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January 11, 2024 at 3:36 pm in reply to: hiring/firing around the league (including Carroll & Belichick) #148601
znModeratorAndrew Siciliano@AndrewSicilianoBelichick opens with a zinger: “Haven’t seen this many cameras since we signed Tebow.”znModeratorFrank Schwab, from https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-picks-against-the-spread-ok-cowboys-its-now-or-never-to-make-a-playoff-run-201552782.html
Rams (+3) over Lions
Sam LaPorta‘s knee injury was the key talking point after the Lions played their starters in Week 18. That allowed the defense’s issues to fly under the radar.
The Lions secondary is not playing well. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens played twice against the Lions in the past three weeks, and he had 807 passing yards. Yes, that Nick Mullens. In Week 17, Dak Prescott threw for 345 against Detroit. Now the Lions have to face a rested Matthew Stafford, rested Cooper Kupp and record-breaking rookie Puka Nacua (and a rested Kyren Williams on the ground).
Detroit’s crowd will be great and that might make a big difference. The Lions are a good team even if LaPorta doesn’t play (and we shouldn’t expect that he will). But the Rams seem set up to get a lot of yards and points. Los Angeles has a shot at the upset. It’s a bad matchup for Detroit.
January 11, 2024 at 3:20 pm in reply to: hiring/firing around the league (including Carroll & Belichick) #148598znModeratorTera Victoria@ItsTeraTime
8 head coaching vacancies. What spot do you think is the LEAST appealing?New England
LA Chargers
Washington
Atlanta
Seattle
Carolina
Las Vegas
TennesseeznModeratorOkay, but this fails to take into account that the Rams defense has been saving up all of its turnover allotment for the playoffs. The Lions’ TE can get 50 + yards, but with 2 INTs and 2 fumble recoveries game-planned into this thing, the Rams will be fine.
Don’t know why I didn’t think of that.
znModerator🗣️KOBIEEEEEE!@TurnerKobie is the @NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for December/January! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Btx8eYVRRW
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 11, 2024
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🗣️PUUUUUUKA!@AsapPuka is the @NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for December/January! 👏 pic.twitter.com/pWGzNoduTf
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 11, 2024
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Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Month! (December / January)@AsapPuka | @TurnerKobie | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/AiNZRiL0uP
— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2024
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The only team this year to win offensive & defensive 'Rookie of the Month' in the same month. 😏@AsapPuka x @TurnerKobie pic.twitter.com/fFAuxEmdB0
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 11, 2024
znModeratorSeattleRams@seattlerams_nflQ: What do these three players have in common?Isiah LikelyLuke MusgraveDallas GoedertA: All three are TE’s who had 50+ yards receiving against the Rams defense in 2023. Each time a TE has gone for 50+, the Rams have lost.Sam LaPorta’s injury status is massive this week.znModeratorHow the Rams went from a 2022 implosion to the NFL playoffs in just 12 months
By Jourdan Rodrigue
It was literally, and figuratively, pouring in Los Angeles.
Twelve months ago this week, Rams coach Sean McVay stood at a lectern, hoarse-voiced and hollow-faced, in front of a small group of local reporters and wondered aloud whether he would return. Rain pounded against the thin roofs of the trailers that house the team’s football operations as McVay alluded to losing a certain joy in coaching, for the sake of chasing personal and professional success. The Rams’ 5-12 season was a disaster that matched McVay’s own.
Some in the building already felt he had made up his mind to stay, after low moments in New Orleans and Kansas City, and the loss of his grandfather, led to a hard look in the mirror and an eventual reconnection with the team in the weeks that followed. General manager Les Snead and chief operating officer Kevin Demoff gave McVay time to make the ultimate call, privately believing that the idea of missing football would overrule the young coach’s burnout and the numbing ease of disappearing into a television job.
Other Rams staff genuinely thought he might leave. But by the end of that week, McVay started to make moves: He parted with a half-dozen coaches. He convened with Demoff, Snead and VP of football Tony Pastoors in his office to come up with a plan. More dramatic changes were coming to the roster and coaching staff than this group, together since McVay was hired in 2017 at age 30, had experienced.
A year later, the Rams are 10-7 and heading to Detroit for the wild-card round of the postseason.
“I’m really proud to be associated with this team,” McVay said this week. “More than anything, especially given the experiences that (I have) accumulated with this being (my) seventh year, I think I have a lot more gratitude and appreciation for the journey instead of it just being words.”
