In order to be on track for an estimated ~100,000 deaths from coronavirus in the United States, and a peak of ~2,500 deaths per day, the University of Washington model cited by the White House would expect 899 deaths today.

The latest @CNN number is 946 deaths reported today.

— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) April 2, 2020

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“Roughly 280 million masks in warehouses around the U.S. were purchased by foreign buyers on Monday alone, according to Forbes. A FEMA spokesperson said the agency ‘has not actively encouraged or discouraged U.S. companies from exporting overseas’.” https://t.co/e4Xob5bhHC

— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) April 1, 2020

from Execs unfiltered on every NFL team’s free agency moves and trades

Mike Sando
Apr 1, 2020

https://theathletic.com/1715455/2020/04/01/execs-unfiltered-on-every-nfl-teams-free-agency-moves-and-trades/

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It’s time to check in with coaches and execs around the league for thoughts on the major moves and all 32 teams’ approaches to free agency.

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Los Angeles Rams

Perceptions of the Rams hold that the team is tapped out after trading away draft choices and investing heavily in players ranging from Jared Goff to Brandin Cooks. Those perceptions have merit, but in looking at key players the team lost — Dante Fowler, Cory Littleton and even Nickell Robey-Coleman — it’s questionable whether the Rams would have paid premium prices for them even if resources had been more readily available to them.

The Rams have been in the short-term pass-rusher market for a while. Fowler was part of that until the Falcons signed him to a three-year, $45 million deal. Los Angeles turned to another rental in Leonard Floyd, who spent two seasons with new Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as his position coach in Chicago.

Floyd was among several pass-rushers to reach the market this offseason after entering the NFL as top-15 overall choices. That group included Fowler, Robert Quinn, Jadeveon Clowney, Floyd, Bruce Irvin and Vic Beasley. Quinn and Fowler, both former Rams, landed meatier deals spanning multiple seasons. Floyd and Beasley were had on one-year deals in the $10 million range.

“I like Leonard Floyd,” an exec said. “Lacks power, but very talented and he plays really hard. He will help them. They do not have anybody opposite him, but he will help. The problem is, they have had so many issues cap-wise and contract-wise. They do have Jalen Ramsey, but they are limited.”

The Rams re-signed 38-year-old left tackle Andrew Whitworth, added defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson from the Lions and brought back defensive end Michael Brockers unexpectedly after Brockers reached an agreement with Baltimore on a deal that fell through. And they finally cut Todd Gurley.

“What would I have done differently?” an exec asked. “I would not have traded for Jalen Ramsey last year. That is pretty simple. Even if they lost Marcus Peters, they would still have their two ones and they would have about $11 million they would be able to go out and get a player with.”

Execs said the 26-year-old Cooks, who has already been traded for a first-round pick twice in his career, could be a trade candidate in the future, but from a salary-cap standpoint, that deal would be easier for the Rams to escape after the 2020 season.

Michael Brockers on the Ravens and Aaron Donald

0:23 – Open and Michael Brockers on Baltimore and LA. 7:14 – Michael Brockers on Aaron Donald. 17:45 – Michael Brockers on the Rams. 27:00 – Quick Hitters.

https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vZ3JlZW5saWdodHdpdGhjaHJpc2xvbmc&episode=NDAyNzM5NjItNzQyOS0xMWVhLTlhY2EtMzNkOGVjZGYxYzVl&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwjI7Png3cfoAhUHQK0KHZlRBCcQieUEegQICRAE&ep=6

LMU93

the Rams OL went from 31st in the league the first 9 games to 25th over the final 7, 16th the final 4-5 games, etc.

As the OL went, so went Goff.

He had a 91.4 QBR, sacked just 6 times and 1 fumble those final 7 games vs. 82.7 QBR, 16 sacks, and 9 fumbles in the first 9. His QBR was 98.2 the final 5 games.

from The best players to wear every jersey number in NFL history: https://theathletic.com/1702946/?source=twitterhq

28: Marshall Faulk
One of the most dynamic and versatile running backs, Faulk is the only player with more than 12,000 rushing yards and more than 6,000 receiving yards during his 12-year career with the Colts and Rams, with whom he was a key member of the Greatest Show on Turf. Faulk was the MVP in 2000, part of an incredible three-season stretch with the Rams when he racked up more than 4,100 rushing yards, more than 2,600 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns.

