Andrew Siciliano@AndrewSiciliano
Today’s Buccaneers – Saints game will mark the 4th DECADE in which Tom Brady has faced Drew Brees. Their first meeting, last CENTURY, was a 38-12 Michigan win over Purdue in 1999.

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Just a reminder on game-day rosters this year: Teams are allowed to expand from 46 to 48 players provided at least eight of those players are offensive linemen. We’ll keep you posted on
@Raiders inactives when they are announced

Adam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Maybe obvious but still incredible: After testing yesterday, all 3,600 players and team personnel, and another 1,400 gameday assistants, all have been cleared for today’s games, per source.

A rather remarkable feat for the league and its players.

ED, we see ya sporting the new logo! #HellYes!! 💪🏽👊🏽 https://t.co/aKDsw8MrKy

— 𝒥𝒾𝓂 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉 (@Jim_Everett) September 13, 2020

from Oregon’s air quality is so far beyond ‘hazardous’ that no one knows what it means for health

Oregon’s air quality is so far beyond ‘hazardous’ that no one knows what it means for health

In some parts of Oregon this week, the air got so smoky that it maxed out the scale used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to measure hazardous air quality.

The EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) measures five types of air pollution on a scale of one to 500. “Healthy” air gets a rating between 0 and 50. Things start getting dangerous in the mid-100s, especially for sensitive groups like those with a heart or lung condition. And an AQI reading of 301 or greater is considered “hazardous,” causing the EPA to declare “emergency conditions” for those who are exposed for 24 hours or more.

On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, the area around Eugene, Oregon, clocked AQI values well into the 700 range on the real-time air-quality monitoring site PurpleAir, greatly exceeding the scale’s maximum value of 500.

zn wrote:

someone I know who lives in Oregon, from Facebook

=

Stacy Alaimo
·
So sad. And the fires are ongoing. Managed to wet down my wood fences and my roof (somewhat) and pack up in case I have to evacuate with the dogs. No idea where I’d go! Seems like there are fires in all directions. My neighbor, who has lived here her whole life, says it has never been this bad, or even close.

Stacy Alaimo
·
As in most of 2020, I am working hard to keep my spirits up, but the evening rolls in and well, I stumble . . the fires in the West are truly heartbreaking. So much loss and devastation and destruction to so many humans and animals and trees. I’m safe at home, so far, so I’m grateful for that, even though the air is extremely hazardous. If I have to live in my car for awhile, wearing a mask, with the dogs, whatever. (No way will I go to a shelter with Covid around!) I hate to think of the birds and other wildlife trying to breathe and survive this somehow. Climate change, the anthropocene, extractive capitalist settler colonialism, environmental racism–all [this is] painfully vivid and disturbing right now. We need real, substantial, sustaining, change. Things cannot continue like this. And climate change denial, say, as espoused by the latest Trump appointee, is sheer evil.

waterfield wrote:

The only thing that makes any kind of sense is that the vehicle may have resembled a stolen car or in fact was reported stolen and the broken light was simply a way to talk to the driver. That might also explain probable cause and the need to ask for ID of the passengers as possible participants in a crime. Right now have to wait to see what the investigation determines. Hard to tell whether the one cop was bitten or not but something caused an injury to his hand. Anyway, I suspect the cop’s story won’t be about a broken tail light but will focus on “suspicious” conduct especially when the driver has no ID. That will be the defense and maybe suffice in Georgia for probable cause.

If that were the case the police would say so. Don’t you think?

Hitting a guy in the mouth will cut your hand. Right?

W this fits a profile. Cops are more likely to stop, search, arrest, and use force against black men.

They beat the guy up because he defied them by asking why they needed his ID since he was just a passenger.

The issue wasn’t probable cause, he had a tail light out…that is sufficient grounds to pull a guy over.

They had NO grounds to ask for the passenger’s ID but then they will make one up soon enough.

from https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/press-release/poll-7-in-10-black-americans-say-they-have-experienced-incidents-of-discrimination-or-police-mistreatment-in-lifetime-including-nearly-half-who-felt-lives-were-in-danger/

When asked about interactions with law enforcement during their lifetimes, 4 in 10 (41%) Black Americans say they have been stopped or detained by police because of their race, and 1 in 5 Black adults (21%), including 3 in 10 Black men, say they have been a victim of police violence.

When asked about incidents just in the past year, 3 in 10 (30%) Black Americans say they personally experienced unfair treatment by police during traffic stops and other encounters. That is nearly three times the share of Hispanic Americans (11%) and ten times the share of White Americans (3%) who report such unfair treatment by police in the past year.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
On the Rams and a Cooper Kupp extension: I’m told the goal has always been to try to get him and Ramsey done before the opener. So they could have something tonight or early tomorrow – but if they don’t, they WILL continue through the season.

