Rams’ key free-agent signings
• WR Davante Adams: Two years, $46 million
• DT Poona Ford: Three years, up to $29.6 million
• C Coleman Shelton: Two years, $12 million

Rams’ key positions of need

Cornerback: The Rams re-signed Ahkello Witherspoon to a one-year deal and Cobie Durant, who has played nickel and outside corner, enters the final year on his rookie contract. The Rams need to look at this position group in the draft with veteran starter Darious Williams on the second year of a three-year deal.

Inside linebacker: Omar Speights really progressed through the latter part of the year and if he takes another step forward he could secure that full-time ILB1 spot. They added Nate Landman in free agency after Christian Rozeboom and Jake Hummel left in free agency and will likely still look to the draft here.

Right tackle: Starting right tackle and team captain Rob Havenstein will be back in 2025, and playing on the final year of his contract. The Rams need to identify the heir to his position.

Tight end: McVay’s background with the tight end position, his efforts to trade up for Brock Bowers last draft and that Tyler Higbee will play on the final year of his contract in 2025 mean this talented young class can’t be ruled out. It’s tough to predict especially where the top tight ends in this draft class will be drafted because there simply is not a ton of precedent for the position having massive success in the first round. The Rams may look at the second and third rounds here.

Receiver: Yes, the Rams added Davante Adams in free agency and yes, they have Puka Nacua, who has 2,476 receiving yards in his first two seasons. But McVay and the Rams have a way of finding exceptional receivers beyond Round 1 (Nacua, fifth round in 2023; Cooper Kupp, third round in 2017). Jordan Whittington (sixth round in 2024) could take on a bigger role in 2025.

Byron Young had 9 sacks last season (including playoffs). BY is an underrated piece to the defensive front.

With the loss of M. Hoecht, I expect BY to take another step up in year 3. The Rams DLine/Edge unit are young but ultra talented and growing together. A tough front! pic.twitter.com/mUeTgXPgKg

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) April 3, 2025

Record high can’t afford health care: Gallup

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5228018-health-care-record-high-unable-to-afford-gallup-report/

The share of U.S. adults who have recently been unable to afford health care has reached a new high, according to report published by Gallup, with Black and Hispanic adults accounting for much of the increase.

The Gallup report, conducted in partnership with the nonprofit West Health, found that 11 percent of U.S. adults — roughly 29 million — have recently been unable to afford or access quality health care. That marks a 3 percentage point increase since 2021. The analysis indicated, however, that there was no “meaningful change” in the proportion of white U.S. adults or middle- to high-income earners in that time.

“The most notable increases since 2021 have occurred among Hispanic adults (up eight percentage points to 18%), Black adults (up five points to 14%,) and the lowest-income households, earning under $24,000 per year (up 11 points to 25%),” the report found.

Adults who found themselves unable to access or afford quality health care were classified as “cost desperate” for the purposes of the report.

The percentage of adults who could be considered cost desperate increased across age ranges, though to varying degrees. Among those 65 and older the rate rose by 1 percentage point between 2021 and 2024, reaching 4 percent, while it climbed 3 points to 11 percent among those aged 50 to 64 and 4 points to 14 percent among those younger than 50.

At the same time, the proportion of adults who could be classified as “cost secure” — defined as individuals who have “access to quality, affordable care and can pay for needed care and medicine” by Gallup and West Health — reached its lowest level. Only half of adults qualified for this category.

Across demographics, the percentage of Hispanic adults considered to be cost secure fell the most, going from 51 percent to 34 percent. Among Black adults, the percentage of those who were cost secure fell by 13 percentage points down to 41 percent. The percentage of white adults in 2024 who were cost secure remained the same when compared to 2021.

Gallup stated these findings are further indication of an increasing disparity in quality health care access across racial and ethnic groups.

“The erosion of cost security in healthcare comes with serious practical implications for the American public,” the Gallup report stated. “Recent research from West Health and Gallup shows that 12% of U.S. adults report borrowing money to pay for healthcare last year, amounting to an estimated $74 billion borrowed, and nearly 60% of U.S. adults report feeling ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ concerned about going into debt due to a major medical event.”

The report comes as Republicans in Congress are eyeing likely cuts to Medicaid to pay for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. Medicaid covers roughly a fifth of Americans, and if federal funding is cut, states are unlikely to be able to make up the difference, as health policy research group KFF noted last month.

from PFF, Ranking the NFL’s most productive rookie classes from 2024: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-ranking-most-productive-rookie-classes-2024?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhtwitter&utm_content=null

1. Los Angeles Rams

Snaps Played: 7,649
PFF WAR: 0.68

Jared Verse, the Rams’ first first-round pick in eight years paid off right away, slotting sixth in PFF overall grade among qualified edge rushers en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Beyond Verse, Los Angeles set a strong defensive foundation with Braden Fiske (59 pressures), Kam Kinchens (73.7 PFF coverage grade) and Omar Speights (77.6 PFF run-defense grade), all of whom project to start again in 2025. Offensively, Jordan Whittington (78.9 PFF receiving grade) and Beaux Limmer (1,040 snaps) offered supplementary contributions.

MarkMaske@MarkMaske
The NFL said that Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology will be used next season to electronically measure first downs, as the system is put into regular season use for the first time.

Frank Schwab@YahooSchwab
Feel the need to say again, this doesn’t solve anything we complain about. It practically never happens that the chain gang incorrectly measures whether it’s a first down or not. It’s the spot of the ball that’s the concern.

Like, the Josh Allen QB sneak at KC. There’s not a soul among the 50 million or so who watched who thought the spot was perfect but the measurement was wrong. HawkEye doesn’t change that, or any other disputed call really. Just speeds things up marginally. Which is fine.

NEW: The Trump administration acknowledged deporting a man to El Salvador in “error” but said there was nothing it could do to seek his return to U.S. custody. https://t.co/r16pKHDnkk pic.twitter.com/fMgXlsDC7x

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 1, 2025

Trump's lawyers are arguing that because they've dumped this guy in a Salvadoran prison, he can't file a habeas corpus petition, because he's no longer in American custody. They're arguing that once you get to sent to El Salvador, no court can order the govt to bring you back. pic.twitter.com/HswVa2Sr47

— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) April 1, 2025

zn wrote:

We don’t really know their cap yet though because we don’t know Stafford’s contract numbers yet.

from Rodrigue, https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6244757/2025/03/31/rams-kyren-williams-contract-les-snead-owners-meetings/

• Snead said the Rams have yet to “execute the paperwork” on Stafford’s adjusted contract, the terms of which he agreed to last month. He declined to clarify the specific terms of the deal, though it is believed to have a similar structure as last year’s adjustment that moved future money into the current season. The contract was adjusted under its existing years — through 2026 — and was referred to as a “vow renewal” in previous comments by Snead. McVay said the Rams plan to revisit the terms each offseason with Stafford as he decides how long he wants to keep playing.

“It’ll be done very soon,” said Pastoors, who also declined to clarify the terms. “But we feel good about it, he feels good about it. We’re getting through paperwork right now.”

Pastoors added that the understanding the Rams will again revisit Stafford’s contract with him in 2026 is a “good problem to have.”