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znModeratorSam Monson@PFF_Sam
Working on something about Randy Moss arriving on the NFL scene.Asked multiple players on that ’98 team how long before they knew he was something completely different to regular players.
They’ve all answered ‘less than one practice’.
Ross Tucker@RossTuckerNFL
7 years in NFL as a player and when schedule came out I’d look at, in order:-Bye Week
-Week One opponent
-Primetime games (maybe)That’s it. Took about 30 seconds.
Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
So you’re the #Rams and you want to hold a kicking competition. You want to put three guys in equal situations, with equal variables, and see who comes out on top.
Except you can’t actually see these guys kick in person, and that’s…kind of a big factorSam Monson@PFF_Sam
PFF Total Pressures 2017-2019
1. Aaron Donald – 302
2. Cameron Jordan – 242
3. Von Miller – 241
4. Khalil Mack – 234An INTERIOR rusher leading this list is silly.
An INTERIOR rusher leading it by a pressure total that would rank in the top 20 in the NFL most seasons is just flat out bonkers.
Aaron Donald is one of those players that no matter how good you think he is, you’re underselling it
znModeratorBack to back @robertwoods plays here. Showing off his agility and toughness. Also great throw by Jared on the 2nd play rolling out and getting his feet set again pic.twitter.com/NhxJsvZUsC
— HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) May 6, 2020
znModeratorNFL Lays Out Plan For Reopening Facilities https://t.co/TjB522PfAj pic.twitter.com/Wl0FBxlg3w
— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) May 7, 2020
May 6, 2020 at 3:43 pm in reply to: Finding Next Generation / Inside Rams Draft … + Snead & Scouts Explain #114654znModeratorThis is over an hour, but offers some really unique insight.
If you'd like to hear Les Snead and the area scouts responsible for each @RamsNFL draft pick discuss what went into their evaluation, last night's Season Ticket Member event is now on YouTube.https://t.co/C7K6lPHkkS
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) May 6, 2020
znModeratorWarren Buffet is worth $89 Billion.
He's one of the richest men in the world.
In his annual shareholders conference, he was asked how America should look after essential workers, the pandemic, etc.
This was his reply.🌎❤️pic.twitter.com/0zHFTSUNDI
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) May 6, 2020
znModerator#LARams RB Darrell Henderson was able to show promise in his rookie year, ranking 6th in Yards After Contact per Attempt (min. 35 attempts)
Henderson will look to build on that in his sophomore season with Gurley gone pic.twitter.com/WmOTwmrSOO
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) May 6, 2020
znModeratorWe can’t wait to be back out there.
Schedule drops Thursday, 4:30 PM PT.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 6, 2020
znModeratorGreat play by @RGabriel4HOF
Bernie Casey with the catch#LARams pic.twitter.com/rH1L3DXJEa— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) May 6, 2020
znModeratorIt’s crazy how dominant Tyler Higbee was at the end of the year, he was open on almost every route and created separation with ease. This is a simple play but easy touchdown pic.twitter.com/G66C63Lp6V
— HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) May 6, 2020
znModeratorChris Long @JOEL9ONE was a technician as an edge rusher! So many moves and this time we see the club punch to the right tackle to free his path to quarterback for a sack!
2012 pic.twitter.com/AOqUwQUC8o
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) May 6, 2020
znModeratorEver wonder why you don’t see #7 on any Rams uniforms? Bob Waterfield holds that number forever as he rallied the Cleveland Rams to win the teams first championship in 1945. He was named 1st or 2nd team All-NFL 5 times. One of the game’s most versatile players! pic.twitter.com/2zgAVIL0PR
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) May 6, 2020
znModeratorCan afford his own mowed, lined football field and a camera man but can’t get his receiver a hat or some sunglasses? https://t.co/m2Sl0elrNI
— Johnny Hekker (@JHekker) May 6, 2020
znModeratorCan’t wait for @nfl schedule release on Thursday!@Chargers | @RamsNFL | #SoFiStadium pic.twitter.com/eJc3X82THL
— SoFi Stadium (@SoFiStadium) May 5, 2020
znModeratorPARAM
What I saw?
Early on I saw an inexperienced OL despite having two experienced tackles. They played like I’d expect. I think the lack of reps in preseason hurt. At the time I believed that “they practice together all week so they’ll be fine” explanation. They weren’t. But I thought their play improved against TBay, Seattle and SF (for 1 series). We’ were sitting at 3-3 and should have been 4-2, maybe even 5-1 if the D stops Tampa.
