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znModeratorWhat Brockers’ return means for A’Shawn Robinson and Rams D-line
Cameron DaSilva
What Brockers' return means for A'Shawn Robinson and Rams D-line
The Los Angeles Rams appeared to find their replacement for Michael Brockers after the veteran agreed to terms with the Ravens, landing former Lions defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson. He agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Rams, joining a defensive line that featured Aaron Donald and a pair of young nose tackles, Greg Gaines and Sebastian Joseph-Day.
Fast-forward a week and it turns out the Rams don’t actually need to replace Brockers. He’s returning to Los Angeles on a three-year contract worth up to $31.5 million after his deal with the Ravens fell through. Brockers’ physical with an independent doctor raised concerns about his ankle for Baltimore, which then pulled its offer.
So what does this all mean for Brockers, Robinson and the rest of the Rams’ defensive linemen? Brockers’ return certainly gives Los Angeles a crowded defensive line, but also one that features a lot of versatile players.
Aaron Donald will remain at 3-technique, most often rushing the passer from his traditional defensive tackle position. At nose tackle, it’s likely that Robinson will replace Joseph-Day and Gaines, who were the primary contributors inside last season.
There’s no doubt Robinson has the size to play nose tackle in the Rams’ scheme – he’s 6-foot-4, 320 pounds – but his length looked like an asset at defensive end with Brockers gone. Robinson is a space-eater and a great run defender, though, which will help the Rams plug up the A-gaps.
At defensive end, Brockers will reclaim his starting spot. The Rams aren’t paying him more than $10 million a year to be a backup, nor did they give Robinson $9.5 million guaranteed to ride the bench and play behind Joseph-Day.
There are only so many snaps to go around on the defensive line, and the Rams are deep across the front with players who deserve to get on the field, but that’s not a bad thing. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley now has countless options along the defensive line.
The Rams could use a defensive line with Donald at 5-technique, Robinson at nose tackle and Brockers at 3-technique. They could also kick Joseph-Day outside to defensive end with Brockers at nose tackle and Donald at defensive tackle.
Their rotation will be deep, allowing them to keep players fresh over the duration of a game. That’s important and helps in the fourth quarter, especially when the Rams are trailing and teams are running the ball to kill the clock.
Brockers’ return will hurt the development of Joseph-Day and Gaines, since they won’t be getting nearly as much playing time as expected, but the Rams’ run defense has been upgraded with Brockers coming back – as has their depth.
After being hired, Staley emphasized the importance of versatility on the defensive front and in the secondary. He’s getting his wish with the Rams’ current group of linemen, almost all of which can play any position up front. All that’s left is to see how Staley utilizes all this talent.
znModeratorBailey Irrgang@bailey_irrgang
Now with Brockers back, a front three of Donald, Brockers and Robinson now looks really nice, and a strong secondary with Ramsey, Hill and Johnson, our D is looking really good nowchad Forbes@NFLDraftBites
Michael Brockers #Rams contract 3 Yrs & max value $31.5M. Guarantee is $7M. Essentially a 1 Yr $7M deal w/ options. So it’s not far fetched to say #Ravens overpaid significantly at $21M Guaranteed, recognized it & backed out on deal to reallocate money.Stu Jackson@StuJRams
tied with the Falcons’ Grady Jarrett for sixth-highest run defense grade among interior defenders last year.znModeratorCould the same thing potentially happen with Gurley, if the Falcons’ doctors say his knee won’t pass the physical?
It could but that won’t mean anything to the Rams. They cut him. If the Falcons cut him too, he’s a FA.
What happened with Brockers is the same thing that happened with Saffold back when. Brockers was a FA. He did not sign with the Rams. He reached an agreement with the Ravens, but that fell through. So he was a FA again. The Rams decided to sign Free Agent Brockers, and here we are.
It was the exact same before with Saffold when the Raiders would not finalize a deal. He just signed with the Rams as a FA.
