From Ranking the NFL’s head coaches: https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-best-head-coaches-andy-reid-kyle-shanahan-mike-tomlin/

1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

…

2. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

It’s so fun that you could ask Sean McVay what he was doing June 5, 2003 and he’ll be able to give you a detailed description of the omelet he made for breakfast that morning and what cartoon was on TV while he was making it.

McVay took a different approach to his offense last season and turned the Rams into a run-through-your-face power run team with a lot of play action mixed in. Matthew Stafford still has the ability to sling it, and it’ll be fun to see what the offense can do in year two of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp as a duo. McVay has already been to two Super Bowls and won one. Can the Rams make another appearance in the biggest game of the year? Who’s to say they can’t?

from https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/6/6/24172536/rams-special-teams-53-man-roster-new-kickoff-rule
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Under the new rules, there’s a lot more strategy from both sides and it’s more of a football play. Rams special teams coach Chase Blackburn spoke to the media on Tuesday and said,

“It’s just such a unique play with its own rules set right now. Still evolving with the play as it evolves…It’s more like an offensive-defensive play, so looking at it from that perspective…All that stuff is completely different and that’s the biggest feeler for everything is what are our drop angles? What are our depths and our limits? And most important thing as always, is that some things don’t change. It’s always about man meet ball. Really that’s what we’re looking for is like developing some basic fundamentals, working through some concepts and some schemes as well as even some install progressions to get into training camp, which is one of the things I think so unique about the offseason and for us to be able to sit out here and once we got to phase three where we could go against each other because really before that you’re doing some drill work but you can’t go against each other. But once you feel it as a whole perspective, it changes you outlook on a little bit. There’s so many intricacies to the rule. I’m sure some things will still change before it’s all said (and done).”

Due to touchbacks being placed at the 30-yard line rather than the 25, it’s very possible that we see more returns and less kicks out of the back of the end zone. With that said, it’s going to be important for special teams units to have a plan on not only how to cover the play, but how to block it on the returning side. Blackburn noted on Tuesday that they could look to use some gap scheme type blocking or zone plays that could help get the returner to the second level. This is much more a “football” offense-defense play than it has been in the past. It’s a phase of the game that can’y simply be put on the back-burner or it may cost teams game.

This is the approach that the Rams have taken, especially at the returner position throughout the Sean McVay era. Pharaoh Cooper did make a Pro Bowl in 2017 and Brandon Powell also had some success. With that said, that’s not something that they’ll be able to do this year. It’s also a reason why they potentially signed Boston Scott who has both punt and kick returner experience. Blackburn jokingly said that rookie edge Jared Verse wants to be a returner and then continued by saying,

“There’s definitely some variables there. I think the one thing you got to look at is from a returner’s perspective, one of the things that we really tried to identify is guys that…like center fielders that can cover a lot of ground, can read and have a great jump off the bat. It’s no different than than our returners now being able to have like tennis feet where they’re kind of fluid early in the down and get a good jump as soon as it hits the foot. Instead of a 4.2 second hang, you’re probably going to average around a two second hang time now because it’s more advantageous for our kickoff team to get it up and down as fast as possible and not let the returner sit underneath that, camp out and take off… I think, even the guys that say they want have one returner back there, I think that’s an out-of-the box thinking…You’ll see most teams will go with two. Maybe there’ll be a couple guys in the preseason that try one, see what they can get away with blocking scheme wise. But I really truly believe that two returners will be what you see most likely.”

…

More high profile players and skill position players could get more involved in the third-phase of the game. The Rams haven’t typically kept many linebackers on the final 53-man roster anyway. However, with the new rules that might be the case even more. The Rams could keep extra wide receivers or defensive backs instead.

