Roger 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

The good news: I'm living like a billionaire.

The bad news: It's Howard Hughes. pic.twitter.com/mIdgVFjteo

— c0nc0rdance (@c0nc0rdance) March 27, 2020

2020 NFL Draft Will Occur As Scheduled https://t.co/REUshQwjel pic.twitter.com/ZBmscoobeg

— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) March 26, 2020

Terrell 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.”

nittany ram wrote:

Wendell 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.)

Rick 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

Dick 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

Opinion: Rams executive Kevin Demoff taps into logo hate for coronavirus relief fund

Jarrett Bell

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/bell/2020/03/24/rams-logo-haters-mean-tweets-coronavirus-relief-kevin-demoff/2913269001/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomnfl-topstories

Hate the new logos unveiled by the Los Angeles Rams? Well, someone found a productive way for fans to vent.

Kevin Demoff, the Rams chief operating officer, posted a Twitter challenge inviting venom with a purpose. If the all-day, virtual Te”LA”Thon that the Rams and local TV partner KABC staged Tuesday cleared a goal of $2 million to benefit a coronavirus pandemic relief fund, Demoff pledged to read the top 10 “Mean Tweets” as a source of inspiration.

Talk about creative ways to elicit feedback.

“If some self-deprecating humor and people taking shots at me can raise money for someone who needs a meal, that’s the best thing I can do with my time,” Demoff told USA TODAY Sports.

Kevin Demoff@kdemoff
Donate to the Relief Fund. If we get over $2m of donations, I will read the Top 10 Mean Tweets our fans have about the logo. https://twitter.com/abc7/status/1242415631191990272 …

Rams, ABC7, 710AM ESPN LA host virtual telethon to benefit United Way’s pandemic relief fund and LA Regional Food Bank https://abc7.com/community-events/rams-abc7-710am-espn-la-host-virtual-telethon-/6032632/ …

The pandemic relief fund benefits the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

It seems that there is no shortage of potential donors. After the Rams unveiled their logos and new team colors as part of a brand relaunch on the team’s website, more than 85% of respondents to a Twitter poll by a certain NFL columnist for USA TODAY Sports disapproved of the new logos. A similar rate was reflected with a Pro Football Talk poll that drew more than 11,000 responses.

Demoff took such patterns in stride, maintaining that brushback is to be expected with a logo change – although he found positives in feedback that showed support for the blue and yellow color scheme.

In the meantime, the Rams found a creative way to tap into the social media hot corner by mimicking the popular Jimmy Kimmel Live segment.

“I’ve always found that interacting with fans on social media, you can do some give-and-take,” Demoff said. “You have to have not only a thick skin, but realize the interaction is what people are a part of.”

Demoff knows at least two social media followers – aged 13 and 11 – eager to see a Rams logo version of “Mean Tweets.”

“I think my kids are more excited about it than anything,” he said. “But it’s really one of those things where anytime we can drive help — and if that’s by poking fun at ourselves and not taking ourselves too seriously, I’m all for that.”