So nothing happens as far as the Rams are concerned with Gurley if the Falcons cut him or don’t complete the deal or whatever it is.
znModeratorRams re-sign DL Michael Brockers after his Ravens deal falls through
Defensive lineman Michael Brockers is returning to the Rams after his free-agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens fell apart over concern about the ankle sprain he suffered in the final game of 2019.
Brockers, 29, agreed to a three-year contract worth as much as $31.5 million with the Rams, the NFL Network reported.
His previous Rams contract was for four years and $39.6 million.
Brockers, who has played all eight of his NFL seasons with the Rams, confirmed the report of his return to L.A. in an Instagram post that said in part: “Sorry Ravens But I’m Going, Going, Back Back, To Cali, Cali.”
Trouble between Brockers and Baltimore reportedly started this week when a physical exam left the Ravens worried about the lineman’s left ankle.
Brockers was injured in the third quarter of the Rams’ 31-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 28 in the team’s last game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and immediately walked to the locker room with help. He left the locker room in a walking boot and on crutches.
A Rams source said Friday that team management knows the condition of the ankle and is confident Brockers would pass a Rams physical.
A starter on the interior and end of the defensive line since being drafted from LSU with the 14th pick in 2012, Brockers led the line in tackles with a career-high 63 in 2019 and was a veteran leader in the locker room.
His return takes some of the sting out early free-agent developments for the Rams.
Brockers was the first of three significant free-agent departures from the defense when he agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Ravens on March 16, the first day NFL teams could negotiate with free agents.
In the next two days, the Rams also lost linebacker Cory Littleton to the Las Vegas Raiders and edge rusher Dante Fowler to the Atlanta Falcons.
At that point, the Rams had said goodbye to seven members of their 2019 defense, including linebacker Clay Matthews (released on the same day as running back Todd Gurley), cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman (whose option they declined to exercise), safety Marqui Christian (signed with the New York Jets) and safety Eric Weddle (retired).
The Rams signed defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, a free agent from the Detroit Lions, and edge rusher Leonard Floyd, who’d been cut by the Chicago Bears.
With Robinson, and Brockers returning, the Rams now have more defensive linemen than they did when the offseason started.
Two key free agents did re-sign last week when offensive left tackle Andrew Whitworth and guard-center Austin Blythe agreed to terms.
But the Rams’ limited space under the NFL salary cap made it hard to keep Littleton, Fowler and, at first, Brockers.
A source said one option for fitting Brockers under the salary cap is to rework details of Jared Goff’s contract, which is due to cost the Rams more than $36 million against the cap in 2020 and slightly less in coming seasons under the four-year, $134 million contract the quarterback signed before last season.
znModeratorMood 😎 pic.twitter.com/5SzeG4jtnX
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 27, 2020
znModeratorRich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Raven For 10 Days: The Michael Brockers StorySo, move defensive line way down on the list of Rams draft needs. It will be fascinating to see how they handle the front three, since Sebastian Joseph-Day is well-regarded.
J.B. Long@JB_Long
Defensive line depth is certainly an unexpected luxury. What a pleasant surprise for the 2020 #LARams.Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Michael Brockers situation harkens to Rodger Saffold. Free agent deal with Raiders fell through in 2014 because of physical and he returned to Rams. That worked out pretty well for both sides.DOWNTOWN RAMS [DTR]@DowntownRams
The Brockers move all goes back to when @wyche89 came on our show and made it clear the #Rams really wanted Brockers back after the season. It didn’t work the way most contracts do but nonetheless the Rams keep a locker room leader and a fan favorite in horns.March 27, 2020 at 11:00 am in reply to: Sandy Hook Victim's Father Wins Defamation Suit; Alex Jones Sanctioned #113038znModeratorAlex Jones Loses Sandy Hook Court Appeal, Must Now Pay Nearly $150,000 In Legal Fees
The Infowars host is being sued by nine people whose family members were killed in the shooting at the Connecticut elementary school.Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist and repeated loser of court battles, was ordered Wednesday to pay more than $20,000 in attorney fees after losing another appeal in a defamation case related to the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He now owes nearly $150,000 in legal fees before he even faces a jury.
