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znModeratorThis is not a hip drop tackle.. pic.twitter.com/oiaCMUBdJ2
— Sheriff Joe Bags (@SheriffJoeBags) March 26, 2024
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Màxkhuwe@MackeyserNo, not a hip drop. That’s a classic wrap up tackle. A hip drop would involve his hip falling on the receiver’s legs/ankles. He was trailing too far to even try a hip dropznModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigueOne point of news from Sean McVay this morning, with more updates to come@TheAthletic – Tyler Higbee is expected to go on PUP, long recovery for an injury that late in the year.March 26, 2024 at 5:45 pm in reply to: “the draft” thread … ie. not “the Rams draft” thread … #150104znModeratorIs this the greatest run of picks in the history of the NFL Draft?
12 Pro Bowlers in a 13 pick span, including 9 straight. Probably 4 eventual Hall of Famers. pic.twitter.com/57V27LHcEK
— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) March 26, 2024
znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigueA couple notes from Tony Pastoors with more coming @TheAthletic. Aaron Donald’s option was not exercised (this is different from restructure to bonus). A “fake year” in 2026 was prorated back into 2024. Donald’s cap number will be for approximately $24M, $9M in 2025..Jimmy G’s cap number is appx. $2.85/$2.9M. It has a lot of play time, starts, snaps, wins and playoffs incentives. Not restructuring big contracts now gives Rams levers to pull if space is needed ahead of the trade deadline. Michael Hoecht signed his tender.znModeratorSarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
Rams GM Les Snead said the plan is for Ernest Jones to play the 2024 season on the final year of his rookie deal instead of signing him to a contract extension. “We prioritized spending our resources on additions rather than re-signing from within,” Snead said.
[me: to clarify]
Gary Klein@LATimeskleinIn re to Ernest Jones, Snead said it was probable Rams would have him play fourth season before possible extension.znModeratorBlaine Grisak@bgrisakTSTWith the Kam Curl contract, the Rams have about $13.5M in effective cap space. Again, that effective cap space number accounts for the rookie class. Just need Jimmy G’s official contract numbers. Should put Rams around $10M which is where they like to be.znModeratori don’t know. at first glance i don’t like this rule. i don’t want players to get hurt, but what are defenses supposed to do now?
It seems to me that the hip-swivel tackle is something that you deliberately do and don’t have to do, and subtracting it doesn’t change the game at all.
znModeratorMike Garafolo@MikeGarafolo
NFL’s Jeff Miller says they saw 230 instances of the swivel hip-drop tackle last season. So roughly once per game. Of those tackles, 15 players missed time due to injury because of the tackle.
Rich McKay: “Do we have a problem? The answer was yes.”
“This will be a hard one to call on the field, you have to see every element of it. We want to make it a rule so we can deal on the discipline during the week.” https://t.co/84Ny0FEq8s
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 25, 2024
znModeratorSarah Barshop@sarahbarshopLes Snead said the Rams were “fans of Carson” Wentz, but at the end of the day, Jimmy Garoppolo’s familiarity with the Rams’ offense and style of play made him a good fit to be the backup quarterback in Los Angeles.znModeratorRams Brothers@RamsBrothers
The QB room now (if Bennett is able to stay on the roster) is so much better than it has been to start the season.2024: Stafford, Garoppolo, Bennett
2023: Stafford, Bennett, Rypien, Wentz*
2022: Stafford, Wolford, Perkins, Mayfield*
2021: Stafford, Wolford*added mid-year
znModeratorcleophas@cleophasnyasimiThe defensive player lifting himself off the ground and using his weight to fall on the offensive player is what they’re working to eliminate..Mike Garafolo@MikeGarafoloNFL’s Jeff Miller says they saw 230 instances of the swivel hip-drop tackle last season. So roughly once per game. Of those tackles, 15 players missed time due to injury because of the tackle.znModeratorRich McKay making it clear multiple times there’s a difference between a hip-drop tackle and the swivel hip-drop tackle. The defensive player lifting himself off the ground and using his weight to fall on the offensive player is what they’re working to eliminate. https://t.co/gnSmMDwaGn
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 25, 2024
znModeratorThe fact the Chiefs could only muster a 2025 3rd-round pick for Sneed shows importance of economics in trades.
Titans now pay top-of-market contract, Chiefs never had to with him, that factors into the trade compensation.
Were he on a rookie contract, a much higher draft pick.— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 23, 2024
znModeratorfrom Most player-friendly, team-friendly contracts of 2024 NFL free agency: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-most-player-friendly-team-friendly-contracts-2024-nfl-free-agency
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Player-Friendly
G JONAH JACKSON, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Contract: Three years, $51 million ($17 million per year), $25.5 million fully guaranteed, $34 million total guaranteed
Jackson is the example we alluded to at the top where we talked about our failure to adequately account for position market growth. What an offseason it’s been for guards. We still think this deal is very friendly for the player. With the rise of the interior defender market, both last offseason and with Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins pushing it even higher, it was only natural for the guys who are charged with blocking them to see their contracts rise commensurate with the interior defender market. Nonetheless, Jackson, who is a beast of a run blocker and a gifted young athlete with upside potential, has not been the greatest pass protector through his first four seasons, which is what gets a player paid at the highest level.