The work began immediately:
• McVay hired offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who had a background in Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers run game — they shifted in recent years to a very diverse scheme in that phase, with an emphasis on gap/man blocking instead of predominantly wide/outside zone. McVay wanted to put some teeth back in his own rushing attack with a similar approach. He also hired Ron Gould out of a longtime college football tenure to coach the running backs.
McVay believed that hiring LaFleur, a trusted former colleague with coordinating experience, would free him up to reach more of the roster because he could delegate more daily and weekly responsibility to LaFleur.
• McVay went out of his normal coaching tree to hire former New England Patriots assistants Ryan Wendell and Nick Caley to coach the offensive line and tight ends. He also wooed Hall of Fame offensive line coach Mike Munchak for weeks, ultimately convincing Munchak to consult for the Rams through the season. Wendell retained assistants Nick Jones and Zak Kromer, investing the attention of a four-person staff into the offensive line.
• McVay rehired defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant and took a chance on first-year outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio, his college roommate who was in the same role at Navy. McVay knew the inexperienced Coniglio would be paired with top defensive line coach Eric Henderson, who coordinates the defensive pass-rush plan. The Rams would be going young, draft-heavy and cheap at outside linebacker and interior defensive line, other than future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. The job ahead of Henderson, his assistant A.C. Carter and Coniglio would be significant.
Getting younger and cheaper was the plan at most positions. Finding new coaches who could teach, in complement to those retained on staff, was an all-important first step. To err here would set the timeline back.
“It’s identifying guys (who) know how to connect. … No. 1, are you a good person? You know, what kind of character as a human being do you have? And then No. 2, what is your ability to communicate and connect with the players?” McVay said. “What kind of capacity do you have to be able to teach (and) elevate these guys?”
Snead began gutting the roster. The Rams parted ways with Bobby Wagner (a mutual decision, multiple team and league sources said at that time) and Allen Robinson, two higher-dollar 2022 acquisitions — both outliers to the personnel department’s usual strategy of bringing in cheap veteran free agents who complemented stars acquired in trades or developed out of middle-round draft picks. The Rams traded top cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins for an underwhelming return. They released productive veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. Other veteran starters left in free agency — kicker Matt Gay, safety Nick Scott, defensive tackles Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson — and the Rams sat out the initial wave as nearly $80 million in dead money amassed on their 2023 books.
They got trade calls about some players still on the roster, including quarterback Matthew Stafford. Speculation swirled that the Rams considered moving on from Stafford, for whom they traded in 2021 and who led them to a Super Bowl that year. Stafford said in July the team had approached him about restructuring the four-year, $160 million contract they gave him in early 2022.
Publicly the team’s brass reiterated their commitment to Stafford while simultaneously avoiding the word “rebuild.”
“The reason I say ‘remodel,’ not ‘rebuild,’ is a player like Matthew Stafford is — to me, in a rebuild, you would just bulldoze the house down and rebuild from the ground up,” Snead said in the spring. “But again, when you have someone like Matthew Stafford, players like Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald … there are some weight-bearing walls there that we still have, and we’re gonna rely on those … and at that point remodel around them.”
By the end of March, the Rams’ 90-man roster had Stafford, Kupp, Donald and just 42 other players on it — no backup quarterback, no kicker, punter or long snapper, an offensive line full of questions after a catastrophic streak of injuries in 2022, a couple of second-year cornerbacks under 6 feet tall, no experienced outside linebackers and no other defensive lineman with significant starting experience.
Demoff released a letter to season-ticket holders.
“We faced a choice this offseason,” he wrote. “We could once again restructure contracts to give ourselves one last shot with our core (Super Bowl) roster but that would mean a total rebuild would be necessary over the next few seasons. Or we could focus on replenishing our draft capital and improving our long-term salary cap situation, clearing the way for us to compete both now and in the future. Collectively as an organization, we chose the latter path, believing in the talent on our current roster and the skills of our coaching staff to return us to the playoffs.”
Naturally, many outside the building thought he had lost his mind. ESPN ranked the Rams’ roster No. 31 of 32 teams; The Athletic was only slightly more generous, at No. 23. Popular analytics and evaluation sites referred to the Rams’ defense as a “no-name” unit, and not with a wink.
