wv wrote:

Billy_T wrote:

I think it’s important to pin down the lies they think they recognize. What exactly do they think they’ve been told that isn’t true? Are they the same lies we see? .

=================

Its a duopoly, right? Two corporate-capitalist parties.

The Rightwingers see the Lies from the Duplicats (CNN, MSNBC, NPR etc)

Do you think only half of the duopoly is doing the lying?

w
v

And yet as we know there is a difference between the right-wing version and the moderate/liberal/centrist version of the 2 pro corporate parties. It’s not a negligible difference (though of course from a left perspective the the centrist/liberal media leaves too much out).

So righties often see lies where in fact the “liberal” ie. centrist media is actually decently reliable. And they don’t see lies where the right wing political establishment and media ARE lying.

I just don’t see righties as having cracked the code of liberal/centrist discourse and seen through it all in ways that are sympatico with a leftist critique of the same discourse.

Race came up and it’s crucial. (Right discourse at its core is a tacit white supremecist discourse, not always openly bigoted but deeply deluded about race and blind to its own supremicist tendencies). But it’s not just race. Look at economics. How many disaffected, unhappy, suffering righties see through “trickle down theory”? Any? Ever? Anywhere?

Covid discussions have highlighted this. Other places I’ve been in debates about this. One of my key points was always that covid exposed the deep seated inequities in the socio-economics of the American medical establishment. (The racial and ethnic and class differences in death rates was a stark reminder of this.) Whenever I said that, with obvious righites, I might as well have been speaking an extraterrestial language. They didn’t even oppose it, they just flat had no idea how to discuss it. It was all “but this one goes to 11” type discussion. I got some “socialism is worse” stuff and that was about it.

…

Justin Hollins
Ht: 6052 / 6′ 05″ | Wt: 248

Hollins was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Ourlads’ Profile:

2019 Guide: What Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services said about JUSTIN HOLLINS: Oregon 6052 248 4.48 Three year starter from Arlington, TX. Versatile player having started as a defensive end and outside linebacker. Has experience backing off as well. Fast twitch athlete with tremendous upside. With his hand on the ground is quick at the snap with a burst to bend around the corner in the pass rush. Quick with his hands to punch and work a block. Has a two way go that keeps tackles off balance. Quick inside move with a finishing burst is effective. Plays off blocks on the perimeter and sets the edge versus an outside run. When backed off shows natural instincts to locate the ball. Hand usage is solid here as well as shedding blocks on the move. Changes direction quickly with no wasted movement. Range in pursuit is what NFL teams need as he can chase across the field and make plays in space. Solid fundamental tackling ability with knee bend and explosive finish. Not often used in coverage but has natural fluidity dropping and can flip his hips in a zone reacting to route pressure. Sees the quarterback and receivers and can close a void and break on the ball. Inconsistent with the play right at him as he can get locked up and neutralized at times. Versus cutbacks on the backside sometimes has trouble getting leverage to the ball as a blocker can wash him out of the play. Has had some outstanding games and some so-so games, so consistent production can be an issue. Has the versatile tools that any NFL team can put to use as he can fit a variety of schemes. He had as good of an East-West game as we have seen from an individual. He still has upside and is a likely second day pick.

Rams preview: Aaron Donald will be his dominant self, but whose turn is it to step up along the defensive line?

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/2713000/2021/07/19/rams-preview-aaron-donald-will-be-his-dominant-self-but-whose-turn-is-it-to-step-up-along-the-defensive-line/?source=emp_shared_article

Highlighted by a historic third Defensive Player of the Year award by defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams defensive line was among the best in the NFL in 2020, and certainly in the top three in most relevant categories.

The Rams ranked second in sacks (53) and in sacks per game (3) but also held opponents to just 91.2 rushing yards per game (third best in the league in 2020) and only 3.8 rush yards per attempt (also third best).

We know that teams specifically build game plans around dealing with Donald and have done so for years. In speaking with some NFL coordinators this offseason, I also learned what probably should have been obvious: It’s not enough to scheme around Donald when he’s in the game. Coaches also must account for when he’s not in the game. To keep Donald fresh (or, in the case of a rare injury such as the one in last year’s divisional-round game in Green Bay), the Rams play him for about 85 percent of the defensive snaps, and they rotate quite a bit along the front. Teams know their window for taking advantage of his absence is small, and some have specific calls (or tempo switches) for use during that time. That’s how big Donald’s effect is, on and off the field.