From a contractual standpoint, Jackson was able to leverage Los Angeles Rams right guard Kevin Dotson’s three-year extension into a three-year extension of his own. We’ve seen in recent years that players and their agents have pushed for shorter and shorter deals, with the wide receiver market last offseason being the best example, but this trend occurs on different timelines across different positions.
The guard market had remained one of the stickier ones with respect to shortening the contract term below four or even five years, so the guards who were able to maintain strong average annual values and also a faster path back to a rapidly growing market did really well for themselves.
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Team-Friendly
S KAMREN CURL, LOS ANGELES RAMS
*Contract: Two years, up to $13 million*
*We have not seen the actual contract details here, but we’re more than comfortable saying this is a phenomenal value for the Los Angeles Rams.
Curl probably got dinged in the market not only because the safety market is always a gauntlet unless you’re a clear top player at the position but also because of a lack of ball production over the past three seasons, with zero interceptions since his rookie campaign. That said, Curl is extremely reliable at all three levels of the defense and is good at everything, even if he’s arguably not stellar at anything particular.
Over the past four seasons, Curl’s 85 defensive stops are the third most among all safeties. He is willing to get downhill and make plays at or near the line of scrimmage in addition to his coverage responsibilities, and the Los Angeles Rams got a very well-rounded young player on a great value deal.
znModeratorAaron Donald on when he thought he was special:
"My first game against the Vikings. That was when they had Adrian Peterson. I see a light stance. Knew the guard was pulling. I shoot it. BOOM. Met AP 6-7 yards in the backfield. It was confidence right away." pic.twitter.com/qL0otoYF0n
— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) March 23, 2024
znModeratorAdam Grosbard@AdamGrosbardSean McVay says that new Rams DL coach Giff Smith recruited him to Tulane back in the day, and his parents were excited about his addition to the Rams because they were such big fans of Smith. Also said he owes Smith a steak dinner after Smith recommended Eric Henderson in 2019znModeratorDov Kleiman@NFL_DovKleiman
Most expensive #NFL defenses in 2024:1) #Steelers – $149.4M
2) #Packers – $137.6M
3) #49ers – $128.6M
4) #Jaguars – $108.7M
5) #Patriots – $107.7M
6) #Falcons – $106.8M
7) #Jets – $103.7M
8) #Bears – $103.6M
9) #Buccaneers – $102.7M
10) #Ravens – $100.7M
11) #Commanders – $99.9M
12) #Chargers – $99.5M
13) #Bills – $98.9M
14) #Eagles – $92.3M
15) #Colts – $91.3M
16) #Saints – $89.6M
17) #Cardinals – $89.3M
18) #Titans – $88.4M
19) #Bengals – $88M
20) #Dolphins – $86.2M
21) #Chiefs – $85.4M
22) #Lions – $84.8M
23) #Browns – $84.4M
24) #Raiders – $82.3M
25) #Cowboys – $79.9M
26) #Texans – $79.5M
27) #Seahawks – $78.1M
28) #Vikings – $71.6M
29) #Giants – $70.7M
30) #Broncos – $63.1M
31) #Panthers – $60M
32) #Rams – $55M– Based on the current cap space allotted, per
znModeratorNFL Stats@NFL_Stats
Highest-paid QBs by annual average:Joe Burrow – $55M
Justin Herbert – $52.5M
Lamar Jackson – $52M
Jalen Hurts – $50M
Kyler Murray – $46.1M
Deshaun Watson – $46M
Patrick Mahomes – $45M
Kirk Cousins – $45M
Josh Allen – $43M
Daniel Jones – $40M
Dak Prescott – $40MznModeratorBlaine Grisak @bgrisakTSTAaron Donald on retiring: “Felt like I was able to help a lot of the young guys. Just to watch the organization grow from what it was. From a team that won 4 games to a team that’s respected in this league. I felt like I’m leaving at peace, on my own terms, on top.”.“I knew I was going to retire, but after that Detroit game, I walked off the field with a smile on my face. I remember giving Sean a big hug and said ‘that’s it’ and I was at peace with it.”.“Felt like I was able to help a lot of the young guys. Just to watch the organization grow from what it was. From a team that won 4 games to a team that’s respected in this league. I felt like I’m leaving at peace, on my own terms, on top.”.“We had a bunch of young guys and I didn’t know what to expect. I had a FUN year, got to enjoy every moment and watch the young guys grow. My goal this year was just to go back to how it was as a kid. Just enjoy playing football again.”znModeratorNick Scott and Jordan Fuller back together in Carolina https://t.co/YNJAzjrxDE
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) March 22, 2024
znModeratorBlaine Grisak@bgrisakTSTAaron Donald says in 2018 he played at 255/265-pounds. Says he hasn’t been 285 pounds since his first year in the league. …just insane. 258-pounds taking on OL at 300+ pounds and dominating at defensive tackle.znModeratorAaron Donald was on the verge of leaving the Rams until Sean McVay came Into the picture 😧 pic.twitter.com/88MDw9zNjC
— Rams Tapes 🥶 (@RamsTapes) March 22, 2024
znModeratorfrom Facebook