The Texas Court of Appeals sided with Sandy Hook father Neil Heslin, who for years has been attacked by conspiracy theorists who falsely claim the school shooting in which 20 children and six adults were killed never happened.
Heslin’s lawsuit accuses Jones and his website, Infowars, of defamation after Jones claimed the parents of the dead children were “crisis actors” who helped stage the shooting. Jones is now being sued by nine family members of people who died in the shooting.
Jones’ most recent appeal to dismiss Heslin’s lawsuit was found to be “frivolous,” the court ruled Wednesday. Jones was ordered to pay $22,250 in attorney fees.
Jones was also ordered to pay approximately $25,000 in October after a court sanctioned him. And in December, he was ordered to pay $100,000 in legal fees after a Texas judge ruled his defense team “intentionally disregarded” an earlier order to produce witnesses.
Attorney Mark Bankston, who is representing Heslin and other families suing Jones, told HuffPost in a statement that the latest victory for his client spells the end for Jones.
“It is rare to see a legal defense so incompetent and disrespectful to the rule of law that it causes a defendant to rack up $150,000 in fines during preliminary motions before even reaching trial,” Bankston said. “These fines are only the beginning. A far greater reckoning awaits Mr. Jones.”
Former allies have turned against Jones during his legal battle. Rob Jacobson, a former Infowars editor, testified in a deposition that staff laughed at him when he warned them against spreading lies about Sandy Hook.
“I told [Jones] straight to his face: ‘They’re going to come after you for Sandy Hook. This is really bad,’” Jacobson said. “He just stared at me like a deer in the headlights, he had nothing to say. And we just went on our way.”
Paul Watson, Jones’ longtime friend and a contributor to Infowars, testified in December that he also warned Jones to leave the parents alone, but was largely ignored.
Jones was most recently in the news after he was caught peddling a toothpaste he falsely claimed could kill the deadly coronavirus.
znModerator— AD_99 (@AaronDonald97) March 27, 2020
znModeratorDOWNTOWN RAMS [DTR]@DowntownRams
With the #Rams signing Michael Brockers, the team will receive no projected compensation for Cory Littleton’s departure and now are only expected to receive a third via the Dante Fowler departure.znModeratorRoger Goodell's Thursday night memo explains that any team or league employee who publicly discusses the league's decision to proceed with the draft on April 23-25 will be subject to disciplinary action https://t.co/VO79aar1k5
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 27, 2020
znModeratorTalking to my homie in Ireland. They immediately nationalized all hospitals. Paying 70% of workers salaries. Unemployed get $2k, rent, mortgage, utilities freeze
America, like WTF we doing?
— Anthony Clark in the Struggle (@anthonyvclark20) March 25, 2020
znModeratorThe good news: I'm living like a billionaire.
The bad news: It's Howard Hughes. pic.twitter.com/mIdgVFjteo
— c0nc0rdance (@c0nc0rdance) March 27, 2020
znModeratorAny guesses as to who is gonna have a better year, if there is football next season?
i’m guessing brady does ok in tampa bay. but not great.
belichick could be in trouble.
It will be interesting to see but I got no guesses or predictions.
If the Patz do fall back, then, that just means higher draft picks next year.
znModeratorAny guesses as to who is gonna have a better year, if there is football next season?
i’m guessing brady does ok in tampa bay. but not great.
belichick could be in trouble.
It will be interesting to see but I got no guesses or predictions.
If the Patz do fall back, then, that just means higher draft picks next year.
znModeratorTom Pelissero@TomPelissero
Club facilities are closed until at least April 8, when the NFL will reassess. The draft starts 15 days later. GMs and other executives I’ve spoken to already are exploring options, including the possibility of conducting the draft from their living rooms. A lot up in the air.znModerator2020 NFL Draft Will Occur As Scheduled https://t.co/REUshQwjel pic.twitter.com/ZBmscoobeg
— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) March 26, 2020
znModeratorCROMWELL21
Lost in the news last week I didn’t see this posted.
