from NFC West offseason rankings: Rams take charge Cardinals and Seahawks attempt to match serve​

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfc-west-offseason-rankings-rams-take-charge-cardinals-and-seahawks-attempt-to-match-serve/

It’s tough to fathom a more difficult division in the NFL than the NFC West. The gauntlet is one that goes down to the wire nearly every season, and the head-to-head clashes are routinely instant classics. The same will likely be the case in 2021, and with each team going all in on making sure it’s a contender for the division crown and much more, it’s not something you’ll want to look away from in a few months. All four teams hit the ground running in free agency — led by the Los Angeles Rams but recently headlined by the San Francisco 49ers — and the 2021 NFL Draft will see them all square off with the same fiery demeanor as if they were on the gridiron.

There can only be one, however, and last year it was the Seattle Seahawks again taking the NFC West crown. Repeating will be difficult, as is always the case for whomever took the throne last, and that’s what makes things so downright spicy. And as we rank the offseason performance of each club, keep in mind that this fight is far from over.

But it’s most certainly already begun.

1. Los Angeles Rams

Biggest addition: Matthew Stafford, quarterback

It became more and more evident as the back end of the 2020 season rolled along that the Rams had mentally began moving on from Jared Goff. In the offseason, they did so physically, shipping him off to the Detroit Lions in a deal that landed them Stafford, another former top pick at quarterback. On its face, it’s a win for the Rams, considering Stafford is still presumably in his prime and has never seen his talent doubted — more often it being the Lions who were vilified for wasting his NFL years with poor personnel decisions. With the addition of Stafford comes an instant excitement within the Rams organization, with execs and players alike viewing it as an upgrade over Goff. Time will tell if he truly is, but it’s difficult to fathom how he wouldn’t be, be it in experience and/or arm talent.

Biggest loss: Troy Hill, cornerback

This was mostly a toss up between Hill and safety John Johnson, but the nod goes to Hill. He’s a player who grabbed three interceptions last season playing in tandem with All-Pro safety Jalen Ramsey, and his production plus overall demeanor must now be replaced. Hill signed a four-year, $24 million deal to join the Cleveland Browns in 2021, adding insult to the Rams injury by following Johnson to Ohio — himself having signed a four-year, $33.75 million deal with the Browns. There’s a reason Cleveland went shopping in the Rams cupboard, but in doing so they created gaping holes in the Los Angeles secondary that must now be filled. Honorable mention in this category also goes to tight end Gerald Everett and Samson Ebukam, who were both solid producers for the Rams in their respective roles, and the decision to send Michael Brockers to Detroit behind Goff creates a bit of a need on the defensive interior as well.

Top draft priority: Cornerback

With the loss of Hill comes a need at the position, one exacerbated by the loss of Johnson at safety. Having locked Ramsey in for the foreseeable future, it’s all about identifying Hill’s successor to complement their premier corner, and there’s no shortage of available talent heading into the draft. The problem is, because of the acquisition of Ramsey in a trade deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Rams don’t have a first-round pick this year. Barring a trade, they won’t go on the clock until No. 57 in the second round, but the cornerback class is deep enough to make a quality grab there — e.g., Asante Samuel Jr. or the like. However they decide to work their haul, it can’t be without a feature corner and/or safety, and especially in a division that features Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and whomever the 49ers choose to select with the No. 3 pick.

Where Rams stand heading into 2021:

To say Sean McVay is upset is an understatement. His team is not long removed from an appearance in the Super Bowl, but it disappointed greatly in that matchup with the New England Patriots and has been uneven ever since. The refusal to be mediocre is what fueled his split from Goff, a player he once adored (at least publicly), looking to usher in the Stafford era with added weapons like wideout DeSean Jackson. Assuming Jackson can remain healthy (big if), it’ll help elevate the offense around incumbent targets and keeping defensive lineman Leonard Floyd helps provide a potent one-two punch with perennial All-Pro and NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald to put the Rams in a good spot in the NFC West chase. That is if they address the secondary, because they’ll otherwise find themselves in trouble when they play elite QBs on a day when Donald and Floyd might not be at their best (it happens).

So the Rams converted a Malibu beach house into their draft war room, and will be operating out of it for this year’s draft (a sentence I can’t believe I just typed). Your move, Kliff! pic.twitter.com/7wK1guI0Pe

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 19, 2021

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Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
If you don’t have a first round pick you may as well relax in the pool, sponsored by rocket mortgage, until it’s time to go call in your second rounder, sponsored by rocket mortgage

I was at a #BlackLivesMatter march last summer in Tulsa where a truck drove through the crowd, struck several people, and in the commotion a man was pushed over a bridge & paralyzed. The driver was never charged. Without this law in place. https://t.co/i9W6LK67YB

— Rebecca Nagle (@rebeccanagle) April 23, 2021

DI Sebastian Joseph-Day looks to play a bigger role in the #Rams defense in 2021

SJD led the team in defensive stops and had the team's 3rd-highest defensive overall grade last season pic.twitter.com/cGMY5LBLD5

— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) April 2, 2021

US Capitol Police officer allegedly told units to only monitor for ‘anti-Trump’ protesters on January 6

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/21/politics/us-capitol-police-officer-investigation-radio-broadcast-lofgren/index.html

Washington (CNN)A US Capitol Police officer directed “all outside units” on the morning of January 6 to only monitor for anti-Trump agitators “who want to start a fight,” not any “pro-Trump in the crowd,” according to the findings of a newly revealed internal investigation.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren described the radio broadcast, the existence of which was not previously known, during a House Administration Committee hearing on security failures around the January 6 attack.