Last season, Ethan Evans was the player that took kickoffs for the Rams. Evans led all kickers with an average distance of 72 yards per attempt and had the fourth-lowest return percentage. While the Rams may not go to the extreme of taking Evans off of kickoff duty, this was something that Blackburn talked about with the media,

“The way I look at it is, yeah, you don’t want your kicker making a ton of tackles, right? But also, again, if it’s short of the 20 or out of bounds, the ball’s going 25 yards from the spot of kick. So you’re going the 40-yard line. You don’t want start too many drives like that. And I’d say there’s not too many position players that you could bank on having 80% of the kicks without like a traditional…Because again, if you’re kicking the ball to the 10-yard line and they can get underneath it and run, they’re going be at the 30-35 before you turn around.”

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2024/06/05/rams-draft-big-board-top-prospects-verse-fiske/?taid=66610a283c1f320001c0281b&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

During the latest episode of “Behind The Grind,” director of scouting strategy James Gladstone told Les Snead and Sean McVay that the Rams landed four of the top 50 players on their board by drafting Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Blake Corum and Kamren Kinchens in the first three rounds.

Rams rookie Blake Corum hits the ground running during offseason workouts

By Gary Klein

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2024-06-04/rams-rookie-blake-corum-hits-the-ground-running

He was a two-time All-American at Michigan and the offensive most valuable player in the Wolverines’ national championship game victory over Washington.

So running back Blake Corum had pedigree when the Rams selected him in the third round of the NFL draft.

Yet Corum has gone through the Rams’ offseason program with an attitude that tilted more neophyte than seasoned performer.

“You just have to go in with a humble heart, and the mindset of, ‘I don’t know anything,’” Corum said Tuesday after practice, adding, “I’m going to grow from the good I do and whatever bad I do. … I’m never going to stop growing — so it was easy for me to come in and basically start over.”

The Rams selected the 5-foot-8, 210-pound Corum to complement third-year pro Kyren Williams, who made the Pro Bowl last season after rushing for 1,144 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns for a team that finished 10-7 and made the playoffs.

With Williams sidelined for voluntary offseason workouts because of a foot injury, Corum is taking advantage of increased reps as he learns the offense.

“I’ve seen a very mature rookie,” coach Sean McVay said, adding, “I love his mental makeup, love the way he handles himself as a person and how locked in and focused he is.”

Corum is part of a position group that includes Williams, Ronnie Rivers, second-year pro Zach Evans and recently signed veteran Boston Scott. Each has displayed talent and growth — in the meeting room and on the field — during the offseason program, running backs coach Ron Gould said.

Upon Corum’s arrival in Thousand Oaks, Gould sat down with the rookie and urged him not to be too hard on himself if he committed mistakes. The worst thing Corum could do, Gould said, was put pressure on himself.

“He hasn’t done that up to this point,” Gould said. “He’s taken everything in stride. He’s a learner, and I see him growing every single day.”

Corum used a tough running style to rush for 3,737 yards and 58 touchdowns during four seasons at Michigan.

After selecting Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse in the first round of the draft, and trading up to pick Seminoles defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the second, the Rams chose Corum with the 83rd pick.

“I went into the draft just planning on going on Day 2,” Corum said. “I didn’t know if it would be the second or third [round] for me — I just wanted to go to the right situation.

“When I got the call from the Rams I was like, ‘You know what? This is the right situation.’”

McVay, Gould, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and the other running backs have eased his transition to the pros, Corum said.

“I thought I had a great family at Michigan,” Corum said. “We built a great culture there, and I didn’t know what to expect coming to the NFL where it is a business now. But it feels like family.”

After the Rams conclude workouts next week, Corum said he would leave Southern California briefly to conduct football camps in Michigan and home-state Virginia. He will return quickly to prepare for training camp, which begins in late July.

“Maybe go down to Malibu, check out a beach or two,” he said. “But other than that, I’m going to be spacing my time wisely, taking care of my body, training every day to make sure I’m in shape for camp and staying in the playbook.”

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2024/06/03/rams-jared-verse-byron-young-otas-draft-2024/?taid=66601b1b3c1f320001cb1343&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

[Byron] Young was asked to name a teammate who’s stood out in OTAs thus far and he immediately went to Verse.