29: Eric Dickerson
Dickerson still holds the single-season rushing record with 2,105 rushing yards in 1984, his second season with the Los Angeles Rams. He led the NFL in rushing four times and is ninth on the all-time rushing list with 13,259 yards.

35: Aeneas Williams
The Hall of Fame defensive back, who played cornerback and safety during his 12-year career with the Cardinals and Rams, was a member of the All-1990s team. He finished his career with 55 interceptions.

85: Jack Youngblood
Known for his toughness, Youngblood missed just one game in his 14-year career with the Rams. He was a five-time first-team All-Pro selection and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Tom Pelissero@TomPelissero
On a conference call, NFL exec Peter O’Reilly says next month’s draft will focus on good role modeling, with teams and in players’ homes: No more than 10 people in every room, everyone 6+ feet apart, good hand hygiene, anyone with fever or upper respiratory illness staying away.

The league will use all three days of the draft to support and raise money for the most vulnernable and others in need amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

NFL exec Troy Vincent says the competition committee is discussing potential changes to the draft, including a one-time option of extending by 1-2 minutes the deadline to complete a trade, given some of the challenges voiced by GMs surrounding this draft.

NFL exec Jeff Pash: “Our planning, our expectation, is fully directed at playing a full season starting on schedule and having a full regular season and a full set of playoffs. … Am I certain? I’m not certain that I’ll be here tomorrow. But I’m planning on it.”

Jared Goff has underrated arm strength! This (called back) pass travels 55+ yards through the air to find Reynolds. We have seen
similar throws to Cooks as well. Underrated 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/DcEKEqopOz

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) March 31, 2020

As SoFi Stadium construction continues, some workers worry about the coronavirus

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2020-03-30/sofi-stadium-construction-coronavirus-rams-chargers-2020-opening-delay

Earth movers crawl over huge mounds of dirt. Dump trucks creep onto Prairie Avenue, bringing traffic to a crawl. Back-up alarms beep and dust swirls as heavy equipment navigates the sprawling site where the gleaming, sail-shaped centerpiece of Inglewood is rising toward completion.

SoFi Stadium, the $5-billion future home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, is scheduled to open in late July with a Taylor Swift concert. And nothing, not even the coronavirus outbreak that has staggered entire industries and kept tens of millions of workers across the county at home, is stopping construction.

Over the weekend, an unidentified worker tested positive for COVID-19 and another Monday was said to be “presumed positive.” But an estimated 3,000 people — carpenters, crane operators, electricians, iron workers, painters and tile layers — remain on the job. Some of them, though thankful for the opportunity while unemployment skyrockets, worry that the project could expose them and their families to the virus.

“If our safety was the most important thing, they wouldn’t have us out here,” a tile layer said before getting news of the positives. “Everybody is talking about it. Your focus isn’t 100% on your work. You have that in the back of your head. … We feel like we’re invisible.”

The tile layer was among a half-dozen construction workers who spoke with The Times on the condition they not be identified for fear of retribution. They are conflicted and wonder if they’re putting their health at risk to collect good pay as the economy deteriorates.

“If they want to get the stadium done, they need to provide something to minimize the risk of exposing anyone,” an electrician said. “It doesn’t take much to realize how big this [problem] could be.”

“Everyone is a little nervous,” a second electrician said, “but we need the money.”

It’s a dilemma SoFi workers share with those on projects around the country.

Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on March 19, but SoFi and other construction projects are exempt because they’re considered critical infrastructure. Similarly, other state and local governments have allowed construction to continue, labeling it an essential service. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently halted most construction because of safety concerns but let work continue on affordable housing, hospital construction and infrastructure projects.

On Sunday night, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said his city is sending inspectors to job sites to ensure safety precautions are followed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The 298-acre Inglewood project, which broke ground in November 2016, will be the centerpiece of a mixed-use development on the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack and a critical piece of the city’s transformation into a sports and entertainment hub.