Against TBay, Goff dropped back 68 times and was sacked just twice. Woods and Kupp had 22 receptions, 285 yards; Gurley, Cooks, Everett and Higbee had another 22 for 230 yards. But we only had 34 points as an offense because Goff threw 3 picks. Blame the O line? Sure, they weren’t there yet. But that should be plenty to win. They put up 29 against Seattle and drove the ball close enough to win it in the end. The pass blocking improved but the run blocking was slow to get stronger. Against SF we came out pounding the ball. 7 runs @ 8 yards per and then Noteboom went down on the second series. Later, a failed 3rd and 1, then 4th and 1 from the goal line in the first half, then a fumbled pitch to Henderson on the first play of the third turned that game (as well as the injury) .
Some people have said, it was an immediate improvement when Noteboom went down. I think that improvement was already happening despite the 3 game losing streak. It’s why it continued with the other 4 guys all still playing but with a rookie instead of JN. The next 3 games are against 1-5 Atlanta, 0-7 Cincinnati and BigBen-Less Pittsburgh. Did they look better? Yes. Did they play better? Sure. Not against a good D like the Steelers though. Of course two guys go down in that game so before they get to the Chicago game, they’re down to two more lineman. Whitworth and Blythe were the only two who started the season and Blythe missed a game early on, a win.
So the process started all over again. Not against stellar competition again but Edwards, Corbett and Evans got better the more they played. We got another reprieve and took advantage of it, going 3-1. But those first two games the OL didn’t look distinctly improved. Chicago where we scored 17 points, then Baltimore where we looked like a bad O line. But facing a quick 28-0 deficit can aid in that. Against Arizona and Seattle they looked better. I thought Evans played better, faster than the other two. And they got better as a unit, playing in 7 straight.
But looking back on the OL’s season it wasn’t good, mainly because of injuries and inexperience, breaking in two waves of O lineman. I thought Noteboom and Allen played better than they were credited. Inconsistent? Yes. Edwards got better but played longer (10). Havenstein and Allen played 9, Evans and Corbett 7 and Noteboom played alot less than 6 considering he went down on the second series of the SF game. The rollouts? They helped. They’ve been a part of the offense but not as much as they were last year. But we didn’t have 2 rookies and a so-called bust from Cleveland in 2019. So they were a bigger part of the offense once the youngsters appeared, wisely. What would have been wiser is if he’d have employed that before the injuries. Were they a very good line last year? No. Were they terrible? No. On the season it was terrible because we had to break in practically 5 guys from scratch, the bust with 1 start to his credit.
Forecast? So for 2020 we get experience back with Whitworth, Havenstein and Blythe. And we get less experience with Evans, Edwards, Corbett and Allen, even less with Noteboom, when they’re healthy but they’ve all been under fire. 3 vets and 5 guys with between 6 and 10 starts last season. Better than five first time starters including two rookies. Do I think the line is going to be better in 2020? Yes. They’re going to be more experienced too. That can’t hurt. I’m encouraged that the powers to be are encouraged. I hope Whitworth can start faster than last year. Havenstein too because it’s hard to give up on him as he’s 27 with 5 years experience. They’ve got Blythe, Edwards, Evans and Corbett plus the rookie Anchrum and Shelton, who saw time last year for 3 spots on the OL. Noteboom and Allen when they’re healthy. If they’re not ready it’s PUP for 6 weeks and then 5 weeks or less to practice. So if we have any issues, I hope it doesn’t occur until those two are ready.
Bottom line is this. That line, with 9 different starters played well enough to win 9 games. The line that starts this year hopefully finishes it but if there are problems I don’t think we’ll be in trouble nearly as much as last year. No greenhorns even at the backup positions. We have enough talent to win. Hell we won 9 games with that line discombobulated for at least 6 games. Hopeful? A little. Unreasonable? Absolutely not
znModeratorDon Shula Bowed Down to No One
The epitome of a football coach, Shula had a rigid my-way-or-the-highway approach, yet was flexible enough to change, adapt and win over 33 seasons. Dan Marino was his most famous player, the ’72 Dolphins his most famous team. He once threatened to kick his owner’s ass, and he thought television’s most famous cop was an actual cop.There is a quote from Don Shula that may help you understand the man: “You ever talk to me like that again, I’ll kick your ass.” What makes it interesting is that Shula did not say it to a player or a reporter. He said it to his boss: Dolphins owner Joe Robbie.