“I’m going to start with Jared Verse. No lie, if you’ve been here so far, he’s just handling it like a pro,” Young said. “His get-off is insane, rushing the passer, every day just showing up, listening, being accountable. Me being a vet and him being younger, he’s listening. He’s just a guy that wants to learn. Every day I talk to him and that’s what I love about him. He’s a guy that’s hungry. He’s definitely hungry.”

Verse might only be a rookie, but he’s making his voice known in practice. Young says Verse is vocal on the field, which provides some extra juice for the defense – something he loves to see from the first-year edge rusher.

“I love it. I was telling coach about that the other day. He definitely brings the dog out of me,” Young said. “His aggression, his love for the game. Every day he comes out there, you’re going to hear him and that’s what we need. We need that spark, man. It’ll be some days, I feel like we’re starting slow but you will hear him and he will spark up the team. when they drafted him, I already knew he was like that, so I was just happy. I was like, I’ve got to come out of my shell more so he’s definitely going to have me do that.”

Young and Verse are projected to be the starting outside linebackers for the Rams this season, with Michael Hoecht also in the mix. Young and Verse bring an abundance of speed and power on the outside, especially with Young bulking up and adding 10 pounds of muscle to his frame this offseason.

from PFF Safety Rankings: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-safety-rankings-top-32-2024-nfl-season

21. KAMREN CURL, LOS ANGELES RAMS

Although Curl had a breakout 2022 season in which he posted a second-ranked 82.9 PFF overall grade, he couldn’t replicate that performance in 2023, as his 66.6 mark ranked just 50th. But since entering the league, Curl still ranks 17th among safeties in overall grade (78.0) and 19th in coverage grade (83.7).

How Will Players View An 18-Game NFL Regular-Season Schedule?

By Ross Tucker

. https://www.the33rdteam.com/how-will-players-view-an-18-game-nfl-regular-season-schedule/

The NFL is going to have an 18-game regular season. That feels inevitable at this point.

It will take some time to sort out questions such as when and how, not to mention myriad details. However, the why is pretty obvious and is the answer to most questions when it comes to business in general and the NFL in particular: money.

The big question revolves around the players’ appetite for adding another game after a close and contentious NFL Players Association (NFLPA) vote to approve the last collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2021. That CBA added the 17th game that has been part of the NFL schedule for the past three years.

I think the rhetoric and debate will be similar to 2021’s before the two sides reach the same conclusion of adding an “extra” game. Rather than get bogged down in the details of the inner workings of the players’ union or even the fact that it sounds like the NFL wants to implement this sooner rather than later — which would mean opening up a CBA that doesn’t expire until 2030 — I want to look at it from a player’s perspective.

There are reasons why I suspect the players will ultimately be in favor of adding a game yet again.

Unlike the professional athletes in the MLB or the NBA, the stars of the NFL don’t run the show. This is because the sport is a numbers game, and there are a lot more rank-and-file players making the minimum salary in the NFL than there are in the other sports. Those players, for the most part, are very well aware of their football mortality.

I know because I was one of them, making the league minimum for five of my seven years in the league.

The best way I can describe the extra game is that if you went into the locker room of every team that didn’t make the playoffs immediately after the last game and asked them if they were willing to play one more game (and get the game check that comes with it!) the following week, the vast majority of them would say yes.

Yes, they would be worn down and beat up at that point. And having to play another game after such a long, grueling season would not be ideal. However, the answer would be yes because the opportunity to make another $50,000-$85,000 for one more week of work is worth it for those players and their families. And that is just what the checks look like for the guys making the minimum.

This is pro football, after all, and the players are cognizant of the trade they make on a yearly, weekly and even daily basis: They are willingly suffering bodily harm in exchange for a great financial head start and a measure of financial security.

At that point in the season, the players would have put in all the time prepping for the season from the offseason program workouts in March and April to the OTAs and minicamps in May and June and training camp in July and August. That’s before even getting to the season itself. Many realize that there is no guarantee of even being on a roster the following year. But even if it was, they put in all that work to get to that point, so why not push through and play one more time?

