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znModeratorJust a reminder that the Rams iLB’s were also ranked the worst heading into the 2020 season and they still had the #1 defense.
Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t improve the position. Think we’re all on board for that in some capacity. https://t.co/SSCe79UKxm
— Rams Brothers (@RamsBrothers) April 2, 2021
znModeratorDI 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
znModeratormatt gatez being escorted to prison pic.twitter.com/yDT7NMYBm5
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEmovienerd) April 1, 2021
znModeratorLance Zierlein@LanceZierlein
Last year got a lot of love as a WR draft but I actually like this year’s better.I think it’s actually just as deep and with more intriguing talent in round three through five
Ben Fennell@BenFennell_NFL
Muchhhh better class this year – better talent at top, Day 2 starters, Day 3 contributors/role players! I bet this class has some serious rookie production in 2021znModeratorRams QB Matthew Stafford had a procedure on the thumb of his throwing hand that was characterized as "elective" and "minor", per source. More: https://t.co/vt02YYTiUX
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 1, 2021
znModeratorWho does @hokiesFB CB @IamCalebFarley want to model his game after in the NFL?@jalenramsey isn't a bad pick 💪 (via @movethesticks) pic.twitter.com/HHTY3dqkqk
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 1, 2021
znModeratorFate of Chargers’ ownership at stake as Dean Spanos’ sister asks court to force sale
In an attempt to force the sale of the Chargers, a sister of controlling owner Dean Spanos filed a petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday arguing that mounting debt has imperiled the family’s finances and the only solution is to put the NFL franchise on the market.
The petition by Dea Spanos Berberian, who serves as co-trustee of the family trust along with her brother, alleges the trust’s debts and expenses exceed $353 million. In addition, according to the filing, the trust doesn’t have a plan to pay more than $22 million it has pledged to charities.
“Every day that passes increases the risks that the charitable beneficiaries and the Spanos family legacy will suffer irreparable financial and reputational damage” the petition said.
When the Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 seasons in San Diego, they faced the daunting task of paying off a $650-million relocation fee to the NFL and building a fanbase in a market crowded with college and professional sports. They now have an emerging superstar at quarterback in Justin Herbert and share the $5-billion SoFi Stadium with the Rams.
But the 156-page filing raises questions about the future of the franchise owned by the Spanos family since 1984 and reveals a family dispute that until now had played out in private.
In a November 2019 letter included with the court filing, Dean Spanos vowed to his three siblings that he would retain an investment bank at the end of the 2024 season in an effort to find a new owner. Berberian contends the situation is too dire to wait.
According to the filing, Berberian “attempted numerous times and numerous ways” to resolve the dispute. That included mediation with a retired L.A. County Superior Court judge that didn’t work.
“Dean refuses to consider a sale of the Trust’s Interest of the Chargers, insisting that the Co-Trustees continue to borrow more and more, and to force the charities and beneficiaries to wait for years and to ‘hope’ while Dean speculates further on a football team,” the petition said. “Dean has failed to present any plan to address the Trust’s bleak financial picture, because there is no other plan than the one urged by [Berberian]. Dean simply refuses to discuss it. … His plan is hope.”
Though Forbes valued the Chargers at $2.6 billion last year, the petition described the team as a “rare trophy asset” and noted that “the price a buyer is willing to pay is often not dictated by any economic metric.” The NFL recently finalized massive new media rights deals that could be worth more than $10 billion per year, something the filing asserts “will certainly attract potential buyers.”
The petition noted reports that Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, worth an estimated $180 billion, is interested in becoming an NFL owner and said “the Chargers could be a perfect opportunity.”
Nearly four decades ago, the family patriarch, Alex Spanos, purchased a majority interest in the San Diego Chargers for $40 million.
His four adult children — Alexandra Spanos Ruhl, Michael Spanos, Dean Spanos and Berberian — each owns 15% of the Chargers. The family trust controls 36% of the team with the remainder owned by nonfamily members. After Alex Spanos and his wife Faye died in 2018, Dean Spanos, the oldest of the four children, and Berberian were left as the sole co-trustees.