Shula died Monday morning, at age 90, after a long, rich, life and a career unlike any in NFL history. He got his first NFL head-coaching job when John F. Kennedy was president and retired late in Bill Clinton’s first term. The world and the game changed drastically during those 33 years, yet neither passed Shula by. You can think of him as a my-way-or-the-highway whose way was almost always the right way. People around him saw that and generally respected it, even when they didn’t like it. Shula said what he meant, meant what he said, and carried the kind of genuine authority that is so rare in life. And he knew it.
Any list of the NFL’s greatest coaches will probably start, understandably, with two names: Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick. Lombardi holds a place in the culture that no coach can eclipse. Belichick has won six Super Bowls—as many as Shula, Tom Landry and Bill Parcells combined. But an argument can be made for Shula as the greatest coach in league history, and it’s not just because his 328 wins were the most ever.
Shula took two franchises to the Super Bowl. He took four starting quarterbacks to the Super Bowl: Earl Morrall, Bob Griese, David Woodley and Dan Marino. In Shula’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins, in Super Bowls VII and VIII, his Dolphins threw 18 passes and ran the ball 92 times. A decade later, he used the 27th pick in the draft on a quarterback, Marino, who would break many of the game’s passing records.
The player most associated with Shula is Marino. The team most associated with Shula is the undefeated 1972 Dolphins. Well, two stories there.
On Marino: The Dolphins had just made the Super Bowl with the youngest starting quarterback, David Woodley, in Super Bowl history at the time. When Marino slipped to No. 27, Shula defied members of his own scouting department to take him. Then, five games into the next season, with the Dolphins 3-2, Shula benched Woodley for Marino for good. That is conviction, and if a coach is going to do all that, he better be right.
And on those unbeaten 1972 Dolphins: They were not the best team in NFL history. They just had the best season. The Dolphins were actually slight underdogs to Washington in the Super Bowl VII. Shula squeezed the most out of most of his teams. The next season, the Dolphins won the Super Bowl again.
Shula was the quintessential coach of his era, the coach-i-est of coaches—tougher, firmer, more focused than even a typical NFL coach should be. He went to mass on the way to work every morning and coached football all day, all year. That was it.
Football was all he did, and seemingly all he saw. Chip Namias, the Dolphins’ media-relation director in the ’80s, said he once introduced Miami Vice star Don Johnson to Shula. This was at the show’s peak. It was not just one of the hottest TV shows in the country; it was changing the way people viewed Miami. Shula had no idea who Johnson was. He thought Johnson was an actual cop.
Shula’s famous jaw and glare said what he didn’t have to. He knew how easily he could intimidate. But that does not mean he intimidated people just for the sake of intimidating them, and his sense of right and wrong was as rigid as his jawline. Early in his Miami tenure, he made it a point to room white and black players together. Namias says the angriest he ever saw Shula was after the infamous snowplow game, when the Patriots cleared a path on a snowy field for a game-winning field goal. It wasn’t just the loss that rankled Shula; it was the violation of integrity.
Now, about that quote at the top of this column: “You ever talk to me like that again, I’ll kick your ass.” Robbie had a few drinks at a banquet, got annoyed with Shula, and Shula fired back. He was mad, but he was not wrong. The two were never friends, and the relationship could be icy, but it worked because neither thought they had to be friends. Don Shula bowed to no one—not that night, not for a day in his career, and not in the history of professional football.
znModeratorT. Higbee had 43 catches in the final 5 games of last year. All while displaying great yards after catch & contact ability, which you can’t teach! 89 has arrived, given the opportunity. With McVay expected to continue this system, how many receptions do you see for Higs in 2020? pic.twitter.com/1966xWoyn3
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) May 5, 2020
May 5, 2020 at 7:00 pm in reply to: the one-shot tweets thread (diff'rent stuff, funny angry interesting) #114623znModeratorDave Dameshek@Dameshek
My feelings are hurt: I got a journalism degree and have worked in media for 20 years…and yet not ONE coastal elite has pulled me aside to let me in all on the vast conspiracies orchestrated by the MSM (which, from what I’ve learned online, is ACTUALLY the deep state).znModeratorAaron Donald sacked each starting quarterback of the division foes last season. All three will be returning as starters in 2020…As will be AD99 😈 pic.twitter.com/7lkxXGafzD
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) May 5, 2020
znModeratorI’m good with the Akers pick. Though I would have been disappointed if Jonathan Taylor had been on the board and they chose Akers instead.
