Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
The Rams are continuing with testing. So far, per transaction wire, no players have formally opted out and none have recorded positive tests (Monday was the first day for testing, FWIW).

from https://theathletic.com/1956746/2020/07/29/ten-things-a-football-nerds-guide-to-the-2020-los-angeles-rams/

One way to gauge whether a team is pass heavy or run heavy is to look at what it does on early downs when games are still competitive. The Rams were more pass-heavy last year than all but three teams.

And that was mostly in line with what we saw the previous two seasons. In 2017, the Rams ranked fourth in pass frequency on early downs. In 2018, they were 13th.

McVay’s decision to be pass-heavy last season was the right one. The Rams ranked 11th in EPA per dropback on early downs and 27th in EPA per rush.

==

The Rams ranked 10th against the run last year. Football Outsiders uses a metric called adjusted line yards to measure defensive line play against the run, and Los Angeles was 16th.

In a strange quirk, the Rams struggled to stop the run when they were in nickel, but they were outstanding in dime.

The Rams need to get their linebacker situation figured out, but given the investment they made in their defensive line, they should have a solid run defense in 2020.

The Rams did an excellent job out of dime last season. They struggled when facing 12 personnel.

Opponents produced an explosive play (20 yards or more) on just 7.3 percent of their dropbacks against the Rams. Only three teams were better.

Field Yates@FieldYates
A total of 21 NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19 since players began reporting to training camp and 107 have tested positive in total this offseason, per the NFLPA’s latest data.

Mike Reiss@MikeReiss
Patriots safety Patrick Chung tells me that he plans to opt out of the 2020 season. He is the sixth Patriots player to do so.

Field Yates@FieldYates
The Patriots will have to replace their top three linebackers in terms on snaps played from the 2019 season: Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy.

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from Here’s what NFL WRs say makes Jalen Ramsey a great corner
Here's what NFL WRs say makes Jalen Ramsey a great corner

…

Chargers WR Keenan Allen
“Absolutely irreplaceable. You can’t replace good talent. Not a lot of DBs are that tall and that fast. And he’s going to talk to you, and he’s cocky. You better be on your A-game because if you’re not, he’s going to let you know about it and he’s going to make plays,” Allen said.

Jaguars WR D.J. Chark
“Anywhere you’re at on the field, he’s somewhere near ball-hawking,” Chark said. “He can sit at a depth and react quickly. You know you have to be physical at the catch because as soon as you catch it, you know a big corner is running through you. If you beat him at the line, the play is never over, so always have a Plan B.”

Bears WR Allen Robinson
“He always plays with confidence. I think that’s the biggest thing. Even if you catch a ball or beat him one play, he’s always looking to make a play,” Robinson said. “I think he’s one of those corners who isn’t just trying to get. I mean, he’s not just trying to be in the right spot. He’s trying to make a play, he’s trying to do something to impact the game.”

Conservative think tank leader says schools should reopen since most Texans dying from COVID-19 are elderly or Hispanic https://t.co/4qMBADzagB via @TexasTribune

— Nancy Gay (@nancygay) July 29, 2020

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
First four picks in 2016 draft — Goff, Wentz, Bosa, Elliott — received massive extensions. Rams on the clock with Jalen Ramsey, the No. 5 pick.

Sam Farmer@LATimesfarmer
Epidemiologist Zach Binney on sports/coronavirus:
“It’s kind of like an NFL defense. If you’ve got nine guys out there following the coach’s program, but you’ve got two freelancing, it’s not going to be hard for a good quarterback to score on you. COVID-19 is a good quarterback.”

—

from https://www.outkick.com/patriots-players-are-dropping-out-in-droves/

one New England Patriot after another is dropping out of the NFL season. The list now stands as follows:

OUT:
Dont’a Hightower (LB)
Danny Vitale (FB)
Brandon Bolden (RB)
Najee Toran (OG)
Marcus Cannon (OT)

Most tackles among rookies in 2019:

1. Devin Bush – 107
2. Taylor Rapp – 99
3. Cole Holcomb – 98
4. Devin White – 88 pic.twitter.com/qowXmvk8tQ

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) July 28, 2020

from Former NFL defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield found guilty of rape

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/07/27/former-nfl-defensive-tackle-dana-stubblefield-found-guilty-of-rape/.

A jury found former NFL defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield guilty of rape Monday, NBCBayArea.com reports.

The incident occurred April 9, 2015. Stubblefield eventually was charged with sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled woman he invited to his Morgan Hill, California, home to interview as a prospective babysitter.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/07/28/nfl-rams-secondary-2020-ranking-best/

No position group has undergone more changes for the Rams in the last three years than the secondary. Since the 2017 season, they’ve had 12 different players start for them at cornerback or safety, nine of which made at least 10 starts.

Among the players the Rams have moved on from include Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner, Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Kayvon Webster, while Eric Weddle retired this offseason. Now, the Rams are looking to Jalen Ramsey, Troy Hill, John Johnson and Taylor Rapp to lead the secondary in 2020, which is certainly a promising group of defenders.

But what is its ceiling? Could the Rams have one of the best secondaries in football this season? With Ramsey as the No. 1 cornerback and two quality starters at safety, the sky is the limit for Los Angeles. And that’s without even mentioning Hill, who was great as a No. 2 cornerback in the second half of last season.

from https://ramblinfan.com/2020/07/27/will-la-rams-run-3-3-5-defensive-formations/

The analysts over at Football Outsiders had recently posted how NFL teams modified their defensive personnel groupings from the 2019 NFL season versus the 2018 NFL season. Their numbers show that dime defense (meaning, six defensive back sets) increased by 2.7 percent league-wide and the LA Rams were one of the league’s leaders with the use of a dime package 42 percent of the time. Let that sink in folks. The LA Rams ran defenses with six or more defensive backs 42 percent of the time in 2019.

The Rams defense ran their 3-4 base defense 34 percent of the time, good for the third-highest usage in the NFL. The team’s use of the dime package of 42 percent usage was good for the second-highest usage in the NFL. So what about that five defensive back nickel-package? The Rams saw fit to use that formation just 23 percent of the time, which was dead last, or the 32nd ranked usage in the NFL.