The stake in the Chargers makes up 83% of the trust’s holdings. The petition paints a bleak picture of its finances, estimating an annual shortfall of $11 million with little cash flow or reason to believe the numbers will improve. The debt includes $164 million “associated with the Trust’s Interest in the Chargers” and at least $75 million in estate tax.
“Rather than seeking to monetize illiquid assets in order to pay debts and liabilities, and make distributions to beneficiaries, the Co-Trustees have principally been borrowing, including borrowing money from one bank to pay another,” the petition said. “Meanwhile, the trust is so heavily concentrated in owning a minority stake in a professional football team that beneficiaries have no choice but to depend almost solely on the rise or fall of the Team.”
The petition asks the court to order Berberian and Spanos to take steps to sell the trust’s share of the Chargers and invoke a provision of trust law that would require the team’s other shareholders to do the same.
Dean Spanos has controlled the team’s day-to-day management since 1994. His sons have key roles, too. John oversees the team’s football operations and A.G. heads the business side.
“Dean will likely contend that if he is only allowed to use his position as a Co-Trustee to be a speculator … to double and triple down on bad decisions of the past, he can turn things around because there are positive developments at the NFL level that should benefit the Chargers as well,” the petition said. “He also has support from other family members and beneficiaries (though not all).”
Before the Chargers moved to L.A. — the relocation led one columnist to brand Dean Spanos as the “most hated man” in San Diego — he kept a copy of his father’s autobiography in his office. A page was dog-eared for quick reference. It underscored the importance that family played in his decisions.
“A solid family foundation: This is the basis of everything,” the essential passage said. “Without family, you will be left emotionally empty, no matter how fabulous your accomplishments.”
znModeratorAlas, it seems that a free and independent intellect has no place at a left journal anymore. Diversity of opinion, once a fixed and immutable ideal, has fallen by the wayside, the ideology of conformity having taken its place. Unless one’s thoughts are Socially Just, they are considered unworthy, even appalling. Every day, we see stories of a new hideous injustice. A white person is politely discouraged from doing a rap about the school library. An article about hamentaschen has its headline changed. An esteemed political scientist is called a “racist asshole” (and even more unspeakable names) on Twitter, merely for declaring that imperialist atrocities have an upside. A professor is condemned for uttering a racial slur. A comedian is heckled about his history of sexual misconduct. A publishing company questions whether an author’s work has intellectual merit. A company requires its staff to attend a one-day seminar on “treating colleagues respectfully.” A perfectly decent man is told his perspective may be biased. The Woke Mafia never sleeps.
Hard to see any strong parallels with the reign of Terror here.
znModeratorthey must be steelers fans https://t.co/pu84rXWR6A
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021 at 11:46 am in reply to: Blythe signing w/ Vikings? (Chiefs actually). So who’s the center? #128787znModeratorWhitewater Drafting —
OL Quinn Meinerz boosts stock with impressive pro day; should Rams try to secure one of the top iOL prospects in the draft? https://t.co/nEum5ubLsv
— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) April 1, 2021
znModeratorYou know who fits in Kyle Shanahan’s offense? Every QB on the planet. That’s bc his offense is great.
Pretending Mac Jones is a better fit than Fields/Lance is just admitting Jones needs the scheme to be good and ignoring that Fields/Lance give Shanahan more to work with.
— George Chahrouri (@PFF_George) April 1, 2021
znModeratorznModeratorNFLPA continues to push hard for no in-person work this spring.