Rams declined to tender Donte Deayon, Josh Carraway and Morgan Fox making them unrestricted free agentsznModeratorTerrell Davis doubts Falcons RB Todd Gurley will return to form
link https://clutchpoints.com/falcons-news-terrell-davis-doubts-todd-gurley-will-return-to-form/
NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis doesn’t believe Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley will return to his dominant form. In 2018, Gurley suffered a knee injury and hasn’t looked the same since. Davis told TMZ Sports he a similar knee issue in 1999 and it caused him to lose a permanent step in his career.
This past offseason, the Los Angeles Rams cut Gurley over the decline in his play in the 2019 NFL campaign. His per-carry average went from 4.9 to 3.8 as he recorded a career-low 857 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Gurley ended up signing with the Falcons, however, Davis is doubtful Gurley can return to the Pro Bowl running back as he once was.
“They said he had an arthritic knee,” said Davis. “And, I said, ‘I’ve had that. I understand what it feels like.’”
Davis also explained to TMZ Sports on what it feels like to have the same injury as Gurley.
“What happens is you feel like your knee — like you have just enough swelling in your knee, just enough, to where it doesn’t stop you from running, but you don’t have the full flexibility or mobility and you just feel like you’re just a second slower,” Davis says. “When you think about making a cut, it’s like the signal from your brain to your knee is like, it just comes just a fraction of a second too slow where your knee doesn’t respond to it.”
Nevertheless, Davis does hope that Gurley can prove everybody wrong again this upcoming season with the Falcons.
“If he could come out of this one year and have the attitude that, ‘I want to prove everybody wrong’ — which I feel Todd will — he could have a really good year.”
March 26, 2020 at 5:03 pm in reply to: Senate Democrats block mammoth coronavirus stimulus package #113000znModeratorTo clarify, $1200 checks are ONLY going to some w/social sec numbers, NOT immigrants w/ tax IDs (ITINs).
Thanks to GOP, these checks will be cut off the backs of *taxpaying immigrants,* who get nothing. Many are essential workers who pay more taxes than Amazon.
Wall St gets $4T
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020 at 5:00 pm in reply to: US health care system costs 4X more than Canada’s M4A #112999znModeratorBenjamin Dixon@BenjaminPDixon
You have zero excuse for supporting a candidate who opposes Medicare for All at this point.3.3 million people just lost their “if you like your employer benefits you can keep them” benefits.
Healthcare can never again be tied to employment.
znModeratorThoughts #Ramily? 🤔 https://t.co/vRRcP1vtuc
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) March 26, 2020
znModeratorWendell Potter@wendellpotter
As a former health insurance exec, I don’t think any story better illustrates my old industry’s racket than the one I’m about to tell you: Right now, as we enter the worst public health crisis of our lifetimes (#COVID19), health insurers are still raking in record profits. (1/11)Wendell Potter@wendellpotter
With the COVID19 death & illness count growing each day, you might expect health insurance companies to be one of the industries taking a huge hit right now. After all, they must be reeling from all the medical care Americans now need & all the claims being filed. Right? (2/11)Get ready to be outraged. The country’s big for-profit health insurers may actually be one of the huge winners from the pandemic. Among the few corporations to see big jumps in their stock price this week are Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna & Humana (where I used to work). (3/11)
Investors clearly believe insurers will make a killing, with one Wall Street analyst boosting Cigna to “strong buy.” As medical claims skyrocket how on earth is this possible? A toxic combination of skimping on coverage for COVID19 treatments & raising next year’s premiums (4/11)
How do I know this? I used to handle financial information for Cigna & learned that industry CEOs reveal stuff to financial analysts they’d never say to the general public. Few reporters bother to listen in to insurers’ calls with analysts, but one who does is @bobjherman. (5/11)
@BobJHerman reports that in a recent call with analysts, health insurance CEOs said they don’t expect their profits to fall due to COVID-19. They even expect to meet their most ambitious 2021 earnings goals (and they’ve already been seeing record profits in recent years). (6/11)
How do health insurers continue to see huge profits during this crisis? “If medical claims start to rise uncontrollably,” @bobjherman reports, “they’ll increase everyone’s premiums next year.” Humana CEO Brian Kane put it more opaquely: “We would price for this for 2021.” (7/11)
They’re already prepping for big rate increases next year. California officials say they expect insurers to hike premiums up to 40% next year for plans in the state’s Obamacare exchange. Those getting coverage through employers should also brace for big premium hikes. (8/11)
In addition, Anthem’s CEO said his company expects to realize a “net saving” because hospitals are canceling non-emergency & elective procedures due to COVID-19. And we already know insurers are refusing to waive copays & deductibles for COVID-19 treatments. (9/11)
This is all music to investors’ ears, who are rushing to buy these stocks. When the market closed today, the Dow was up 2.39%. By comparison:
*Cigna: Up 6.5%.