The Rams drafted 14 rookies in April. With no first-round pick, they knew they would not necessarily be selecting complete pro-ready players. Their scouting staff focused on priority traits: play speed, projected body development and learning capacity.
And …
“Just make sure they care,” Donald told Snead, when the Rams’ front office outlined its draft plan to him.
They added another 26 undrafted free agents to their rookie class. Their pro scouting department, aptly nicknamed “the Island of Misfit Toys” by Snead, supplemented the rest of the roster one with one small-level veteran transaction at a time, from receiver Demarcus Robinson (May), cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (June) to running back Royce Freeman (late July) and guard Kevin Dotson (August via trade).
During OTAs, the Rams started more humbly than even “step No. 1.” They had to re-teach all of their drills before they could even run those drills to have a functional practice.
“We went right to Ground Zero. We rebuilt everything that we wanted to do,” defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said. “And we came up with some really cool ideas.”
Stafford took an extra interest in a fifth-round rookie receiver out of BYU named Puka Nacua. The Rams liked him during the scouting and pre-draft process because of his play speed — dramatically more appealing to them than his 40-yard dash time — and his run-after-the-catch ability. He reminded some coaches a little bit of Robert Woods. Like Woods, when Nacua arrived in Los Angeles for OTAs he wore No. 17. He immediately was integrated in some of the passing concepts previously assigned to Woods. Nacua began spending his mornings in pass game coordinator Jake Peetz’s office studying the offense, and dug into run blocking technique with renowned receivers coach Eric Yarber.
By the time training camp began in Irvine, Calif., in late July, the Rams had 44 players who were either new to the team or rookies on their 90-man roster. Nacua started attending early-morning breakfast meetings with Stafford and a then-injured Kupp to break down film, plus receive detailed direction from Stafford. When Kupp re-injured his hamstring after joint practices in Denver with the Broncos, Nacua’s studies increased and he graduated into Stafford’s first read against zone coverages.
At the practice facility in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in August, equipment director Brendan Berger arranged the locker room so that players — rookies, the few veterans, and new faces — would get neighbors at random, not by position or age. They would all have to get to know each other. Nacua, for example, ended up sandwiched between veteran right tackle and captain Rob Havenstein and Witherspoon. Stafford sits next to practice-squad outside linebacker Zach VanValkenburg.
In previous years, the Rams blended some seven-on-seven work with 11-on-11s in training camp. These are called “team periods.” During team periods, the offense started at a certain down and distance, then ran four or five plays before rotating out the first team for the second team. But in 2022, the Rams were among the worst offenses in the NFL at sustaining drives, with a 40 percent three-and-out rate according to TruMedia.
Not only did McVay and his staff have to problem-solve better during drives, they also had to get the young players in shape. So this summer, almost all of their team periods were in the more naturally competitive 11-on-11s, with far fewer seven-on-seven periods.
The coaches also built significantly longer drives into the team periods, running 12 or even 15 plays at a time with the same groups on offense and defense.
“We’re trying to make practices as much as possible like games,” Havenstein said at the time. “The more you can kind of get into that mindless zone where, truly, you kind of block everything else out. … A way to really do that is to put a long drive together. … Guys start breathing and thinking, breathing and thinking, and all of the sudden they forget that they’re breathing. Then they’re just thinking. Then they’re just playing, they’re out there just playing.”
McVay often became visibly frustrated, stopping practices to redo something or reiterate a set of instructions. Yet that was productive: The mistakes dwindled. The Rams finished the regular season as the eighth-least penalized team in the NFL.
“Work works,” McVay started repeating to himself, a phrase borrowed from Donald. Keep showing up. Keep working.
The theory behind what the Rams were trying to do emerged, even if the wins didn’t right away. They had a physicality, a tenacity that surprised opponents. They had a play-energy infused from the youngest players on the roster, and a smarter and more diverse offensive scheme rebuilt between McVay and Stafford.
After missing the Rams’ Week 9 loss in Green Bay with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb, Stafford returned in extraordinary fashion. He finished the regular season sixth among quarterbacks in EPA per dropback and tied for fourth in plays that go 20-plus yards, according to TruMedia. In December, he went on a 170-throw streak before registering an interception (he had two in Week 17) and was voted into the Pro Bowl.
