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August 18, 2020 at 10:59 pm in reply to: Rams camp, 2020 … including “At Camp Live” vids w/ Long, Farr, & MJ-D #119554
znModeratorA super-sized standout rookie, a new first-team guard and more from Rams camp
Jourdan Rodrigue
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Rookies with any sort of speed, whether they’re at a skill position or they’re a linebacker or an edge rusher, often get to their first NFL training camp looking a little on the lanky side.
So that made it kind of difficult, at first, to believe that the player wearing No. 52 on the practice fields Tuesday was outside linebacker Terrell Lewis, the Rams’ 84th overall draft pick in April.
“Man, he’s a massive dude,” veteran nose tackle Michael Brockers said. “At first, I was like, ‘That’s the guy they got replacing me.’ Then I saw him at outside linebacker and was like, ‘What?’
“He’s picking up very well. He’s doing all the right things. You know, there are things that he has to learn, has to adapt to in the NFL. But we’ve got time, he’ll catch up.”
Lewis already looks like a pro, with a filled-out, 6-foot-5 frame (the Rams list him at 262 pounds). That’s important because the Rams hope he can compete for a spot in the starting rotation opposite Leonard Floyd. Lewis also missed time this summer while on the COVID-19/reserve list (he tested positive but since has been cleared).
“He certainly looks how you’re supposed to,” head coach Sean McVay said with a grin after practice. “He’s exactly what you want when you draw up a Madden player, in terms of what that outside edge player looks like. … It’s just been good getting him back into the building, back into the flow.”
The Rams technically aren’t practicing at full speed, but with one flash of pursuit against quarterback Jared Goff in team drills, Lewis showed impressive speed despite his size.
He doesn’t look like a rookie.
More notes from the Rams’ first padded practice:
Brockers, whom the Rams are relieved to have back after his deal with the Ravens fell through in free agency — their own free-agent signing, A’Shawn Robinson, is on the non-football injury list with a cardiovascular issue — called the feeling of getting back into pads like “a baby in water.”
Robinson can still be at practice, and he was present on Tuesday, although he kept to the side during position drills and team drills.
The first-team offensive line featured, from left to right, Andrew Whitworth, Joe Noteboom, Austin Blythe, Austin Corbett and Rob Havenstein. That was different from what we saw on “Hard Knocks” last week, when Corbett was at left guard and David Edwards was at right guard.
Safety Taylor Rapp and outside linebacker Justin Lawler did not practice. Rapp has a knee issue that McVay indicated was minor, while Lawler is getting his foot checked out after someone stepped on it, according to McVay.
With Rapp out, rookie safeties Jordan Fuller and Terrell Burgess got more reps and often rotated through multiple packages. Burgess also picked off Goff in team drills, a takeaway that came one snap after cornerback Darious Williams intercepted backup quarterback John Wolford. “Early on, to see the secondary as on-point as they are, it’s definitely a good sight,” Brockers said.
There appears to be a clear gap in the rotation at inside linebacker between Micah Kiser and Travin Howard and the rest of the group. The competition continues, and it’s only the first day in pads. Someone else could pop.
There wasn’t much full-speed work Tuesday, but Goff still got to work a little bit in pressure. Mobility and footwork were two of his biggest points of emphasis in his offseason work this spring. His best throw of the day was a dart threaded to tight end Tyler Higbee, while on the run.
In more outside linebacker news, Samson Ebukam looked sharp while taking first-team reps and drew some praise from coaches. Lewis will compete to work into a rotation with Ebukam because veteran Leonard Floyd — who has impressed teammates so far in camp — is locked into a starting role.
Backup quarterbacks Bryce Perkins and Josh Love showed nice touch when running individual drills on the far field. Love did miss running back Darrell Henderson in the end zone once, but it was a catchable ball.
The second-best ball of the day may have come from Goff when he threw over the top to rookie receiver Van Jefferson. But Jefferson did not get the lion’s share of first-team reps. Instead, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds worked the majority of sets with Goff, along with tight ends Higbee and Gerald Everett.