Says NFLPA President J.C. Tretter: "The NFL doesn’t get to decide when the pandemic is over, or when we get to stop caring about COVID."— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) March 31, 2021
znModeratorfrom NFL power rankings: 2021 free agency, pre-draft trades boost Rams, 49ers, Cowboys
Nate Davis
USA TODAYNFL power rankings, 2021 offseason’s post-free agency edition (previous rank in parentheses):
1. Buccaneers (1): “We’re keeping the band together,” per QB Tom Brady. “We’re going for two,” per head coach Bruce Arians, who kindly advises you not to use the Chiefs’ (failed) “run it back” motto. Whether or not the Bucs do become the first team to repeat in 17 years, TB12 did his part financially to keep this roster intact – OLB Shaq Barrett, WR Chris Godwin and TE Rob Gronkowski among those returning – and Arians, 68, is certainly energized to make some history in the twilight of his uniquely signature career.
2. Chiefs (3): They’ve made very nice pickups on both sides of the line scrimmage – notably OL Joe Thuney and Kyle Long and DT Jarran Reed – and should get G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif back from his opt-out year, though still not clear who QB Patrick Mahomes’ tackles will be in 2021.
3. Packers (2): They managed to retain RB Aaron Jones, otherwise … Remains to be seen what kind of help GM Brian Gutekunst obtains for MVP Aaron Rodgers and Co. with the 29th pick of the draft, but this is shaping as another year when the Pack are treading water at best.
4. Rams (5): Their top-ranked defense took a few hits in free agency. But can’t wait to see what the Matthew Stafford-Sean McVay marriage – not to mention the dimension speedy WR DeSean Jackson adds – means for an offense that ranked 22nd in points scored.
5. Bills (4): They’re pretty much keeping the band together, too – even adding WR Emmanuel Sanders on keyboards and QB Mitchell Trubisky on backing vocals – though it remains to be seen if this is act is good enough, as constructed, to win a Grammy.
znModeratorMarch 31, 2021 at 3:49 pm in reply to: Blythe signing w/ Vikings? (Chiefs actually). So who’s the center? #128775znModeratorRodrigue: Rams need a new plan at center as starter Austin Blythe signs with the Chiefs
Jourdan Rodrigue
he Rams entered free agency this spring walking a thin line at center: They knew they needed a plan (and preferably one that featured a proven player) after pushing so many resources into the acquisition of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.
But, limited financially and backed against a shrunken salary cap, they also knew they needed to settle on team-friendly contract terms, and stick with them. That led to 2020 starter Austin Blythe exploring the market, and ultimately finding a new home and one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday afternoon, according to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor.
Correctly, the Rams predicted that the center market would cycle around a bit before bottoming out. It took until what we can consider to be free agency’s “third wave” for Blythe to find a deal, and all the while, they sat in a staring contest with the center and his agent, optimistic when free agency began in mid-March that he’d eventually find his way back to Los Angeles.
All it takes is one other team to blink first. Now, the Rams find themselves in a tough spot at one of the offense’s most key positions.
No, Blythe was not going to be a long-term answer at the position. The fact that he signed a one-year deal showed where his market timeline stood, and that’s likely where the Rams wanted him, too. He was Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best center in 2020, so while he played at a top-10 level he also wasn’t exactly in Pro Bowl conversations year over year.
But his value to the Rams was large this offseason, because he lent stability, continuity and was a “proven entity” at a position where now, there are only questions without immediate answers.
Without Blythe, the Rams have few possibilities for a “Plan B”. They can still sign a veteran center to a short deal — ironically, former Chiefs center Austin Reiter, 29, is still available. They’ve got about $7 million in workable cap space at the moment, with a safety-valve option of restructuring some or all of Stafford’s $9.5 million base salary in 2021 to free up a bit more, if needed. The fact that they didn’t move from their number for Blythe, however, indicates an unwillingness to sign the players left in free agency to the kind of deal required to exercise that safety valve.
General manager Les Snead, while praising Blythe in early March, also discussed the difficulty of matching even a veteran player into the Rams’ scheme.
“It’s even hard just to project a player that may be with another NFL team (and whether they) can do it,” he said, “just because they will still have to learn our system and still at that point have to quickly process football within our system.”