“I’m taking (steps) right there with ’em,” Stafford said of working with many players who are far younger than he is. “Every year, it’s a building process, right? Sometimes you do it different than other years. This year is different than all the other years I’ve played. But it’s fun to go to work with these guys, fun to watch everybody come together and pull for each other, work hard.”
Behind Stafford and an efficient, productive and physical run game led by running back Kyren Williams (who spent four games on injured reserve but returned in Week 12), the Rams won seven of their final eight regular-season games. Their offense climbed back into top-10 ranks in relevant metrics, including No. 6 in EPA per play. After a narrow Week 17 win in New York, and with a little help from the Pittsburgh Steelers, they clinched a playoff berth.
Rams offense: With and without Kyren Williams
EPA/Play
+0.159
-0.153Success Rate
47.8%
38.4%A retrospective of the Rams’ 2023 draft class illustrates its importance to their quicker-than-expected revival: Left guard Steve Avila, their first pick at No. 36, has started and played every offensive snap and paired with Dotson as one of the NFL’s best interior offensive line tandems.
Outside linebacker Byron Young, a starter since Week 1, is No. 2 among rookies with eight sacks and his teammate, defensive tackle Kobie Turner, leads all rookies with nine sacks. Turner is a top candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In Week 18, Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Nacua broke the 63-year-old rookie receiving yards record as well as the rookie receptions record, finishing the season with 1,486 yards and 105 catches, with six touchdowns.
Some things haven’t worked out. The Rams’ league-worst special teams unit under first-year coordinator Chase Blackburn is still largely a disaster, and the only phase of the team that has not improved since September. They need another outside linebacker and a corner over 6 feet tall (assuredly, Witherspoon has played himself into a solid contract in the spring and could net the Rams a compensatory pick).
Failing to properly fill their backup quarterback vacancy via the draft as planned ultimately cost the Rams that game in Green Bay. It also led them to veteran free-agent Carson Wentz, who helped beat the 49ers on the road in Week 18 as Stafford and other starters rested ahead of the postseason.
It was Wentz, of all people, who after the game unknowingly summed up everything the Rams had lost through 2022, from players to coaches, and everything they gained in the 12 months that followed.
“It’s a really young team,” he said, “which has brought a lot of the joy back in the game.”
There will be holes to fill in every phase, but the executives who preached “discipline” in the spring and at the trade deadline understood there would be. The Rams will attend to those areas with a $58.1 million net cap increase in the new league year, according to Over the Cap.
It could have easily slid the other direction. The loss to the Packers was their third in a row, and marked a 3-6 start. Perhaps a year ago, that would have sunk them all — including McVay.
He’s still “a basket case,” he recently admitted, laughing. But he is changed, too, from a year ago.
“I wasn’t proud of the leader that I was throughout (2022) in terms of what (players and staff) deserved,” he said. “Ultimately you want to make sure, hey, you’re given everything that you can to try to influence (positive) change, and everything that you’re a part of while knowing that you’re going to make mistakes. But how quickly can you identify it? How can you surround yourself with people that’ll tell you, ‘Hey, you’re messed up here, man.’ That’s a big thing, too. In a lot of instances, I still want to be coached. I still need to be coached. And so (I) want to always be open-minded, continuously learning. …
“There were a lot of moments (from last year) that I reflect upon. I didn’t enjoy that, and I wasn’t proud of it. But man, did we need it.”
znModeratorAdam Schefter@AdamSchefterFalcons requested permission to interview Rams’ defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, per source. Morris was the Falcons’ interim HC for 11 games in 2020. He also has gotten requests to interview for the Chargers. Commanders and Panthers HC jobsJanuary 11, 2024 at 10:12 am in reply to: hiring/firing around the league (including Carroll & Belichick) #148584znModeratorBrooke Pryor@bepryorThe notion that Mike Tomlin is ever on the hot seat, players in the locker room told me, is laughable..Myles Jack: “I’ve been on teams where it’s a real hot seat, and it is pretty much known that that person that’s there today ain’t going to be there next season … In my opinion, I would think [Tomlin’s current seat] was freezing, as cold as outside.”znModeratorPARAM
The last 6 seasons, the NFC’s #6 seed has beat the #3 seed. It’s happened 3 times in the AFC. 9 of 12 possible times. Weird eh?
We’ve played the last 8 games EVEN in the turnover battle (we have 8 turnovers). We’ve missed 5 PATs and 3 FGs. We’ve allowed 2 PR TDs. Our defense has allowed 20.2 PPG. BUT we’re 7-1. Clearly that’s because of our offense.
