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  • January 5, 2020 at 6:33 am in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110109
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    January 5, 2020 at 6:31 am in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110108
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    January 5, 2020 at 12:21 am in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110107
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    NFL Wild Card PFF ReFocused: Houston Texans 22, Buffalo Bills 19

    https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-wild-card-pff-refocused-houston-texans-22-buffalo-bills-19

    The battle between two of the hottest young quarterbacks in the NFL did not disappoint. Both showed uncoachable ability en route to an exciting Wild Card bout. In the end, Deshaun Watson’s freakish combination of athleticism and accuracy was too much for even the vaunted Buffalo Bills defense. While he took a few more sacks than you’d like, he also threw a catchable pass on 84% of his targets and made the game-winning scramble completion. He went downfield when needed, going 8-of-10 on throws 10-plus yards in the second half and overtime to lead the Houston Texans to a 22-19 win and advance to the Divisional Round.

    Watson’s tendency to welcome pressure and take sacks played a significant role in the Texans’ 16-0 deficit to start the game. Due in large part to Buffalo’s strong play in coverage, Watson’s time to throw average was a whopping 3.65 seconds — the longest single-game average for him this season. He also took seven sacks in the contest, good for another season-high for the Houston signal-caller.

    Of course, Watson ultimately rallied in the second half and turned in a heroic effort on his way to the comeback win. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, on the other hand, cost his team late with a handful of key mistakes.

    You can sugarcoat this loss any way you want, but if you score 19 points in a game in 2019 – especially in overtime, you do not deserve to win. The brunt of the issue falls squarely on the shoulders of Allen, who failed to deliver wholeheartedly in the second half. He simply could not push the ball down the field with any consistency. He went 3-of-10 with zero big-time throws and two turnover-worthy plays in the second half and overtime on throws 10-plus yards downfield. Whether it was play calling or hesitancy from QB1, it cost them the win.

    DeAndre Hopkins also showed up late for Houston, catching all four of his targets for 70 yards when against Bills’ phenom Tre’Davious White in the second half. Hopkins’ best play was his 41-yard snag over the top of White that set up the Texans’ game-tying score in the fourth quarter.

    If the Texans are going to make it through the AFC playoffs, they’re going to need Bradley Roby to continue to play the way we saw against the Bills. He was targeted twice and didn’t allow a single catch while breaking up one of his targets. The secondary has been much maligned all season long, including Roby at times, but he’s flashed CB1 type ability throughout his career. If the Kansas City Chiefs are their next opponent, Roby’s A game is a mus

    January 5, 2020 at 12:19 am in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110106
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    NFL Wild Card PFF ReFocused: Tennessee Titans 20, New England Patriots 13

    https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-wild-card-pff-refocused-tennessee-titans-20-new-england-patriots-13

    In what may have been quarterback Tom Brady’s last hurrah with the New England Patriots, it was the Tennessee Titans playing old school football and an inept New England passing game that has the Titans moving on to play in the Divisional Round of the 2019 NFL playoffs. The Titans played the ball control game with running back Derrick Henry and his 182 yards (138 after contact) on 34 carries, but this came down to the Patriots’ inability to move the ball through the air against the Tennessee defense. The Titans made a crucial goal-line stop in the second quarter, highlighted by linebacker Rashaan Evans making two defensive stops, and that was the last of the New England scoring for the night. New England finished with a paltry -0.6 EPA/play on nine third-and-short plays.

    Patriots receivers caught just seven of 19 targets, including two dropped passes, in a microcosm of their offensive woes this season. While Henry certainly had a standout game, the Titans’ offense only put up 14 points in New England, and that should have been enough for the Patriots to survive the Wild Card Round. Instead, Brady and the passing attack were unable to string drives together despite his facing pressure on just 13.5% of dropbacks, a season-low.

    For Tennesee, quarterback Ryan Tannehill didn’t live up to his No. 1 PFF grade status coming into the game, as he had two turnover-worthy plays (errant interception and dropped fumble that took the Titans out of field goal range), but he came through with two key third-down conversions on a zone-read keeper and a deep out. Tannehill finished just 2-for-6 on throws of 10-plus yards, and rookie phenom A.J. Brown caught just one pass for four yards on his only target.

    Tennessee relied on Henry early and often. The 6-foot-3, 238-pounder gashed the Patriots’ front-seven in the first half behind strong run blocking from the offensive line, as it was an all-around effort to produce the Titans’ 201 yards on 40 carries. The Titans’ defensive backfield got standout performances from cornerbacks Tramaine Brock (2-for-9 when targeted, two pass breakups) and the returning Adoree Jackson (1-for-4, one pass breakup). For New England, the defense gave Henry much more attention in the second half and it kept the Patriots in the game, but they were unable to make the big stops down the stretch and the entire front-seven sans Dont’a Hightower got dominated in the trenches.

    The Titans look ahead to a trip to Baltimore against the No. 1 seeded Baltimore Ravens, where they’ll need more than just a rushing attack to earn the upset against the best team in the AFC. In New England, it’s the start of an offseason with the biggest question marks since head coach Bill Belichick’s arrival in 2000, as Brady, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and others may be out the door in the coming months.

    January 5, 2020 at 12:13 am in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110105
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    January 4, 2020 at 11:19 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110103
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    Tony Dungy@TonyDungy
    Tennessee goal line stand to hold New England to a FG at the end of the first half was the biggest sequence of the game. Hard to believe the Patriots would not score a point in the second half.

    trey wingo@wingoz
    Potentially Tom Brady’s last pass as Patriot.. is a pick six to end their season.