The running back order went as such: Malcom Brown, Henderson and rookie Cam Akers — though Akers got a lot of reps with first and second teams on Tuesday. It’s clear coaches are trying to get him up to speed quickly.
I have never seen a long snapper get so involved in fumble drills during the special-teams period, but Jake McQuaide was all about it and fired up.
Great, great tidbit from the Rams’ media-relations interns: They packed “welcome bags” for media, which included a mask and some mints for that gnarly mask breath.
August 18, 2020 at 10:38 pm in reply to: Goff talk … June to Sept. (a lot of great stuff here) #119549znModeratorThis repeats a few things found in other places, but it has enough in it that’s new to justify posting the whole thing.
…
Now united with a new coach, Jared Goff takes his next step as Rams QB
Jourdan Rodrigue
This offseason, as he has done since 2017, Rams quarterback Jared Goff met three times per week with 3DQB, a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based quarterback training facility, to work on his mechanics and mental preparation and to develop a nutrition plan ahead of a pivotal year.
And over the last two weeks, Goff finally got out of Zoom video conferences and onto the field for the first time with new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, who, along with passing game coordinator Shane Waldron, will take over Goff’s training and mechanics work.
The manner in which they carry Goff’s momentum into his fifth training camp will determine much of the Rams’ offensive success this fall.
Teammates and coaches say Goff showed up to camp in great shape — “the best shape of his life,” according to tight end Tyler Higbee — and while Goff joked that he thought it might be cheeseburger weight, Higbee sees a real difference in the quarterback’s physical ability.
“Seeing him just moving around, throwing the rock around, his mobility is better,” Higbee said. “I know he’s changed his diet a little bit to help improve that.”
O’Connell said he was “pleasantly surprised” to see how well Goff has been moving his feet in camp, when players have been able to onboard in a limited capacity.
“He’s really spent a lot of time in the offseason getting a little bit stronger as well as getting some foot speed,” O’Connell said.
That was, of course, by design. Part of Goff’s work at 3DQB this spring was done with the assumption that, because the Rams’ offensive line did not have its usual offseason work together, he would face some of the same protection/pocket-cleanliness issues that he experienced in 2019. He would need to get more confident when throwing on the move.
“One thing Jared had to do a lot of last year was throw off his back foot,” said mechanics expert Adam Dedeaux, when speaking with The Athletic last month. Dedeaux leads Goff’s offseason training at 3DQB and is the company’s CEO.
“Some of that was related to his footwork, which we wanted to clean up. Some of it was related to that understanding that he didn’t have the same space and time (to throw) that maybe he had been accustomed to, and that this year was going to be no different. We worked on the mechanics of how to be able to throw off of the back foot but not lose any of the velocity or take any more off of the arm. And then also, when you’re forced to move and you find yourself on your front foot, how do you throw off your front foot? There are specific mechanics to doing that to where, once again, you don’t lose mechanical efficiency.”
O’Connell and head coach Sean McVay refer to that as throwing “off schedule,” and it’s a major emphasis point in practices for Goff and the backup quarterbacks.
“We’ve worked a lot on his fundamentals, worked a lot on his lower half, his base, you know, having a little bit more athletic stance and posture throughout the sequence of a snap,” O’Connell said. “(In an NFL game), very rarely does it feel like you’re throwing on air when the pass rush is live. … So, we try to simulate, first and foremost, getting the fundamental sound from a clean pocket. And then a lot of what we’ll do and have done already (is) to continue to challenge him when that chaos surrounds him.”
That means drilling, and more drilling, which O’Connell breaks down into phases. Everything the quarterbacks do places emphasis on sound fundamental techniques, as sort of a “home base” for Goff to come back to when things start getting gnarly in front and around him in live situations.
“We take a lot of pride in how we put drills together,” O’Connell said. “To me, early on in practice we’ve got to get this guy activated. Everybody thinks warming up is just your arm muscle, just throwing pitches to get loose. … Well, quarterbacks have to do a lot of things. We don’t throw off of a mound. We don’t throw from a static position. There’s conflict in the pocket. That’s a nice way of saying people like (All-Pro defensive tackle) Aaron Donald are in the pocket trying to chase you down and get sacks and things like that.