We also know that Donald’s presence creates opportunities for others. He usually occupies multiple blockers (he was double-teamed about 70 percent of the time in 2020), and that means others either get one-on-one matchups or aren’t blocked at all. But as the Rams continue to shape their defensive line after losing such key players as Michael Brockers and Morgan Fox this offseason, it won’t be enough to hope to scheme Donald open or into more favorable matchups when he’s in the game. Young players must now step into larger roles and produce — not only when playing alongside Donald but also when the Rams rotate into fronts without him.

Additions: Bobby Brown III, Earnest Brown IV, George Silvanic.

I think Brown III could have a real shot at competing for rotational minutes, even as a rookie. The Rams believe he can “dominate the line of scrimmage” and in the pre-draft process noted his explosiveness and power, and also his versatility (he has played nose tackle, three-technique and five-technique).

Brown IV, as described to me by a source at the time of the draft, is a great candidate for the “Fox development plan” (Fox became a versatile inside-outside rusher and posted a career sack season before departing in free agency), although the Rams hope a year of Brown’s development is not delayed by injury, because they’d like for him to contribute earlier in his career.

Subtractions: Brockers, Fox.

Projected starters: Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day, A’Shawn Robinson.

Robinson mentioned this spring that he’s leaned up quite a bit from last year and could get even leaner. He’ll play at around 300 to 305 pounds this season after shedding about 25 pounds from his playing weight in 2020. His decision to transform his body (he switched to a vegetarian-pescatarian diet in the spring and added yoga to his workout regimen, among other adjustments) points toward the Rams’ hope that he becomes a more dynamic nose tackle in the same vein as Brockers, versus the space-eater role he was asked to play in Detroit.

Without Brockers (who, ironically enough, was the reason Robinson was signed by the Rams in the first place in the spring of 2020), Robinson needs to become a difference-maker now that he’s poised to take meaningful snaps. Without an offseason in 2020 and having missed the first half of the regular season while on the non-football injury list, he got a late start in contributing and was behind the whole time. Now on an even footing, plus feeling better than he has in a while, Robinson will get a chance to prove himself.

Joseph-Day, in my mind, is a candidate for a breakout season because of the work he did this offseason and the fact that he’s entering his contract year. Speaking to The Athletic earlier in the spring, Joseph-Day mentioned adding to his pass-rush arsenal as well as developing identification-to-movement techniques that will better serve him when he has to switch instantly from run to pass, depending on what the quarterback does after the snap.

Keep in mind that the Rams will feature a steady rotation along this front, so naming “starters” here, other than Donald, is pretty conceptual.

Projected backups (in no particular order): Greg Gaines, Eric Banks, Brown III, Michael Hoecht, Jonah Williams, Brown IV, Marquise Copeland, Silvanic.

Though Gaines is the only player here who has played relevant game snaps, head coach Sean McVay and others have praised the development of last year’s undrafted free agents, Banks, Hoecht, Williams and Copeland. Banks and Hoecht are working with Ed McGilvra, the private pass-rush coach with whom Fox and Joseph-Day also have worked during the past two offseasons.

2021 outlook: We don’t really ever have to worry about Donald. But the Rams’ success along the defensive line in 2021 will also depend on what the guys around him are able to do with their opportunities — and the competition in camp for those opportunities will be important to watch.

Long-term outlook: Defensive line coach Eric Henderson has drawn praise since he arrived in 2019 for his hands-on coaching style and for bringing balance to a room full of some of the biggest dudes — and biggest personalities — on the roster. Though Henderson may have coordinator or head coach aspirations in the long term, the work he has done with the defensive line (especially in developing younger players) has drawn attention in coaching circles around the league, and he is probably someone McVay will work to retain if other opportunities do come up. Henderson’s role has increased this offseason, and not just because of the added “run game coordinator” title. His input was sought by the Rams’ scouting and personnel departments during the draft, and he closely connected with Brown III in the run-up to the draft.