Antonio Brown and the Buccaneers are working towards an agreement

Andrew Brandt@AndrewBrandt
In the last year the Steelers ate a $21 million Cap charge to trade him; the Raiders ate two draft choices to cut him; and the Patriots ate a $9 million signing bonus to cut him.
Good luck Buccaneers.

Tom Brady has been a driving force behind Tampa’s interest. Now both sides working to make it happen. https://t.co/rIyKcYN3Mu

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2020

After 7 years and 88 middling starts in Miami, we thought we knew what Ryan Tannehill was. Then he transformed into the most efficient passer on the planet.

I wrote about what Tannehill’s resurgence in Tennessee can teach us about quarterbacks. https://t.co/RyepXtf8jp

— Robert Mays (@robertmays) October 23, 2020

—
from that:

it’s not hard to see why the Titans’ offense has been a better fit for Tannehill than Adam Gase’s setup in Miami. Tennessee has an excellent offensive line (with recently injured Taylor Lewan in the lineup), the sport’s most imposing running back in Derrick Henry, and a collection of complementary pass catchers that includes ascending stars A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith. In offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the Titans also have a play caller capable of unlocking all that talent. Smith has tapped into every possible way to make a QB’s life easier, and he isn’t afraid to smash those buttons over and over again. Smith has done a fantastic job utilizing the after-the-catch ability of his skill-position talent (no QB in the NFL got more YAC production last season than Tannehill), but the offense’s use of play-action is what really stands out.

"tHe BeArS aRe fRaUdS"

actually they're 5-1 with a top-5 defense

"ok but who have they beaten"

Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, a solid Panthers team

"yeah but they should have won those games"

actually they were underdogs in all of them

"…whatever they're frauds" pic.twitter.com/xmUY6vhkTk

— Jeremy Layton (@JeremyLayt0n) October 23, 2020

Earlier today Dr. Fauci was asked “when was the last time Trump was at a coronavirus task force meeting”….mind you yesterday the country recorded the largest number of daily cases since the start at almost 80K

Dr. Fauci’s answer👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/qQO9LtAdyZ

— Icculus The Brave (@FirenzeMike) October 23, 2020

What is the reason for the slow starts on defense? Seem to give up a lot in the first half and then lock down the second half.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
It’s a great question, and I think there are two parts to it — also addressed this week by Staley. First, he spoke about adjusting from the first half to the second half:

“I think sometimes when you get to see an offense for a half,” Staley said, “you get a real strong sense of how they’re trying to attack you and then now you’re able to apply the game plan, maybe flip the script a little bit, get to some things that maybe you weren’t able to get to in the first half. But it comes down to execution of your assignment and your technique.”

So it seems to me that Staley has a plan for his defense, from week to week, that is opponent-specific, and after gaining an understanding of what that opponent is doing (and hopefully not making too many execution errors, such as missed tackles), the Rams focus hard on adjustments. They try to go from reactive to assertive, and that usually happens in the second half, when, by the way, the Rams are allowing less than five points per game, on average (No. 1 in the NFL). Obviously, they would like to see those adjustments happen earlier in the game.

But, of course, that doesn’t work quite as well if the defense is making unforced errors, like missing tackles. That was a particular problem last week against San Francisco, and Staley attributed it to the team missing some of its normal energy and failing to be as nasty as possible at the contact point.

“We’ve got to be more aggressive,” Staley said. “We certainly emphasize it, we drill it. … We certainly have had guys in position, so I don’t think it’s a schematic deal. I just think we have to be a little bit more aggressive at the finish. I think that mindset, of really being physical on the finish and getting as many guys as we can to the football so if a guy misses we are there for another physical finish. … At the beginning of that game, we were a little off and didn’t have the same energy that our entire team is capable of having, that we’ve displayed, and it showed in that first half.

“It’s just coming out with the right energy, the right mindset. Not trying to feel your way at the beginning of the game. You make sure that you’re going to happen to the beginning of the game — not let it happen to you.”

Why are the Rams still playing Kenny Young?

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Who else would they play instead at inside linebacker? Kenny Young, by the way, is only averaging approximately half of the snaps on defense, and is getting sent on blitzes at a higher rate than his counterpart, Micah Kiser, so it’s possible they are keeping him in on more passing downs to try to manufacture pressure, and also to help contain in coverage. The other option would be Troy Reeder, and bless his heart, but you don’t want Reeder in coverage.

One thing I want to continue to point out about the Rams’ inside linebackers is how obvious it has become that the position is the least “valuable” on the field for the Rams, and one they felt comfortable scheming around while knowing they had to address other needs in free agency and the draft. They waived seventh-rounder Clay Johnston, their only drafted inside linebacker, during roster cutdowns. Even after losing Travin Howard to a knee injury in training camp, the Rams opted to only keep three active inside linebackers on their roster. They also didn’t promote anybody from the practice squad, even when Kiser was out in Week 5.