Snead pointed toward currently-rostered center Brian Allen, a fourth-round pick in 2018, as a possibility for replacing Blythe. But Allen spent the entire 2020 season rehabbing what Snead called a “serious” leg injury. How well he will return from that injury is still unproven, even though he does have prior starting experience. Coleman Shelton, who was recently tendered by the Rams as an exclusive rights free agent, also could have potential — but has never started a game. Former second-round pick (Cleveland) Austin Corbett, who plays guard for the Rams, also has center experience — and any movement of Corbett would possibly signal moving Tremayne Anchrum, a 2020 seventh-rounder, into the guard spot.
Even if they sign a veteran, or start either Allen or Shelton in 2021 — or shuffle around their line even further — the Rams still absolutely must draft a center this April. The class is promising and deep, and full of players with potential ranging from ready (or nearly-ready) starters to developmental guys with big upside. But any rookie will still need time to develop physically and mentally, to learn the Rams’ offense and blocking schemes and to establish a partnership with Stafford — all the while, we don’t even know how much time teams will be able to spend together this spring. A best-case scenario (and the Rams’ “Plan A”) would have been re-signing Blythe for a year and also drafting a young center/guard, then allowing the rookie to develop for a year and get some practice snaps in with Stafford before taking over full-time.
Without Blythe, the Rams have now also telegraphed their hand across the league, showing other teams their biggest need entering the draft. Their first pick is late in the second round, at No. 57, so not only will the Rams depend on the draft boards of all other 31 teams falling in their favor so they can get “their guy” (whether it’s at No. 57 or later), but also on that player being the right guy long-term.
Projecting centers, especially, is really tough. Doing so out of need, while relying on the luck and game theory of the draft itself, is never a position a team wants to be in. Free agency exists to fill immediate needs; the draft is better-served as a tool for the future.
Any of the Rams’ current options — from incoming veteran, to rookie, to currently-rostered player — rely on what Snead would call “unknown entities”. As unknown variables increase, so does risk.
One argument some have even made throughout the spring, as we collectively waited on Blythe to either re-sign, or sign elsewhere, is that with a veteran set of eyes diagnosing defenses at quarterback such as Stafford, the Rams can afford to make riskier decisions at center — or even start a rookie.
Sure, Stafford is gifted in many areas, including moving his pocket, escaping pressure, reading and re-setting coverages and keeping plays alive in order to freestyle downfield a bit.
But calling plays and helping to align the offense is far from the only job a center has — and, in dominant center/quarterback tandems, this action is very much a partnership. Any dependency on one or the other reflects poorly on the dependent player, and makes him a weak spot against whom teams will find an edge.
Among many other positional nuances, a center must also be an anchor point for the run game and work to help prevent the interior push and pressure that “Pac-mans” a quarterback’s pocket and forces him to flush outside into the radius of the often faster, more dangerous players on the perimeter. He is an extension of the quarterback — a partnership that takes time and experience to build. The less “risk” that is involved in doing so, the better it is for an offense as a whole. It’s not that Blythe was the key to the Rams’ entire offense; re-signing him was simply the least-risky option.
After all, why would a team invest major resources into bringing in a veteran quarterback, with whom they adamantly believe they can win a Super Bowl, and not equip him with all of the proper tools to do his job with as little stress — as little risk — as possible?
That would be like commissioning a famous artist to paint your portrait, and then handing them a crayon. They could still perhaps create something beautiful, but you’re still the guy who handed them a freaking crayon.