I know turnovers and special teams are magnified in the postseason, mainly because of timing and momentum swings. But I’m convinced, if our offense plays efficient football and our defense and special teams don’t completely screw the pooch, we should win this game.
If our offense plays efficient football, our defense plays well and our special teams don’t have any screwups, we should win easily (10 – 14 pts). To me, it’s mostly about our offense.
znModeratorCameron DaSilva@camdasilvaMatthew Stafford discussed his return to Detroit, where he doesn’t expect any special reception as “the bad guy coming to town” now.He also isn’t paying attention to the “jersey ban,” nor does he care what fans wearznModeratorTom Pelissero@TomPelissero
The NFL’s current longest-tenured head coaches with one team:1. Mike Tomlin (17 seasons)
2. John Harbaugh (16 seasons)
3. Andy Reid (11 seasons)
4. (tie) Sean McDermott, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay (7 seasons)
7. (tie) Zac Taylor and Matt LaFleur (5 seasons)January 11, 2024 at 8:50 am in reply to: hiring/firing around the league (including Carroll & Belichick) #148578znModeratorPro Football Rumors@pfrumorsThe #Giants have let Don Martindale out of his contract. While the veteran coordinator is no longer entitled to a $3MM salary in 2024, New York cannot block him from pursuing a DC job elsewhereznModeratorThis was in another thread but I wondered if it would make a topic thread in its own right.
My personal take is that this is very nuanced.
Vermeil’s accomplishment is that he rebuilt the team he inherited in 97. Rebuilt it from the ground up, including finding a franchise qb in Warner. And it was all him doing that. Later, when Armey and Martz were in charge of personnel, they began the long decline that led to years of a championship team unravelling.
Vermeil also made collossal errors like sticking with Banks and Philips too long. Plus, as Zooey points out, he left. But then at the same time the team he built was solid in every aspect–offense, defense, and special teams.
McVay inherited a ready to go team in 2017 that just needed a few pieces, most notably a left OT and some receivers. He brought a great culture (so did Vermeil) and he won a super bowl with bold moves like trading for Stafford. I don’t put 2023 all on McVay though–if anything, the more McV delegates personnel acquisition the better the Rams are at it. And it’s not just Snead as a “maestro GM” type. More than that, Snead is an organizer. He organized college scouting and pro-personnel departments that pretty much supplied all the newcomers they found for the 2023 season. For example, are the 2023 Rams a wild card team without Williams? I don’t think that McVay is the guy who found Williams. I think guys like Williams are the result of the personnel acquisition depts. Snead built. Now having said that, much of 2023 was McV changing his approach on offense and also making a long list of great coaching hires (including Ryan Wendell).
McV also made collossal errors like coming up with the league’s worst special teams in 2023. I don’t count trading Goff for Stafford as an error, but I do count McV’s glaring impatience with Goff in 2019/2020 as a coaching flaw (though one he may have learned from). McVay/Snead were also responsible for a long series of problematical free agent extensions, from Gurley to Noteboom.
I would say that between the Vermeil regime and the McV/Snead regimes, it’s a pick-em–I personally pretty much rate them a tie. Though having said that, I also expect the McV/Snead future teams to stay in it and be top competitive teams for as long as they are in charge.
I can absolutely see why someone else would rate one over the other, though I think McV is probably the more popular choice.
In terms of the others, I rate the 70s version of Knox over Robinson and Robinson over Martz. All 3 have their strengths but both McV and DV are above those 3.
znModeratorJanuary 11, 2024 at 7:49 am in reply to: hiring/firing around the league (including Carroll & Belichick) #148573znModeratorBill Belichick out as Patriots coach after 24 seasons, 6 Super Bowls: Sources
Bill Belichick is not expected to return as New England Patriots coach after 24 seasons with the franchise, team sources said, a massive shakeup between a coach and franchise that for so long were synonymous with success.
The move came after New England finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record, their worst season since 1992, and the third time in four years the Patriots have finished with a losing record. ESPN first reported the news.
Still, Belichick is unarguably one of the most successful coaches in NFL history, guiding quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots dynasty to six Super Bowl victories and ranking second all-time in wins (including playoffs) among head coaches with his 333, which trails only Don Shula (347). New England posted a winning record in 20 of his 24 seasons with the team.