There is very much a sense of “one way or another, one day or another, this thing is happening”. And the Rams freed up about $7.5M in current space via Jalen Ramsey’s extension to help with what will probably be an initial Kupp cap increase; after that they can get creative.

BTHRams@BTH_Rams
#LARams remaining unrestricted free agents next offseason:

OL Austin Blythe
RB Malcolm Brown
TE Gerald Everett
EDGE Samson Ebukam
EDGE Morgan Fox
CB Troy Hill
S John Johnson
LS Jake McQuaide
WR Josh Reynolds

WR Cooper Kupp, Rams agree to 3-year, $48M extension

https://www.nfl.com/news/wr-cooper-kupp-rams-close-to-finalizing-extension

Cooper Kupp hauled in an extension before the season started Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Rams announced Saturday morning that they signed Kupp to a three-year extension. The deal is for $48 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported.

Kupp and L.A. made significant progress on a contract extension ahead of the team’s first game against the Cowboys on Sunday night, Rapoport and Garafolo reported earlier in the day. It’s a significant turn of events from earlier in the week when a new deal ahead of the opener seemed unlikely, Garafolo added.

Kupp, who had 94 catches for 1,161 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, is in the final season of his rookie contract and was due to make $2.13 million in base salary.

A third-round selection in 2017, Koop made an instant impact in the Rams’ run to an NFC West championship and a huge turnaround under coach Sean McVay. He tallied 62 catches for 869 yards receiving and six touchdowns as a rookie, but his second act was cut short when he missed eight regular-season games during the Rams’ journey to the Super Bowl. As the team buckled under expectations last season, Kupp returned healthy and was a huge highlight.

Now, he’s locked up a future in L.A. and signed a contract worthy of a wideout with his production.

==

InvaderRam wrote:

i’m expecting big things from the tight end group.

tyler higbee could have a breakout year. i mean he already had a breakout year last year. but i think he could be even better at least numbers wise this year. i don’t know if the running game will be like it was 2 years ago. so he’s gotta pick up the slack.

i also think there should be a good mix behind him too. lots of athleticism. i like hopkins a lot. big fast and agile. if he can learn how to block, rams could have three really good tight ends at their disposal.

+1

zn wrote:

A radiologist with ZERO credentials for this role who was denounced by his colleagues for his “falsehoods and misrepresentations of science” is helping guide our #COVID19 response.

Former Stanford colleagues warn Dr. Scott Atlas fosters ‘falsehoods and misrepresentations of science’

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stanford-colleagues-warn-dr-scott-atlas-fosters-falsehoods/story?id=72926212

A group of 78 researchers and doctors from Stanford Medical School took aim this week at Dr. Scott Atlas, the expert President Donald Trump recently added to the White House pandemic response task force, for embracing and peddling what they described as “falsehoods and misrepresentations of science” in his public musings about the coronavirus.

Atlas, a neuroradiologist by training with no background in treating infectious diseases, joined the president’s medical advisory staff last month. Before doing so, he made frequent appearances on Fox News, where he often cast doubt on the efficacy of wearing masks and pushed for schools to reopen with in-person learning – positions in line with Trump’s own public sentiments.

In a “Dear Colleagues” letter penned Wednesday, the Stanford experts wrote that they have a “moral and ethical responsibility” to push back on Atlas’ controversial claims about mitigating the spread of the coronavirus, which they characterized as “opinions and statements [that] run counter to established science” and “undermine public health authorities and the credible science that guides effective public health policy.”

The rebuke from experts at Stanford’s medical school, where Atlas was once chief of neuroradiology, marked a significant backlash against one of the president’s top advisors. At a White House press briefing in August, Trump introduced Atlas as a new member of the coronavirus task force, calling him “a very famous man who is also highly respected.”

In their letter, however, the Stanford experts tick through a set of widely accepted medical conclusions in conflict with Atlas’ public statements and alleged private policy suggestions.

Without explicitly tying their list to Atlas’ past statements, the set of conclusions — which are based on a “preponderance of data,” according to the letter — include information about the use of face masks, asymptomatic spread and the risk posed to children.

Their last point, for example, denounces the use of natural “herd immunity,” the notion of allowing the disease to tear through the population to build up natural immunity, as “not a safe public health strategy.”

Last month, the Washington Post reported that Atlas advocated for the administration to embrace natural herd immunity, citing five unnamed sources. Atlas vehemently denied the report.