“So, we have to simulate that while also understanding it’s all about the basis of the fundamentals that we start with, and that’s the base, his balance, his body position, posture in the pocket, having his feet nice and set in the right place, eliminating all the extra motion, all the extra movements that can sometimes build up and become some bad habits over time.”
From there, O’Connell said, they continue to add variables such as pocket movement and “conflict” within the pocket. Goff obviously won’t take hits in camp, but the idea is, in the most extreme phases of drilling, to pressure him enough to where it feels more natural for him to extend his own pocket should protection collapse.
The Rams also coach situationally, meaning they try to mirror what might happen in the natural flow of a game — for example, re-creating the type of pressure Goff would face in a must-pass third-down situation and designing not only more options for Goff with his pass-catchers but also creating the opportunity for him to work through his throwing mechanics while on the move.
“We coach a lot about decision-making in those time frames,” O’Connell said, “how we make decisions, how we still protect the football while also always first and foremost being aggressive and having that attacking mindset.”
O’Connell has enjoyed working with Goff and seeing the progress since they got on the field together for the first time in early August. O’Connell and McVay wanted Goff to take more ownership of the Rams’ offense this season; so far O’Connell is markedly impressed.
“(He is) professional,” O’Connell said. “Comes to work every single day with a purpose and a plan. … I like his leadership style because I’ve seen the guys really respond to him, (and) his teammates know that he has their back. He’s willing to be out in front of this thing, and when things don’t go well, I’ve been really proud (to see him) step up and say, ‘Hey, that’s on me. Here’s how we are going to fix it.’
“Whose fault doesn’t matter. It’s about being a leader, and it’s about taking control and accountability of the group. And we’re off to a great start from that standpoint.”
Goff indicated he felt an immediate bond with O’Connell, since the offensive coordinator played the position for five years in the NFL as a journeyman backup. Goff knows what details he has to manage in order to take the next step in his career; O’Connell’s experience behind quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Philip Rivers means he has full understanding of those details, too.
“He understands the little intricacies that go along with playing it, and I’m super excited,” Goff said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”
znModeratorTodd Gurley not dressed for first practice in full pads for load management. (Video courtesy of @bkfox5sports) pic.twitter.com/JTpkirXXHA
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) August 18, 2020
znModeratorAlex Kirshner@alex_kirshner
Hi, I’m a college administrator who makes $150k a year. I spent the last two months telling reporters, “We’re really banking on our students making smart decisions this fall and not partying.” Now we have 12 COVID clusters after two days. I have no idea how this happened.August 18, 2020 at 10:11 pm in reply to: Retirement options: Ten Best Overseas Destinations. #119545znModeratorI think I mentioned I’ve been to Portugal. Fwiw the 2nd language there is french.
znModeratorVid link.
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche: Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson has been ‘darling of training camp’ for Rams.
https://www.nfl.com/videos/wyche-van-jefferson-has-been-darling-of-training-camp-for-rams
znModeratorVid link.
NFL Network’s Steve Wyche: Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson has been ‘darling of training camp’ for Rams.
https://www.nfl.com/videos/wyche-van-jefferson-has-been-darling-of-training-camp-for-rams
August 18, 2020 at 9:08 pm in reply to: Rams camp, 2020 … including “At Camp Live” vids w/ Long, Farr, & MJ-D #119540znModeratorRams Training camp, Day 1: Jared Goff spins it
Eric D. Williams
https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/news/rams-goff-spins-it
A recap of Tuesday’s practice at Rams training camp:
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Reporters got their first chance to see all the work Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff has been putting in on display in his team’s fully padded practice.
Goff shined. He showed good accuracy and anticipation in the pocket and on the run. And if he didn’t have anything, Goff pulled the ball down and scrambled for big games.
Head coach Sean McVay also said he liked how his starting quarterback got his team quickly in and out of the huddle. The only hiccup for Goff was an interception by rookie safety Terrell Burgess on a deep ball.
“He made completions, made good decisions and took what the defense gave him consistently,” McVay said. “I thought we got in and out of the huddle the right way. It was on track for doing things with the standards that we have set, and I thought it started with his performance today.”