But in the four years since Brady departed, the Patriots are 29-38 with one playoff appearance and no postseason wins. New England started this season 2-10, losers of five straight at one point, and finished the season averaging just 13.9 points per game, tied for the fewest in the NFL.
Hired away from the New York Jets by Patriots owner Robert Kraft in 2000, Belichick helped build the Patriots into arguably the NFL’s greatest dynasty. Together with Brady, he led New England to 19 consecutive winning seasons, 17 division titles, nine AFC championships and six titles (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016 and 2018). His 31 postseason wins are the most by a head coach in NFL history, with 30 of those coming with the Patriots.
With Brady at quarterback, the Patriots never finished below .500. Since he left, it’s happened three times. They made one playoff appearance in the four seasons post-Brady and were blown out 47-17 by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card round at the end of the 2021 season. They haven’t won a playoff game since Super Bowl LIII.
That’s when things started to crumble. A decade of draft struggles caught up to the team with Brady no longer around to cover up management mistakes. Belichick, who is known for his gruff demeanor, was the only head coach in the NFL with complete say over his roster and had no general manager working alongside him. That roster fell apart in recent years.
Belichick will also be remembered for multiple run-ins with the league, including the “Spygate” controversy in 2007 that led to a fine and docked draft picks, as well as the “Deflategate” scandal in 2015 that led to a four-game suspension for Brady.
No other coach, though, can match Belichick’s success. His six Super Bowls are two more than any other head coach, and he won two others as an assistant to Bill Parcells. Belichick leaves with an astounding 266-121 regular-season record with the Patriots.
But now, the once-unthinkable has happened. Belichick’s reign atop the Patriots is over. Kraft made clear before the season began that he wanted the Patriots back in the playoffs. Belichick felt he had built a roster capable of competing for a division title.
Instead, the Patriots finished in last place in their division for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s inaugural season in New England.
The success that followed was unparalleled. But Belichick’s actions were one of the main reasons Brady wanted out in 2020. In the four years that followed, Belichick wasn’t able to build a team that could compete in the playoffs. That’s why Kraft felt he’d seen enough, agreeing to split with the most successful coach of his generation and eyeing a fresh start.
What went wrong
The Patriots seemed on an upward trajectory at the end of the 2021 season. Quarterback Mac Jones was coming off a successful rookie season and the defense was still promising. But with every decision since getting blown out by the Bills in the wild-card round that postseason, the Patriots have gotten further and further from contending.
Jones’ growth as a quarterback was stunted in 2022 by Belichick’s decision to have him work with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, neither of whom had run an NFL offense. Belichick was convinced that the struggles of 2022 could be fixed with better and more intentional coaching, so he didn’t overhaul a roster that needed obvious help. That led to a disastrous 2023 where the Patriots played virtually every game with a worse roster than their opponent. — Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
What’s next for Belichick?
It seems likely that he’ll pursue another coaching job, though it would need to be the right situation where Belichick could have the final say in roster construction — a situation he covets — while being paid more than $20 million per season. Belichick remains 14 wins shy of Shula’s all-time victories record, a mark he would like to surpass.
There aren’t many teams with openings that have a willingness to pay Belichick and hand over all power in their personnel department. But one spot that might is the Washington Commanders, where new owner Josh Harris seems poised to make a splash. — Graff
Who could be the Patriots’ next coach?
All eyes turn now to two people – Jerod Mayo, the current linebackers coach, and Mike Vrabel, who was just fired by the Titans after a six-year run there where he went 54-45.
The Krafts have been very impressed by Mayo going back to his playing days, when Belichick drafted Mayo No. 10 in 2008. They intervened when Mayo was going to take interviews elsewhere last offseason, and gave him a bigger contract to ensure he stayed in New England. The thinking around the league was that the Krafts were keeping Mayo as the coach-in-waiting behind Belichick. So he’s one of the two frontrunners.
The other is Vrabel, who brought stability to the Titans and helped them win two playoff games despite often having subpar quarterback play. The Krafts remain close with Vrabel, who was in New England earlier this season to be inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame. He sat next to Kraft for a Patriots game during the Titans’ bye week. The owners have long been impressed with Vrabel’s ability to lead a room and his record in Tennessee is made more impressive when considering that he started six quarterbacks during his six years there with Ryan Tannehill serving as the best one.