I’m still on the fence about Van Jefferson, though. I think he’s going to be a really, really good receiver for the Rams. It’s just that I think they should have addressed other positions of need at that point. He was kinda sorta a “luxury” pick in a way.
IMO, a starting three of Woods, Kupp and Reynolds was good enough. Plus, it was such a deep receiver draft . . . they actually found some solid prospects after it ended. I would have gone for the best available center, guard or tackle at that point, or best available edge, ILB, safety or corner.
Not “upset” with the Jefferson pick. I just think the Rams had bigger needs elsewhere.
Well one argument is that they need a pro-ready 4th receiver. For a coupla reasons. First, if you play 3 receivers, you need a 4th or you are one injury away from playing 2 receivers. Second, both Reynolds and Kupp are FAs next year, and they certainly won’t keep both. Obviously it’s an advantage to get next year’s 3rd receiver now, in advance.
Either way, the Rams lost 2 offensive starters, Gurly and Cooks, and with an offense-oriented head coach, the priority was always going to be to replace those 2 losses.
And as long as I am discussing el draft, with the Burgess pick, the Rams may now have the best and deepest secondary they have had the entire time I’ve followed them (I started in the late 70s). The “Snead plus both head coaches” Rams have a brilliant record drafting and finding DBs. I say “finding” because it’s not just draft picks, it’s UDFAs and “ronin” cast-off types too.
….
znModeratorznModeratorHow NFL is set, if needed, to shake up its schedule
The league has told media partners to expect the schedule to be released as early as May 7.
A Super Bowl that kicks off on Feb. 28.
A regular season that starts as late as Thursday, Oct. 15.
An NFL season with no bye weeks or Pro Bowl.
These are all contingencies that the NFL has considered as the league moves forward with its plans to hold a full regular season.
The league’s executives are trying to put themselves in the best position to fit in a full season, or at least a nearly full season, even if there are delays.
NFL schedule-makers are in the process of designing a 2020 season that has several different wrinkles. When the schedule is released next month, it will look like a standard 16-game, 17-week slate, but it will be designed to allow for several steps that could become necessary depending on the state of the pandemic. (The 17-game regular season agreed to in the new CBA goes into effect with the 2021 season.)
In one version, the start of the season could be delayed by up to five weeks with relatively few adjustments. Such a scenario would have Super Bowl LV, currently set for Feb. 7, 2021 in Tampa, pushed back by three weeks. If that happens, it could compete with other big events that typically try to avoid Super Bowl Sunday.
Two weeks of early-season games could be shifted wholesale to the end of the season. A third week would feature teams only playing opponents with the same bye week, so that week could be cut and byes eliminated leaguewide.
These contingency-laden plans also include cutting the weekend between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, where the Pro Bowl is typically played, to allow another week to be lost to delays. Under such a plan, the Pro Bowl would not be played.
Specific conversations have occurred with Tampa hosts about delaying the Super Bowl by one week to Feb. 14, but a source said the last two weeks of February are in play as well.
Sources caution that none of the plans are final, and nothing has been ruled out. All parties are aware that the season is still subject to major variables around the spread of the coronavirus by late summer, local regulations and medical progress against the disease.
But the NFL’s chief scheduler, Howard Katz, and the NFL’s broadcasters are working with two overriding goals: Do what they can to preserve the possibility of playing a full 16-game slate, and also keep the Super Bowl in February.
By setting up the schedule now with those potential changes in mind, such as eliminating the Pro Bowl and getting assurances that the Super Bowl can be moved, the league could start as late as Oct. 15 — what would typically be Week 6 — and play a 16-game season that ends in February.
Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins declined to comment on the possibility of a Super Bowl shift. “We’ve been in constant communication with the NFL and we’re totally focused on Feb. 7, 2021,” he said.
The NFL has told network executives to expect the schedule to be released as early as May 7 — two days before the May 9 date that the NFL originally had circled.