In that transmission, according to Lofgren’s telling, the officer said: “Attention all units on the field, we’re not looking for any pro-Trump in the crowd. We’re only looking for any anti pro-Trump who want to start a fight.”

Lofgren, who chairs the committee, said she was quoting from an account of the radio call, which was found by the Department Office of Professional Responsibility during its ongoing review of allegations related to officer conduct on January 6. She did not identify the officer.

Neither Capitol Police nor Congress has released the audio of the broadcast, despite requests to do so.

But the Capitol Police in a statement Thursday said the call “has been misquoted and is lacking … necessary context.”

The department provided what it says is a transcript of the broadcast in question.

“With regards to pedestrian traffic on — on the grounds today, we anticipate a — a large presence for pro-Trump participants. What we’re looking for is any anti-Trump counter protestors,” the transcript reads, according to the USCP statement.

But the USCP statement also acknowledges that officers were instructed to look out for potential counter demonstrators on January 6 despite the fact that sources and public testimony about the events that day warned of potential violence from pro-Trump protesters.

“Officers were also instructed to look out for potential counter demonstrators because locations with counter demonstrators could be where clashes between the two groups of demonstrators occur,” the statement says. “In November and December 2020, there were violent clashes between pro-Trump protesters and counter protesters.”

“The radio call does not mean USCP was only looking out for anti-Trump counter protestors. The next radio transmission requests that officers be on the lookout for a pro-Trump protester carrying a possible weapon,” the statement adds, though the department did not provide a transcript of the subsequent broadcast.

Lofgren’s office did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment Thursday on the new USCP statement.

US Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton said Wednesday he had not yet read internal reports from the investigation — which CNN reported last month involves allegations against 36 officers — but planned to do so once the review was completed.

Going forward, Bolton “will be able to review the radio transmissions, and he plans to review the findings in general and command and control communications, knowing now that there’s a specific allegation about those communications he should specifically look at it,” a committee aide said.

The committee aide added that Lofgren’s line of questioning underscores the point that the USCP, based on the available intelligence at the time, had ample reason to expect violence from pro-Trump protestors directed at the Capitol and lawmakers but “despite this and all the rhetoric online … USCP supervisors on the morning of 1/6 were apparently still advising their front line officers to focus on and prioritize anti-Trump protesters.”

While the Capitol Police says that neither radio transmission or the officer who made the call are under investigation, Lofgren’s revelation offers some rare insight into the kind of conduct from Capitol Police that has been cited in reports from of the ongoing probe.

A department spokesperson told CNN in February that six US Capitol Police officers had been suspended with pay for their actions in the January 6 riot. Of the 36 officers under investigation from January 6, 23 of the cases are complete. Thirteen of the cases remain under investigation, a department spokesperson told CNN last month.

One of the suspended officers took a selfie with someone who was part of the mob that overtook the Capitol, Rep. Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat, said at the time. Another wore a “Make America Great Again” hat and started directing people around the building, Ryan added.

Acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman said in January that the department “has been actively reviewing video and other open source materials of some USCP officers and officials that appear to be in violation of Department regulations and policies.”

He was killed by friendly fire which was covered up by the military. He’s spent the last 17 years being used as a mascot for militant imperialism against the wishes of his family, and likely himself.

— Thicc Boi™️ (@Nick_a_lodeon) April 22, 2021

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
My preference for the Rams would be to trade back from 57. But specifically as it pertains to the offense through the bulk of the draft, what could a reasonable strategy be?

Republican Senator John Kennedy asks @StaceyAbrams to give him a list of provisions in Georgia’s new voter suppression law that she objects to.

It’s a long list.

Give it a listen: pic.twitter.com/9R57K0HPfN

— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) April 20, 2021

Offense or defense for the Rams with their first pick in the draft? The odds *slightly* favor defense, but you can bet on either one https://t.co/LRtLpzm3EE

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 22, 2021

2021 NFL Draft: 3 offensive tackles projected for day two that have first round potential. Which would you prefer for the Rams? https://t.co/OraLpKLLzQ

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) April 22, 2021

Rams' proposal to change double-pass rule approved by NFL owners https://t.co/Qt9dTi69K3

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) April 22, 2021

"Carlson is just a front man for the larger enterprise churning along behind him. The Murdochs call the shots…" https://t.co/MsOMEZOpq6

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) April 21, 2021

Drew Brees: I only felt really good in one game during the 2020 season. https://t.co/lbSBSMrxgx

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 21, 2021

Under the new rule, players will be able to wear …

Defensive backs: 1–49

Running backs, full backs, tight ends, H-backs, and wide receivers: 1–49 and 80-89

Offensive linemen: 50–79;

Defensive linemen: 50–79 and 90–99;

Linebackers: 1–59 and 90–99. https://t.co/EhTnOVX7RJ

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 21, 2021