Much of this methodology lies in the fact that Staley believes strong safeties should be more like linebackers in his ideal scheme (John Johnson has played 100 percent of the defensive snaps so far this season and calls plays). It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the future (assumedly via the draft), because I have to think the Rams would at least like to have a solid coverage linebacker in there against teams like San Francisco, which loves to try to stretch the Rams wider than they are comfortable being.

Early voting in Texas is already at 71% of their TOTAL voter turnout from 2016 and we're still 11 days away from the election. That's the highest percentage for any state in the nation BY FAR. Simply remarkable stuff going on down there.https://t.co/Ziv1Asqfm5

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 23, 2020

The amazing thing isn't that Big Whit continues to produce. It's that he really struggled in the first few games a year ago. https://t.co/8i0KZGF5SH

— BTHRams (@BTH_Rams) October 23, 2020

Andrew Siciliano@AndrewSiciliano
Ladies and gentlemen, your 1st place 2-4-1 Philadelphia Eagles.

Jason La Canfora@JasonLaCanfora
The Eagles will win the division by least three games … And that’s if they go 7-9

I love this terrible division pic.twitter.com/nRXwtz25z6

— Master (@MasterTes) October 23, 2020

𝕋𝕠𝕞 – 𝕃𝔸 ℝ𝕒𝕞𝕤@TL_LARams
The most interesting stat coming out of this is that after 6 games, Jared Goff has just three turnover worthy plays

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams Thursday Injury Report:

• OL Andrew Whitworth (not injury related) – DNP
• DL Aaron Donald (not injury related) – DNP
• TE Tyler Higbee (hand) – DNP
• RB Darrell Henderson Jr. (thigh) – DNP

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
“They’re pretty frickin’ good,” Rams RT Rob Havenstein says about the Bears’ pass rush.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Rams RT Rob Havenstein notes that after an uncharacteristic Sunday outing for the offense, QB Jared Goff came out for the first full practice of the week and ran around with a ton of energy, got guys’ energy up, communicated well etc.

The top 5 teams all are connected through the same coaching tree (Gruden/McVay/Shanahan/LaFleur/Smith).

As this tree has spread throughout the league, the #NFL has seen more condensed formations over the last five seasons:

2016: 28.0
2017: 27.3
2018: 26.4
2019: 25.8
2020: 25.7

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 22, 2020

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Can confirm that @Raiders will be without entire starting offensive line and safety Johnathan Abram for the second consecutive day as a result of COVID-19 contact tracing protocols relating to Trent Brown situation. Story coming soon.

According to a source, @Raiders Trent Brown not always wearing his tracking monitor really impacted things. Had he done the right thing, it would have been easy to determine who among the OL/Johnathan Abram was high-risk contact.

But because he didn’t, there was really no other choice but to deem everyone high-risk contacts. (Lesson: There are rules and regulations in place. Follow them)

TurfShowTimes@TurfShowTimes
Wade Phillips called Littleton “one of my favorites players to have ever coached.”

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Sean McVay, after being asked about the Rams’ 2018 loss to the Bears when DC Brandon Staley was on Chicago’s staff:

“He basically ruined my night that night.”

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Kai Forbath update from @RamsNFL HC Sean McVay:

He won’t be able to get into facility until Sunday (due to COVID protocols). Doesn’t mean it’s over for Sam (Sloman).

Could Forbath kick for @RamsNFL on MNF? “Theoretically.”

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams DC Brandon Staley says the defense needs to be more aggressive finishing their tackles.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Big emphasis on bringing energy early especially in the tackling game, being nastier at the contact point and finishing (and getting other defenders swarming to the ball) says Brandon Staley. “You have to be able to happen TO the game – and not let the game happen to you.”

Here’s some good A’Shawn Robinson news: The Rams can activate him to the 53-man within the 21-day period, and McVay sounds pretty confident that, barring a setback, Robinson could go “sooner rather than later” based on how good he looks right now.

Eagles Fan Starts Tailgating At 9 A.M. For Custody Hearing https://t.co/f5l6eWIZsa pic.twitter.com/Z6Kf6Skmky

— The Onion (@TheOnion) October 22, 2020

Interesting look at what made the Rams so vulnerable against the 49ers on Sunday. Soft zone + QB throwing only behind the LOS + catch-and-run players who make the first level miss/attain as much YAC as they did = Discombobulation and frustration (and Ted goes into great detail) https://t.co/lvfaAQ92GT

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) October 22, 2020