March 31, 2021 at 1:54 pm in reply to: Blythe signing w/ Vikings? (Chiefs actually). So who’s the center? #128772znModeratorAustin Blythe (Chiefs) one year, $990K salary (gtd), $760K playtime, team performance incentive
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 31, 2021
March 31, 2021 at 9:22 am in reply to: interestin stuff (vids, tweets, etc. that fit this & not another category) #128769znModeratorHappy 78th Birthday to the dancing legend himself, Christopher Walken pic.twitter.com/I6dPCvxCwT
— Meredith Frost (@MeredithFrost) March 31, 2021
znModerator==
znModeratorJalen Ramsey has allowed fewer than 30 yards in coverage in 37 of his 74 NFL starts (2016-2020)
Leads the NFL🔒 pic.twitter.com/5o48qs6xpG
— PFF (@PFF) March 30, 2021
znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Like Snead mentioned a couple weeks ago, I’m pretty excited about a couple of those younger DL who were hidden on the practice squad last year. Eric Banks and Michael Hoecht in particular.Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
On a conference call with NFL media, commissioner Roger Goodell said the plan is to have full stadiums (fans) in 2021 season.March 30, 2021 at 4:20 pm in reply to: Blythe signing w/ Vikings? (Chiefs actually). So who’s the center? #128756znModeratorLindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
former Rams center Austin Blythe agrees to terms with the Chiefs, per @TomPelissero..
Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Of any moves/departures for the Rams in FA, this is the one that surprises me. With Allen coming back from a serious injury and Shelton relatively unproven, C position now far from settled. Rams wanted to wait out market and got into staring contest; Chiefs blinked first...
Austin Blythe is headed to Kansas City, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Chiefs https://t.co/4gzUxh9gMM
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) March 30, 2021
znModeratorTom Pelissero@TomPelissero
The NFL informed clubs today they can begin Phase 1 of OTAs on April 19, per source. Players are still allowed to work out at the facility in small groups, as many have been. The NFL and NFLPA continue to discuss virtual vs. in-person meetings and on-field work soon thereafter.This means no head start for teams with new head coaches, who normally could’ve started OTAs Monday. But unlike a year ago, some players have already been working out in team facilities, and there’s hope for practices this spring, even if meetings remain virtual indefinitely.
The NFL and NFLPA have worked collaboratively throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But if there’s no deal on 2021 offseason rules, normal CBA provisions would apply. In-person workouts and practices would mean players need to show up to earn any workout bonuses in their contracts.
znModeratorIf Rams don't re-sign Austin Blythe, what are their options at center? https://t.co/M0ZrG0yWK3
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) March 30, 2021
znModeratorThe Rams biggest offseason move: Trading for QB Matthew Stafford.
The biggest question moving forward: Who will snap the ball to him?https://t.co/io8WtU86Xy
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) March 30, 2021
March 30, 2021 at 12:55 pm in reply to: Trumpie behaviors (examples of that, plus comments on that) #128748znModeratorMike Lindell declares that as a result of voter fraud lawsuit he'll soon be filing, "Donald Trump will be back in office in August." pic.twitter.com/5Ewtd9SZ1O
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) March 29, 2021
znModeratorMatthew Stafford: QBs have 'played at a high level' under Sean McVay https://t.co/N5u0r7Rci0 via @theramswire
— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) March 30, 2021
znModeratoroldschoolramfan
This is going to be a CRAZY DRAFT…
Tons of players opted out last season.
Some teams cancelled season for Covid.
Players had a whole year off to get healthy from previous injuries.Projecting 5 QB’s in Top 10 picks…That means Rams are picking 52nd best player at pick #57…
Put on your seat belts and get ready for a wild ride in this years draft. It’s gonna get CRAZY!
znModeratorJust like the minimum drinking age, there’s a reason the minimum age to buy a gun should be 21: science and data. Because they lack a developed prefrontal cortex, people aged 18 to 20 year-old are offenders in gun homicides at a rate FOUR TIMES higher than adults 21 and older. https://t.co/xPeTGxDjk7
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 30, 2021
znModeratorIn 2020, Matthew Stafford ranked in the Top 10 among QBs with at least 300 dropbacks in terms of:
🚀 aDOT (T-3rd)
💥 Big Time Throws (8th)
❌ Fewest Turnover Worthy Plays (T-8th)#Rams pic.twitter.com/t7K8jKawXW— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) March 29, 2021
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