PLAY OF THE DAY
There were a handful to chose from, but we will go with Darious Williams’ interception of John Wolford on a deep ball intended for Trishton Jackson.
Williams’ pick was the first of back-to-back interceptions by the Rams’ defense, with the second one the Burgess takeaway.
“At this point of the season to see the secondary as on point as they are is definitely a good sight,” defensive lineman Michael Brockers said.
Rookie Van Jefferson also was impressive on Tuesday, running polished routes and creating consistent separation during 1-on-1 drills. Jefferson also caught a nice deep ball for a touchdown from Wolford behind Williams.
MATCHUP OF THE DAY
Rookie Cam Akers squared up with Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey after a decent gain, and the two Florida State products had a big collision along the sideline.
Both Akers and Ramsey playfully talked smack as the two made their way back to the huddle.
Akers looked the part during practice. He showed that he’s a natural hands catcher in individual route running drills and also displayed good patience, with an ability to burst through the hole once he found a seam in the defense.
Akers, Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr. all got reps with the starters during team drills.
ROLL CALL
McVay said second-year safety Taylor Rapp has a knee issue that kept him out of practice on Tuesday, but he feels good about the University of Washington product being on the right track to getting out on the field soon.
McVay also said outside linebacker Justin Lawler got his foot stepped on and is being evaluated.
Brockers said a high ankle injury he suffered last year is good to go, and he’s able to go full speed. Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, on reserve/non-football injury list with an undisclosed health issue, was at practice watching today with his position group.
The five offensive lineman working with the starters included Andrew Whitworth at left tackle, Joe Noteboom at left guard, Austin Blythe at center, Austin Corbett at right guard and Rob Havenstein at right tackle.
znModeratorJared Goff pic.twitter.com/c8gpBiNpzw
— Gary Klein (@LATimesklein) August 18, 2020
znModeratorThe scouting report on #VJ12 was that you could tell he’s the son of a coaches kid based on his route running & separation skills.
But his footwork… it might just be the best of any rookie receiver in the league right now. https://t.co/OL4vqygHFu
— Rams Brothers (@RamsBrothers) August 18, 2020
==
August 18, 2020 at 2:05 pm in reply to: Rams camp, 2020 … including “At Camp Live” vids w/ Long, Farr, & MJ-D #119528znModeratorznModeratorI don’t get the message you are implying.
That’s because you don’t care as much about progressives and their position in the party machine. You also don’t think of the party machine as regressive.
Anyway don’t worry, everyone but Trumpies know all about Trump. All of us already said that progressives will vote to dis-elect Trump.
But we also notice how regressive the dem party machine is.
znModeratorRather than telling me I’m dead wrong you provided a reasonable explanation of what I see.
If you are incorrect about what you claim we say, why would I not say it? You said that more than 99% of our criticism is aimed at the democratic party, and that is literally not correct. I linked whole threads just on this page showing it. And this is coming from someone who has absolutely no hesitation about criticizing the right-centrist democratic party.
You also seem to be saying that criticizing Biden runs the risk of electing Trump. I don’t agree. People here have actually discussed this–again in things you apparently did not read–and the majority here say the important thing is to dis-elect Trump. So my count is that everyone is voting for Biden–and I can tell you that that is the position among most progressives I know out there.
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This reply was modified 6 years ago by
zn.
August 18, 2020 at 1:13 am in reply to: Rams camp, 2020 … including “At Camp Live” vids w/ Long, Farr, & MJ-D #119503znModeratorGo get it, @j_fuller4!
Back-to-back days with picks for the rook! pic.twitter.com/9SFsYhLMV7
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 18, 2020
znModerator“AOC Hits Back After Kasich Claims She’s Extremist”
Doel’s good. I identify with his whole approach to things.
znModerator“AOC Hits Back After Kasich Claims She’s Extremist”
Doel’s good. I identify with his whole approach to things.
znModeratorfrom https://www.therams.com/news/top-rams-news-mcvay-2020-coaches-super-bowl
Woods, Higbee land in PFF’s position rankings for 2020
Scouting service Pro Football Focus recently ranked its Top 25 wide receivers and Top 15 tight ends entering the 2020 season, and the Rams had representatives on each list. Wide receiver Robert Woods landed at No. 17, while tight end Tyler Higbee checked in at No. 10 in their respective rankings.