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In December 1984, a group of 3,000 beluga whales were trapped by ice in the Chukchi Sea, near Russia. The whales were confined to small open water ponds surrounded by thick, impassable ice up to 10 feet thick in some areas..Without access to larger areas of the ocean, the whales had difficulty breathing and were at risk of dying. To help rescue them, an icebreaker named Admiral Makarov was brought in, equipped with a specially reinforced ice-breaking hull. The ship attempted to take the whales to safety by breaking the ice, but the belugas initially refused to follow..When the crew began playing classical music like Tchaikovsky over the ship’s speakers, the whales finally began to follow the Makarov through the narrow open-water channel. This allowed 2,000 whales to reach the unfrozen ocean after a journey of almost 100 miles..The successful rescue effort lasted several days and was later dubbed “Operation Beluga.” It was a massive undertaking that involved several countries, including the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, and Japan.znModeratorfrom https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2024-nfl-free-agency-one-positive-takeaway-all-32-nfl-teams#LAR
LOS ANGELES RAMS: THE OFFENSIVE LINE APPEARS TO BE SET
The Rams’ offensive line played surprisingly well in 2023. The team ranked fifth in the NFL in run-blocking grade. Their pass blocking vastly improved after a poor start and ranked seventh in the NFL after Week 5. Retaining right guard Kevin Dotson is a huge win, and adding Detroit’s Jonah Jackson is a better move than the surface-level numbers would suggest.
Jackson has been one of the league’s best blockers in man run schemes. The Rams lead the league in man running plays over the past two years as Sean McVay has leaned away from his usual zone tactics. Jackson also likely pushes Steve Avila to center, where he played the majority of his snaps in college. Jackson is a better fit with the Rams than any other team in the NFL.
znModeratorAaron Donald was obviously a sack master from the interior but did you know that he has the most Forced Fumbles for a Defensive Tackle in NFL history?
Donald was able to attack the quarterback with such velocity and anger! pic.twitter.com/Rk3aKONedw
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) March 21, 2024
znModeratorGreat stuff from the Kelce brothers.
Jason on Aaron Donald: “He is the only defensive tackle we have ever gone up against where the entire game plan is situated on not having him ruin the game. The only one.” https://t.co/NJWZUIxTVz
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) March 21, 2024
znModeratorCameron DaSilva@camdasilvaRams’ draft class is projected to take up $3.82M in cap spaceznModeratorfrom https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/3/21/24106675/rams-free-agency-grades-les-snead-jonah-jackson
Kam Curl could be the “steal” of free agency
Every year there are a few low-value free agents that end up being the steal of free agency and playing above their value. One of those players this season could end up being Kam Curl. After losing Jordan Fuller, the Rams needed experience at the safety position. After a relative down-year in 2023 and playing for the Washington Commanders, Curl gives the Rams high upside, but wasn’t expensive as he didn’t get some of the attention that he deserved in Washington.
Curl will give the Rams a sure-tackling safety that can wrap up on the spot and give them some Nick Scott physicality that they were missing last year. There are concerns about his ability to make plays on the ball in terms of pass breakups and interceptions. With that being said, he makes plays in other ways and he may be a fan favorite by the end of the year. Curl’s ability to play anywhere will give the Chris Shula some flexibility as a defensive coordinator and his leadership will be needed after losing Fuller.znModeratorfrom https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/3/21/24106675/rams-free-agency-grades-les-snead-jonah-jackson
Offensive signings lean into Rams new identity. What does that mean?
Last season, the Rams added a physicality element to their offense. While they still ran zone in the run game, they also implemented a lot more gap scheme runs. Instead of running horizontally and looking for a cutback lane, the Rams ran at defenses. Rather than avoiding contact, the Rams began to embrace it, running a lot of duo inside the trenches. As Nate Tice from Yahoo Sport wrote,
“The Rams are embracing their identity shift of the past year and fully leaning into the newer, beefier them…This wall of humanity, oh the humanity, will provide the Rams size and talent to handle the game-wrecking defensive tackles and lines that NFL offensive lines have to face on a weekly basis…There is also a meta element to having this mass in the middle, as defenses use lighter bodies and also shift their players more and more after the snap. So simply plowing forward with all-answer runs is an effective way to blast through moving-picture looks.”
The Rams signed Jonah Jackson so that they could move Steve Avila to center. The interior of the offensive line will be one of the heaviest in the NFL. Add in Colby Parkinson who is a great blocking tight end and we could see more 12 personnel, especially in the run game.
znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigueDarious Williams’ cap number is $4.6M in 2024 with $7M of $15M guaranteed at signing ($3.5M bonus). The interesting part of this deal is high guarantees and higher cap number potential after 2024 if he is on the roster but low dead money hits in case he is not. -
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