Even though Brian Rolapp, NFL executive vice president of media, said on March 30 that the league would announce a schedule by May 9, internal debate is still roiling about whether the league should even announce anything.
Sales staffs at teams, leagues and broadcasters are agitating for a tangible schedule, desperate for any offering to give ticket buyers, sponsors and advertisers. Some high-level strategists, though, are questioning the wisdom of releasing a schedule with so many unknowns.
They worry that a schedule release will be interpreted as a challenge to powerful politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been pessimistic about resuming major sporting activities this year.
For those reasons, insiders said, the schedule will be released with an emphasis on the contingencies. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said on April 17, “We continue to plan for the season as scheduled, including the Super Bowl, and will be prepared to adjust as necessary.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell later addressed the issue on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”.
“One thing I’ve learned about what we are going through as a country is you can’t tell a week from now much less three months from now,” Goodell said. “So, our job is to be ready. We will obviously be ready to make alternatives.”
znModeratorNext week’s headline: “Massachusetts sees spike in Covid cases..” https://t.co/B79rWmFSxa
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) May 5, 2020
znModeratorRich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
I’m very excited to welcome @JourdanRodrigue as our new Rams beat writer! Rams fans, please give her a followJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
/taps mic/Test, test.
/tap tap/
“Uniforms”
(did I do it right? thrilled to be here!!)
@Rich_Hammond is the absolute best and sets the bar SO high – I am seriously lucky to be working with him!! We have some really, really fun stuff in the works for you all over the next couple months. Looking forward to getting to know everybody better!
Couple early takeaways from this (still getting my feet wet so pardon if any redundancy)
– Love that the data/analytics office is nicknamed “Nerds Nest” (also…WOW! An analytics office! Panthers fans will get this.)
– Snead doing scouting meetings from his Peloton – LOL
– When scouts and regional directors show such conviction on a single prospect in a specific round either for the positive or the negative, most GMs sit up and seriously listen (re. Akers-in-the-second-round conversation).znModeratorThe NFL has called off its annual games in London and Mexico City this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/kB4gpJGy0U
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 4, 2020
znModeratorJane McManus@janesports
We can have sports back when we have invested in public health, when we test, trace and isolate cases. Saying, “one day it’s like a miracle it will disappear” means we get to watch live sports broadcast from Taiwan. Congratulations, America.znModeratorDan Pompei@danpompei
Rest in peace Don Shula. What a life he lived. Shula was NFL royalty, the winningest coach in history who bridged multiple eras with grace, class, and intensity. Watching his teams was a pleasure, spending time in his presence was a greater one.znModeratorfrom 2020 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus post-draft winners for every team
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29119922/2020-nfl-power-rankings-1-32-poll-plus-post-draft-winners-every-team#LAR7. Los Angeles Rams
Post-free-agency ranking: 17
Player who benefited: QB Jared Goff. The Rams moved on from two key players when they released running back Todd Gurley and traded receiver Brandin Cooks. Gurley was Goff’s every-down back, and Cooks was the speedy deep threat who stretched a defense. But with their first two picks in the draft, both in the second round, the Rams selected Florida State RB Cam Akers and Florida WR Van Jefferson. The team also picked up tight end Brycen Hopkins in the fourth round. They are expected to contribute as rookies, and their addition ensures that Goff will again have a full arsenal of playmakers. — Lindsey Thiry
znModeratorCooper Kupp 2020 fantasy projections
1,169 yards
7 Touchdowns
74% Reception PercentageRanks 8th among WRshttps://t.co/fef2sg8ZlO ($) pic.twitter.com/IuhhpY1mzD
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) May 4, 2020
znModeratorAdam Schefter@AdamSchefter
NFL plans to release its preseason and regular-season schedule later this week, but one league source said Sunday that he doesn’t “think any international games (are) coming this year.”Los Angeles Rams UK@LARams_UK
And it’s official. No NFL games in London this year.znModeratorI'm very excited to welcome @JourdanRodrigue as our new Rams beat writer! Rams fans, please give her a follow and don't forget @TheAthleticLA and @TheAthleticNFL.
I will continue writing/editing but Jourdan will do a phenomenal job as our lead writer. https://t.co/8a3qpXFYzW
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) May 4, 2020
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One of the best. https://t.co/Oqov2KuChP
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) May 4, 2020
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