PFF analyst Anthony Treash attributed Woods’ inclusion to having one of the best receiving grades at his position since arriving in Los Angeles, among other attributes.
“Woods has thrived in his three years with the Rams, earning the 11th-best receiving grade at the position since 2017,” PFF analyst Anthony Treash wrote. “He has dropped just seven of his 259 catchable targets in that span, though the best thing he brings to the table is his route-running. He generates an exceptional rate of separation, and that’s helped him pick up the sixth-most explosive plays of 15-plus yards since 2017 (86). Woods has been a consistently great receiving option for the Rams, and that should continue in 2020.”
Meannwhile, PFF analyst Ben Linsey noted Higbee’s strong finish to the 2019 season as part of his reasoning for including Higbee among the top tight ends.
“No receiver — tight end or otherwise — closed the 2019 season hotter than Higbee,” Linsey wrote. “An injury to Gerald Everett opened the door for Higbee to step into a featured role, and he ran with it. Over the last five weeks of the season, he ranked third among all offensive players in PFF receiving grade (91.2) and receptions (43), and his 522 receiving yards were the most in the NFL.”
znModeratorfrom https://www.therams.com/news/top-rams-news-mcvay-2020-coaches-super-bowl
CBS Sports says McVay is one of the five head coaches in 2020 with the best chance of winning his first Super Bowl
For the second consecutive year, CBS Sports ranked NFL coaches who have the best chance of winning their first Super Bowl during the upcoming season. For the second consecutive year, it likes Rams head coach Sean McVay’s chances.
McVay ranked fourth among the 23 coaches after being second among the 25 in 2019.
“During his three seasons in Los Angeles, all he’s done is compile a 33-15 record with (two) playoff wins and a Super Bowl appearance. Even in his worst season, he still managed to go 9-7,” CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech wrote as part of his explanation. “Although the NFC West is loaded this year, McVay has had some serious success in divisional play (13-5 in three years), which is a big reason why it wouldn’t be completely surprising to see him make a return trip to the Super Bowl.”
Breech’s complete rankings can be viewed here. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-nfl-coaches-in-2020-based-on-who-has-the-best-chance-of-winning-their-first-super-bowl-this-season/
znModeratorIt’s all about the sign(age). Excited for you to see #SoFiStadium come to life! #Countdown2Completion #SoFi pic.twitter.com/JHR7nesfAv
— SoFi Stadium (@SoFiStadium) August 17, 2020
znModeratorIt’s all about the sign(age). Excited for you to see #SoFiStadium come to life! #Countdown2Completion #SoFi pic.twitter.com/JHR7nesfAv
— SoFi Stadium (@SoFiStadium) August 17, 2020
znModeratorAt the risk of losing a friend let me say something profound:
Since I’ve been posting on this board-like for a hundred years-I’ve noticed that 99.9 % of the political criticisms are directed at the democrats. A very, very, tiny number are directed at the Republicans. Might I suggest you and all others here move to the other side of the field?
That’s simply empirically not true. You are straight-up wrong about that.
I don’t know where you get that impression from. Maybe it’s that you are much more dem party identified than many of us are, and so you’re more sensitive to that criticism. Either way you declaring it is just 0.9% against Trump strongly suggests you don’t read the board.
You can personally dislike the criticism of mainstream establishment dems. That’s far and away your right. But you don’t have to worry about this group NOT criticizing Trump. We do it all the time, it’s common. This group tends to share a strong DISidentification with establishment dems…and that ain’t gonna change any time soon…but it is also heavily, and outspokenly, anti-Trump. You can rest assured about that.