“There is no policy of the President or this administration of achieving herd immunity. There never has been any such policy recommended to the President or to anyone else from me. That’s a lie,” Atlas said in a statement released by the White House.

Even so, both Trump and Atlas have pushed the concept of letting the virus circulate widely — at least among young health people — without using the term “herd immunity.” Last month, the president expressed interest in exploring the option of allowing the disease to spread quickly and allow the populace to build up resistance.

“Well, once you get to a certain number, you know, we use the word ‘herd,’ right, once you get to a certain number, it’s going to go away,” Trump said on Fox News. “So — you know — it doesn’t have to be…”

Atlas has also drawn ire for controversial statements about returning children to schools. He has questioned whether children can transmit the virus and complained that the U.S. is “the only country … this hysterical about opening schools.”

The Stanford experts noted that, “while infection is less common in children than in adults, serious short-term and long-term consequences of Covid-19 are increasingly described in children and young people.”

They concluded their letter by emphasizing the need to exercise “science-based decision-making,” and warning that any policy proposals that fall short of that standard could undermine progress in combatting the disease.

“Failure to follow the science – or deliberately misrepresenting the science,” the letter continues, “will lead to immense avoidable harm.”

Atlas is a senior fellow at Stanford’s conservative Hoover Institution.

He does Rams/Dallas at 5:12 in.

—

Prediction: Rams over Cowboys, 24-21

Eric D. Williams

https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/news/la-rams-over-cowboys-in-season-opener

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — They won’t have any fans in the building, but the Los Angeles Rams would like to get things started off right with a win, playing at the pristine, SoFi Stadium for the first time in team history on Sunday (5:20 p.m. local time, NBC).

Rams head coach Sean McVay is 3-0 in home openers. The Cowboys lead the all-time series 18-17 (including postseason), and won the last contest handily between the two teams 44-21 at AT&T Stadium in 2019.

McVay said he’s pleased football is being played on Sunday, despite the restrictions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“For the NFL to be able to get to this point and do all the things with the limited issues that really each of the clubs has had, is a real credit to them and the teams being able to follow the protocols,” McVay said. “That’s why you’re confident that we can pull this thing off. I’d be a lot more excited — I am excited anyways — but I’d be more excited if we had fans. So, it’s a very positive thing that we’re able to pull this off in spite of all the circumstances.”

Matchup microscope

After allowing the Cowboys to grind out and embarrassing 263 rushing yards last year, the focus is understandably on the Rams defensive line going against a Cowboys offensive line that’s a little banged up. Dallas has one of the best front fives in the NFL, consistently asserting their will at the line of scrimmage. So the Rams have to figure out a way to combat that on Sunday and force Dak Prescott to win the game with his arm and legs. Look for the Rams to test right tackle Cam Erving and left guard Connor Williams. “We got that mindset we’re going to go out there and dominate,” Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “We know they got a good group just because they’ve been playing with each other for a long time. So they know how to play with each other, they know certain things, certain calls. But at the same time, we’ve been playing with each other for a while and we’re going to do what we’ve been doing.”

One to watch
We’ll fudge here and go with two – Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers. Both players (along with Darrell Henderson if he’s healthy), will be tasked with replacing the lost production with Todd Gurley now plying his trade with the Atlanta Falcons The Rams averaged just 3.7 yards per carry on first down runs last season, No. 24 in the NFL. To create balance on offense and take pressure off Jared Goff, the Rams need a consistent running game. Brown and Akers need to provide that potent, 1-2 punch on offense.

Fun to watch
Jalen Ramsey will have his hands full trying to slow down the Cowboys explosive receiver tandem of Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, who both totaled over 1,000 receiving yards last season. New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley plans to move Ramsey around more to better use his unique skill set, but I would expect Ramsey to travel with Cooper most times on Sunday. Along with those two dynamic receivers, Dallas also added rookie CeeDee Lamb, so the Rams secondary will have its hands full.

Key to the game
It’s certainly the focus of every football game for an NFL coach, but particularly in this one to start the year, the Rams have to own the line of scrimmage. If the defensive line led by Aaron Donald can limit the Cowboys’ ability to run the football and the Rams can create balance on offense by generating an effective ground game, I believe L.A. can control the tempo of the game.

Prediction
The Cowboys are favored by three points, but I like the Rams as a home underdog. One thing I believe will work in the Rams’ favor is the continuity on offense. Sean McVay should have the ability to change speeds on offense, keeping the Cowboys off balance and tiring out Dallas defensively, perhaps resulting in some big plays. The Rams have a rookie kicker in Sam Sloman, which could factor in the game, but I’m going with the Rams here in an unlikely defensive battle.