Those are the two expected to get the longest look from the Krafts when replacing Belichick. But here are a few other names (though less likely ones) that the Patriots might consider: Bill O’Brien, Brian Flores, Josh McDaniels and Patrick Graham.
znModeratorWe were more pessimistic than i remembered.
If I recall there was an earlier thread that was more optimistic. Then we found out Kupp wouldn’t be playing for a while. Since we didn’t know about Nacua and Wms yet, at that point (very early) losing Kupp took some air out of people’s optimism.
znModeratorznModeratorznModeratorBlaine Grisak @bgrisakTST
With the Pete Carroll departure in Seattle, that makes seven head coach openings. Raheem Morris is a top-7 candidate. Feels like there is a media push for him to get a second chance. The question is…does he get hired? Already been requested by WAS, LAC, CAR.znModeratorA coaching candidate to keep an eye on: @RamsNFL DC Raheem Morris. Could the success of former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and his ability to develop players and a culture in Houston help sway owners who might only see offensive coaches as the way? From @NFLTotalAccess pic.twitter.com/4RVMRo7Ay4
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) January 10, 2024
znModeratorTurns out the OL meets once a week every week with Mike Munchak.
Behind the scenes, Hall of Famer Mike Munchak has helped the @RamsNFL offensive line become the most improved position group in the NFL.
Veteran captain Rob Havenstein's comments about Munchak revealed even more about the thoughtful, humble OL culture of LA than I anticipated. pic.twitter.com/tDpHsRjqYn
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) January 10, 2024
znModeratorSarah Barshop@sarahbarshopAccording to Elias Sports Bureau, Sunday’s game between the Rams and Lions will be the first matchup in NFL postseason history between starting quarterbacks who both are facing their former teams.znModerator2023
stafford on the road:
———————-
4-3, 26.7 offensive pts per game avg
11 tds, 7 int, 91.7 qb ratinggoff at home:
————–
6-2, 30.1 offensive pts per game avg
19 tds, 6 int, 107.9 qb rtg pic.twitter.com/qqSPh36fkc— roberto clemente (@rclemente2121) January 11, 2024
znModeratorBlaine Grisak @bgrisakTSTFor two historic franchises, the Rams and Lions have only played in the postseason one time – The divisional round in 1952. Rams lost that game 31-21. Norm Van Brocklin was 15-for-19 for 166 yards. Lions scored a TD in the 4th quarter to go up by 10..It’s true that the Lions D is among best vs. run. They rank 1st in run defense DVOA, 4th in EPA, and 3rd in ypc. Rams will win by throwing the ball, but can’t get away from the run. Rams ran well against BAL/CLE. Have to keep a balanced attack..Rams are 14th in run-block win rate and 5th in adjusted line yards. Can’t get away from the run game. Rams OL should be able to win the battle in the trenches, especially if they can make an impact at the 2nd level.znModeratorHe has been a valuable 6th guy. A very valuable 6th guy. But they are paying him starter money, and so cap variables are going to decide his fate.
Yeah. You put it more diplomatically. I also think that some guys that looked like keepers previously are not as much anymore under Ryan Wendell. That includes someone like Anchrum.
znModeratorNoteboom will be an interesting decision. How much is he really worth to the Rams? w v
His 2024 cap hit is 20 M. He ain’t worth 20 M.
znModeratorAnybody remember their pre-season prediction for this season ? I cant remember what i predicted. Pretty sure i didnt predict 10 wins, though. w v
I initially said 8-10 was possible. My main thing was that the more pessimistic accounts were listing unknowns as deficits, and my thing was that unknowns were unknowns and we wouldn’t know till we saw them. I did say that with Stafford etc. if the 2nd and 3rd year guys stepped up, 8-10 was possible.
But then when Kupp went on IR, I waffled:
September 10, 2023 at 11:31 am
Withoug Kupp they can’t be the 10 win team I was predicting but they can be competitve.
znModeratorDraft Utopia@DraftUtopiaRams have arguably healthiest depth chart in nfcznModeratordefense stats rankings, rams vs lions.
coverage jumps out, rams rank #31 while the lions rank #29… the lions rank high in pressure % but it hasn't seemed to have paid off in offensive pts allowed (#23) or other pass defense stats. pic.twitter.com/Fb8h4ddWgF
— roberto clemente (@rclemente2121) January 10, 2024
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