Examples: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/the-trump-thread-pro-con-who-cares/
+ http://theramshuddle.com/topic/trump-admits-today-that-hes-trying-to-sabotage-vote-by-mail/
+ http://theramshuddle.com/topic/voting-voter-suppression/
+ http://theramshuddle.com/topic/trump-biden-harris-and-my-humble-request-to-leftists-with-audiences/August 17, 2020 at 4:23 pm in reply to: Goff talk … June to Sept. (a lot of great stuff here) #119468znModeratorKevin O’Connell embracing opportunity to work with Jared Goff in Rams’ offense
GARY KLEIN
On the day coach Sean McVay introduced him as the Rams’ new offensive coordinator, Kevin O’Connell said he was drawn to the opportunity because of the role and the other coaches on the staff.
“The quarterback had a lot to do with it for me as well,” O’Connell said in February.
Six months later, O’Connell is finally getting the opportunity to work on the field with Jared Goff.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced NFL teams to conduct virtual offseason programs, so O’Connell attempted to build a relationship with Goff and other players through a computer screen.
Since the start of training camp two weeks ago, O’Connell has helped direct the offense during meetings and walk-throughs.
The Rams were off Sunday. They begin practice this week.
“It’s early on,” O’Connell said Saturday during a videoconference with reporters, “but I think it’s an exciting time for everybody as this thing kind of builds together.”
McVay is the play-caller and chief architect of the offense for a team that was without a titled offensive coordinator the last two seasons. O’Connell, 35, is expected to fill a role similar to the one Matt LaFleur provided during the 2017 season. LaFleur parlayed that opportunity into a play-calling role for the Tennessee Titans before he was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Though untitled, O’Connell also is the quarterbacks coach.
Goff welcomes the addition of a coach who played quarterback at San Diego State and had stints as a player with several NFL teams. O’Connell has been a quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Football Team and also was passing game coordinator and offensive coordinator for Washington.
“Just getting a feel of his demeanor, the way he talks, the way he communicates — he’s played the position,” Goff said at the outset of training camp. “He understands the little intricacies that go along with playing it, and I’m super excited.”
O’Connell and Goff are making up ground for the on-field time that was absent during the offseason. “Little things,” such as questions about a fundamental or certain pass coverages, have led to expanded conversations, O’Connell said.
O’Connell is assisting with an offense that will feature a different personality than the last two seasons. The Rams released star running back Todd Gurley and traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks. So young players such as rookie running back Cam Akers will be counted on to help fill the void.
The Rams open the season Sept. 13 against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium on “Sunday Night Football.” After going through an acclimation phase of training camp the last two weeks, O’Connell is eager for practices to commence.
“We’ve had a lot of time to challenge these guys” in meetings and walk-throughs, he said. “Really testing their communication and kind of that controlled setting, testing their understanding, both veterans and new players, as far as what we’re going to ask them to do once things start to speed up.”
znModeratorAlexandra Erin@AlexandraErin
A key thing to understand about Trump’s declaration that “Only absentee ballots are acceptable!” is that the phrase “absentee ballot” doesn’t have a clear, coast-to-coast, legally agreed upon meaning, and this is by design.His demand is: let me invalidate votes I don’t like.
The purpose of most of Trump’s arguments and much of his activity is to destroy the meaning of things, the concept of meanings. “Fake news” when it started to become a thing was a specific thing, and it was “fake news sites” – lookalike sites designed to mimic news orgs.
The fake news sites in question were a combination of clickbait for money and lulz and deliberate disinfo/misinfo sites, but like, for instance something like RT or Breitbart or OANN wasn’t what the experts were warning about, even as they’re used for blatant propaganda.
But the fake news in question was useful to Trump… some of the mercantile purveyors admitted they had set up both conservative and progressive versions but only really scored meaningful hits on the right-wing side, and of course the foreign agents favored him.
So for him to destroy the meaning of “fake news” was a one-two, both offense and defense. He turned urgent warnings from media specialists and information scientists into partisan echo chamber noise, and also gained a label to discredit things he doesn’t like.
And it is very much, very blatantly, not that he has created a new definition of fake news. If you asked him to define it, he’d name examples. He has rendered the phrase meaningless; it’s something he sticks on stuff he doesn’t like.
Everybody pointing out that Florida does not have a provision for absentee ballots and when the term is used in Florida it is in reference to mail-in ballots that can be requested by anyone and have no more rigorous verification than any other mail-in ballot (which, is enough!)