There will be stars and long-time established veterans who will push back, but ultimately there are way more minimum-salary types than there are the other type of guy.

When doing the math, the extra game will generate so much more revenue that those game checks would be a decent amount bigger than the numbers above that represent the current paychecks.

Should there be an additional bye week like Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow talked about recently? That makes sense, but unless the NFL starts the season earlier, the Super Bowl would not land on the three-day weekend Roger Goodell referenced in an interview with Pat McAfee.

Multiple people have told me — and I’ve never understood this — the television networks don’t want an additional bye week, even though that would give them another week of the best program inventory going.

Another concern is that increased exposure means a greater potential of season-ending injuries for star players. However, both anecdotally and based on the league’s data, it doesn’t appear that has been a major factor to this point over the three seasons since the addition of the 17th game.

There’s also a thought that these longer seasons could lead to shorter NFL careers, which seems like a reasonable conclusion. But is that a big negative if the economics are so much better? In other words, isn’t it ultimately better for a player’s body to make $5 million in five seasons and retire at 27 then to make that same money over seven seasons and play until you are 29?

I’d sign up for five longer seasons if that meant two fewer training camps and full seasons … if that’s how the math worked out.

The devil, as they say, is in the details, and we’ll see what the NFL is willing to give up to get the extra game. Can the players go from 48.5 percent of the revenue to 50 percent or close to it? How much do the minimum salaries increase? Will there be more roster spots, perhaps?

Whatever the solutions are, my guess is the players will eventually agree to adding an 18th game because, right or wrong, it’s worth it.

4 of these 15 guys were not 1st rounders and I wish the Ram had picked one to pair with Donald. Instead they had to pay for rentals from Fowler and Von Miller and then signed Floyd.

Les Snead earns PFWA’s 2024 Jack Horrigan Award

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/les-snead-earns-pfwa-s-2024-jack-horrigan-award

Les Snead’s professionalism off the field has earned him recognition from the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).

The PFWA on Friday announced the Rams general manager earned its Jack Horrigan Award, which is awarded to a league, club or person for his or her qualities and professional style in helping the pro football writers do their job.

“Les believes that football is an endless source of curiosity. He is also in a position of power to where, should he want to seek and find the answers to a million questions about the evolution and dynamics of the sport, he could very well keep that gate shut for himself and his staff, and keep those answers for himself and everyone else out. Instead, when Les comes across journalists who are ALSO curious, who want to learn, and who are on the outside of buildings looking in — he opens that gate,” PFWA Los Angeles Rams chapter vice president Jourdan Rodrigue, who covers the Rams for The Athletic, said in the PFWA’s release. “When I arrived in Los Angeles — a young, female beat reporter hungry to learn — Les’ open-door policy about all things football changed my life. A two-dimensional world became three and four-dimensional. By explaining things and answering endless questions and saying ‘yes’ to endless ideas, Les empowered curiosity, and he helped preserve in history some of the key stories that are shaping this league.

“When people in power open the door of access to those who are seeking knowledge, particularly underrepresented voices who have something to contribute to the fabric, the sport we love progresses. When ideas are shared, they challenge everybody to push forward. Les embodies this and is so deserving of this award.”

The 52nd Horrigan Award winner, Snead is the second member of the Rams franchise to receive the award, joining head coach John Robinson (1992). According to the PFWA, he is the first general manager to win the award since the Bills’ Brandon Beane in 2021, and the third general manager in the last five years to be recognized with the award by its membership.

In that same release, the PFWA said Snead “has maintained an open-door policy with the media, who have relied on him to discuss and analyze his decisions.”

The 2023 season marked Snead’s 12th as general manager of the Rams. While Los Angeles entered last season with second-youngest active roster in the NFL, the collection of talent assembled by its scouting department and guided by its coaching staff finished 10-7 and earned the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture.

In 2021, Snead and Los Angeles’ scouting department – in partnership with head coach Sean McVay and his staff – helped build a team that won Super Bowl LVI that season.

..

Well it looks like Convict has been trumped.