*UnitedHealthcare: Up 6.67%.
*Anthem: Up 9.93%.
*Humana: Up 14.92%.
It’s high times for the insurance racket. (10/11)So, while many suffer serious illness or death — and millions lose jobs & health insurance — the industry sitting pretty in the United States right now is the health insurance industry.
That perfectly sums up all you need to know about healthcare in America in 2020.
(/END.)March 26, 2020 at 12:32 pm in reply to: I never get tired of watching this…ESPN airing this game Monday 3/30 #112987znModeratorHAMMOND: What happened afterward is something I’ll never forget.
Hammond is referring to the sad context of that game. It was in the week with the shooting at the one bar and also the fires. He says this:
Approximately one hour after one of the most exciting, grueling NFL games in Los Angeles history… Goff and Whitworth met with the people who really mattered. After their slow walk across the field ended, the players hugged and talked with first responders and families of shooting victims.
March 26, 2020 at 12:26 pm in reply to: I never get tired of watching this…ESPN airing this game Monday 3/30 #112986znModeratorI joined my colleagues this week to write about the greatest game I've covered.
I chose Rams-Chiefs from 2018, and not just because of the amazing game itself. What happened afterward is something I'll never forget.
(90-day trial for new signups.)https://t.co/uR3fAYctyQ
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020 at 9:31 am in reply to: Senate Democrats block mammoth coronavirus stimulus package #112982znModeratorCertain the MSM will never give due credit @BernieSanders. But let’s be clear: It was Senator Sander’s threat to put a hold on the entire bill (over the corporate $) that turned around GOP Senators who were complaining about an unemployment provision. . https://t.co/rE2hdd8KIx
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) March 26, 2020
March 26, 2020 at 9:30 am in reply to: Senate Democrats block mammoth coronavirus stimulus package #112981znModeratorRick Scott made his personal fortune running a health care corporation that was nailed for overbilling Medicare https://t.co/JojHaUCdTf https://t.co/ksmU0kB7CF
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) March 25, 2020
March 26, 2020 at 9:27 am in reply to: Senate Democrats block mammoth coronavirus stimulus package #112980znModeratorNow is *really* not the time to be attacking nurses, @LindseyGrahamSC… https://t.co/m6daLiHAsO
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) March 25, 2020
znModerator
znModerator"He's explosive, he's twitched up … he can really mirror receivers. He's got this competitiveness, this toughness, the speed we're looking for in the defensive backfield." – Howie Roseman on @slotgod23 https://t.co/TmK739v0bN
— Dave Spadaro (@EaglesInsider) March 25, 2020
znModeratorDick Vermeil brought a tireless work ethic to the Rams franchise. His belief in hard work makes progress was shown on the practice field. Practice standards that are prohibited in the age of the NFL. Standards that players even feared
“no easing into a street fight” – DV pic.twitter.com/fmBJzDUREP
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) March 25, 2020
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