And this is a good thing to point out, but it’s not that Trump is getting his facts wrong or even that he’s just lying about in the conventional sense of trying to fool us into thinking that Florida has a formal absentee ballot that it doesn’t.
He is attacking the meaning.
I mean the way they think, the way they approach things, the ways they believe the world works and the things they think of other people and of themselves.
Trump lives in a world where it makes sense for you to be out to get everyone because everyone’s out to get you. Rob the other person before they rob you.
In this world, words don’t have meanings, they have effects. Words with good effects, you put on yourself and your stuff. Words with bad effects, you put on everybody else.
Look at the way he talks about anything: we’re living very happily, we’re doing very well. Those are good words. He means *nothing* by them. The GOP health care plan that doesn’t exist is always going to be very great health care with very low cost. No plan? Doesn’t matter.
The plan doesn’t have to exist for him to say that it’s very great, that people will be happy, to put any good or useful label on it. The only thing that stops him from claiming he’s offering universal healthcare all the time is that he knows his side sees that as bad.
Someone pointed out to me a while back is that when he seems like he’s struggling? He’ll just repeat the word “strong” or “strongly”, in places it doesn’t quite fit and sometimes to the exclusion of other modifiers or superlatives.
Because strong = good.
So I think it’s become sort of a default for him, the way “bad” has. He’ll just cut right to the point. Put the good label on the things you want, put the bad label on the things you don’t like. That’s it.
There was some laughter when early on in his term, he and his mouthpieces like Spicer just outright said various versions of “Well, the [news/polls/whatever] are real when they’re good, and fake when they’re bad.”
But it’s not a joke. That’s the world he lives in.
And bit by bit, he’s dragging everybody else into that world with him. A world devoid of meaning and where the truth not only lacks power but can’t even be proven to exist.
“Only Absentee Ballots acceptable!” means count the votes he wants to count and discredit the rest.
znModeratorFrank Schwab@YahooSchwab
Maybe I’m just being overly optimistic, but between the news of the new saliva-based tests (as @CharlesRobinson wrote about over the weekend) and cases in the NFL continuing to drop, I feel good about the NFL pulling off this season. I hope, anyway.Charles Robinson@CharlesRobinson
Seconded. I still want to see how #NFL teams react to/combat an outbreak of Covid — and things can change direction on a dime — but I see some legit signs for optimism when it comes to completing a season. But also: teams can’t relax. They’ve got to keep it locked into February.Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
With pads on today for the rest of the NFL, I’m so excited for twitter to make sweeping judgements on young offensive lineman based on a single clip of a 1 on 1 pass rush rep. It’s always the bestznModeratorTeams with most sacks in 2019
Steelers – 54
Panthers – 53
Saints – 51
Rams – 50
Vikings – 48
49ers – 48
Buccaneers – 47
Jaguars – 47
Patriots – 47
Washington – 46
Chiefs – 45
Bills – 44
Eagle – 43
Titans – 43— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) August 17, 2020
August 17, 2020 at 3:38 pm in reply to: Rams camp, 2020 … including “At Camp Live” vids w/ Long, Farr, & MJ-D #119464znModeratorWith @MJD, we covered:
•Where is Tyler Higbee in TE power rankings?
•Keys to revamping the rushing attack.
•Over/under for AD99 sacks + Ramsey INTs.
•John Johnson set for All-Pro contract year? https://t.co/ha6UyJTj3R— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) August 17, 2020
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znModeratorMichael Gehlken@GehlkenNFL
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said DT Gerald McCoy has a “ruptured right quad tendon. He’ll be having surgery, and he’ll be out for the year.”Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Rams’ Week 1 opponent will be missing a big piece on its D-lineBrandon Thorn@BrandonThornNFL
Huge blow. McCoy was slated to be the 3rd best guy on a revamped unit. Now the interior is much shakier.August 17, 2020 at 3:19 pm in reply to: 234 – Clay Johnston LB, 248 – Sam Sloman K, and 250 – Tremayne Anchrum G #119460znModeratorRams LBs coach shares encouraging insight on rookie Clay Johnston
Cameron DaSilva
link https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/08/17/nfl-rams-clay-johnston-rookie-joe-barry/
For most rookies, the condensed and virtual offseason did them no favors as they transition from college to the NFL. Rams rookie linebacker Clay Johnston may have actually benefited more from all the Zoom calls and virtual work the team did than he would have from actual OTAs and minicamp.