An email Monday notified SoFi workers of the positive test and the presumed positive, saying both people experienced symptoms more than a week ago and were sent home to self-quarantine.

“We are reaching out to you because we suspect others on the Project were in ‘casual contact’ with the individuals in the last 14 days,” the email said. “We are also investigating and implementing supplementary sanitation measures specific to these incidents as necessary.”

The email instructed employees to stay home if feeling ill “for any reason and symptom.”

Turner-AECOM Hunt, the joint venture overseeing SoFi construction, said it has taken steps to keep workers safe, increasing the number of toilets and hand-washing stations, activating toilets inside the stadium, sanitizing field offices each day and having nonessential staff work from home. Workers are told to stay home if they have a cough, fever or difficulty breathing and not to return until they have no signs of illness or fever for 24 hours without the use of medication.

The Rams, whose owner Stan Kroenke is privately financing the project, referred comment to a spokesman for the joint venture.

“The safety of the people on site and in our community remains our top priority,” the spokesman said in a statement.

At SoFi, social distancing is enforced through measures such as barring gatherings of more than 10 people, limiting access to the personnel hoist, suspending or re-sequencing tasks that “require close contact” and mandating workers keep “six feet of separation between each other,” the project spokesman said.

That’s consistent with the state’s approach to the issue. “If folks are going to be performing construction, they are going to need to apply appropriate social distancing, whether it’s less people on the job site or people more spaced apart,” said Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

But some stadium workers said, despite the efforts of management, social distancing wasn’t consistently practiced or enforced. The Times reviewed photos from recent days that showed workers congregating or performing tasks in close quarters.

“It’s impossible to do social distancing and do your job,” the first electrician said. “It’s crazy how some people still don’t take this seriously. I stay away from [colleagues] during lunch time. Look what happened in Italy. … I don’t want that to happen in my community.”

The electrician described a whistling-in-the-gallows joke among coworkers who shout “Corona!” when someone coughs or sneezes.

A fourth electrician described up to eight people filling a lift to go to and from their work station.

“I hold my breath when I pass someone and I take my vitamins,” he said.

A union official working with ironworkers posted on social media several pictures from the site last week.

“Corona Virus be dammed,” the caption read. “We’re working. Essential / Expendable?” He added a note calling it the “most populated jobsite I’ve myself ever been on in my 39 year career.”

In response to the questions about social distancing, the Turner-AECOM Hunt spokesman said supervisors have adopted a zero-tolerance policy for not following the procedures and violations are grounds for dismissal.

“We work extremely hard to create a safe workplace, enforce protocols and protect workers,” the spokesman said. “We actively listen to workers and address any concerns they may have. If they feel uncomfortable, they are free to remain home.”

One electrician who has worked on the project since August summed up the tension he and coworkers feel: “They say don’t come in if you’re sick, but you want to get your paycheck. Here, if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.”

A letter to members by the Pasadena-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 in mid-March said that because of an agreement between the IBEW International and the National Electrical Contractors Assn., workers denied access to a job site because of COVID-19 may accept a temporary furlough and file for unemployment, and the employer would not contest it.

“Remember,” the letter said, “our jobs are an essential part of the California economy, but your health and that of your family should be your priority.”

The SoFi worker diagnosed with COVID-19 is recovering well, the Turner-AECOM Hunt spokesman said. The worker didn’t enter the stadium, but reported to an “isolated, material pre-assembly area.” Equipment used by the worker was disinfected, his coworkers notified and those in “close contact” are under self-quarantine. The spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a question about whether the quarantined workers are being paid.

“We are fully transparent in our communications with everyone; trades and supervision. This includes any potential or confirmed exposures, daily updates on best practices, government guidelines, directives and listen to and addressing any concerns workers have,” the spokesman said.

The tile layer put it another way.

“You feel if you stop showing up, you’re not going to have a job,” he said. “I feel like my hands are tied. Even though they don’t say they’ll get rid of you, that’s how you feel.”

PHDram

‘#Rams G Austin Blythe: 1 year, $3.9M ($3.5M guaranteed)

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