That’s because Johnston is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in October and had the Rams gone through a normal offseason with on-field work and practices, Johnston would’ve been stuck on the sidelines.
Despite his knee injury, Johnston was able to participate in everything the Rams did this offseason and wasn’t forced to miss any time. That’s a plus in linebackers coach Joe Barry’s eyes, who shared his thoughts on Johnston on the Rams Revealed podcast with J.B. Long.
“Because we were not allowed to do anything from an offseason standpoint, we just had Zoom meetings, Clay’s been able to participate in everything. Where if it would’ve been a normal year where a kid like that comes in with a blown-out knee, he probably wouldn’t have been able to do one OTA. For him, he hasn’t really missed anything because of the circumstances we’re in with the pandemic and everything,” Barry said.
The Rams haven’t said whether Johnston will need to start the season on the PUP list or IR, but the fact that he remains on the active roster is a good sign for his availability this year. Barry doesn’t know exactly when Johnston will be 100% healthy, but the linebacker has been able to do everything in practice up to this point – another good sign for his health.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed. If we were to put the pads on tomorrow and have a training camp practice, I don’t know if he’d be 100% yet, but like I said, in everything we’ve been able to do so far with players to date, he’s been able to 100% participate, even in everything we’ve been able to do on the field. Hopefully he’ll just keep getting healthier and healthier and healthier,” Barry said.
If Johnston isn’t ready for the start of the season, one potential option is to stash him on the practice squad – though expecting him to slip through waivers would be a risk not worth taking for the Rams.
Barry likes that the NFL increased the size of practice squads, especially for young and injured players.
“The good thing, too, with the way they’ve changed the numbers, they’ve upped the practice squad numbers. So that’s going to help all young players, but a guy like Clay, absolutely,” Barry said.
Barry did clarify that he wasn’t saying Johnston will have a redshirt season in 2020, though.
“I’m not saying that at all, it’s just nice with them doing that, it’s going to help all developmental players, all young players, all guys that come in with a potential injury,” he said.
As for Barry’s evaluation of Johnston, he said he would’ve gone much earlier than the seventh round had he been healthy. Barry wouldn’t put a round on Johnston for a draft grade, but he made it clear that the young linebacker from Baylor slipped further than he should have due to injury.
znModeratormerlin
Outside LBs
Only one of these guys has flashed. Obo. He just has that burst off the edge, not elite burst or anything but he has it. We honestly need him to show up. And if he doesn’t then hopefully the rook shows up (which will be difficult,IMO, for him to pick everything up right away in this environment).
If they don’t it’s unlikely Ebukam will. And I really like Ebukam by the way, he seems to be a great dude and teammate but he simply doesn’t have that edge gift. Most guys don’t. Ebukam is like a lot of guys on this OLB roster, he’s a hard worker who will give you a full whistle to whistle effort but he’s not special. Patrick is similar to my eye, really liked his preseason edge snaps last year and he’s flexible but can he provide heat off the edge snap to snap? Unlikely.
Polite I suppose is a longshot. He does have some really good edge instincts and natural ability but he’s not someone we can count on either.
IMO it’s basically Obo or bust for us on the blindside. And if not we can still end up with a good overall sack/pressure total thanks to Donald. So I’m not worried about the group overall even though I don’t have high expectations for them.
znModeratorLittle bit too much lofty speechifying in that one for me.
Lost in there is a point about what’s happening in Belarus. I would prefer more actual details.
Though yeah the American mainstream news just blatantly and obviously engages in pure doublethink on foreign policy. It’s one of their great defining things. Nice list of examples. Let’s give Sadaam chemical weapons to use against Iran. Oh and possessing chemical weapons has always been a great no no so let’s invade.
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