    Bill Barnwell@billbarnwell
    I think it’s time to say it: the Patriots need to put Drew Bledsoe back in at quarterback

    ==

    January 4, 2020 at 11:16 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110102
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    January 4, 2020 at 9:48 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110101
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    January 4, 2020 at 9:45 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110100
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    January 4, 2020 at 9:43 pm in reply to: the one-shot tweets thread (diff'rent stuff, funny angry interesting) #110099
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    January 4, 2020 at 9:38 pm in reply to: what’s goin’ on with Goff #110096
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    InvaderRam wrote:

    i suspect. and i have no way of actually proving this. but if the rams can fix the oline and if they can get more balance, i think goff could be even better than he was in 2018.

    i think that this year will be helpful to him in making quicker decisions. make him better at recognizing what defenses are doing to him. he’s a tough kid. and his track record has been that adversity will make him a better player.

    I think all that too. And, well put.

    …

    January 4, 2020 at 9:34 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110095
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    Tony Dungy@TonyDungy
    Watson didn’t see the blitz. He should have thrown hot. But making two guys miss, scrambling and then finding a receiver for a 1st Down is why the Texans will be playing next week.

    Chris Long@JOEL9ONE
    Now all the titans have to do is out adjust NE at the half. Yikes.

    January 4, 2020 at 9:09 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110093
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    Ryan Clark@Realrclark25
    Josh Allen played his butt off today. Not gonna go at the kid. He has to learn from the last two plays going forward. DeShaun Watson had to learn his lessons. It showed today when his team needed him to come up big. Josh can take lessons from today and do the same.

    January 4, 2020 at 8:58 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110091
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    January 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110089
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    January 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm in reply to: What do you expect from these Wild Card playoff games? #110088
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    January 4, 2020 at 4:47 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110085
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    LoboRam

    Deandre Hopkins Interview with Irvin….Hopkins is one of the premier WR in the league and when Irvin asked him who were the toughest DBs in the league that he’s gone up against…. #1 was Jalen Ramsey…yes. One on one, on an island he said Ramsey was one of the best… High praise from one of the best in the league! some of the others were S. Gilmore and PP… Did’nt give any respect to DBs in a zone scheme.

    January 4, 2020 at 2:24 pm in reply to: Agree with Hedges on this (Iran) #110084
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    Analyst: ‘Everything the Trump administration has done has escalated Iran situation’

    https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/476659-analyst-everything-the-trump-administration-has-done-has-escalated-iran-situation?fbclid=IwAR0iifoUFoX_RKq_QMXSU4enQwxA0ScXku0azR8AfVSwl3AzqzSwMXTyzBM

    Iran analyst Trita Parsi reacted to the U.S. airstrike that resulted in the death of one of Iran’s most powerful generals during an interview with Hill.TV on Friday.

    Parisi argued that “everything the Trump administration has done has escalated the situation,” tracing it back to President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

    Under the Obama-era deal, Iran had agreed to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

    “The moment when it all started is when Trump pulled out of this, so if we’re actually looking for deterrence we know how that would work,” Parisi said. “It would mean proper diplomacy, trying to figure out how you can find some sort of a way of coexisting with elements that you may not like in any way, shape or form.”

    Parsi is executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank with a focus on shifting U.S. foreign policy away “from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace.”

    His comments come as lawmakers on Capitol Hill still reel from the news surrounding a targeted U.S. strike in Iraq that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani among others. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said a day after the attack that the action was not authorized and Congress was not consulted on the decision.

    The Pentagon, meanwhile, has described the U.S. drone attack at Baghdad International Airport as a “defensive action,” but Parsi pushed back against this notion in his interview with Hill.TV.

    “The mere fact that the State Department immediately issued a statement saying all Americans should leave Iraq immediately is Exhibit A that this made America less not more safe,” he said.

    Trump’s actions in Iran have sparked international condemnation.

    The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” after the U.S. strike, according to a spokesman for Guterres.

    “The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf,” the secretary-general’s deputy spokesman said in a statement.

    January 4, 2020 at 1:59 pm in reply to: what’s goin’ on with Goff #110083
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    Goff’s play was “up” throughout December, and a lot of things people have been complaining about were being addressed by his play.

    December: In 5 games, Goff was 133 of 216, 61.6%, for 11TDs, 4 INTs, & an avg. qb rating of 98.6.

    Not where he can be or where we want him to be, and they just went 3-2 in that stretch, but a marked turnaround from November.

    In case people haven’t seen it, here’s a good example of his play improving in an area where he has been criticized–play under pressure. The play in question is 4:17 in on this vid–Goff evades the rush and makes a great throw on the run to Woods.

    January 4, 2020 at 1:06 pm in reply to: Agree with Hedges on this (Iran) #110080
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    Based on a first fast read…not much to disagree with there.

    January 4, 2020 at 1:02 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110078
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    Speed_Kills

    Prior to Warner or Faulk or Bruce or Pace of Hakim or Vermeil, or Martz… Isaac Bruce would have broken the NFL record for the most yards receiving in a single season if it was not for Jerry Rice beating him out that very same season in 1995. The difference? Rice had HOF QB Steve Young throwing to him. Bruce had Chris Miller and Mark Rypein as his QBs. Thats all you need to know about Ike Bruce. He followed that season up with another 1,300+ yard season on a 4-12 football team

    No exaggerating necessary

    January 4, 2020 at 11:44 am in reply to: when Betelgeuse blows up we’ll see it (update: it’s dimming rapidly) #110076
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    January 4, 2020 at 1:17 am in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110067
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    𝒥𝒾𝓂 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉@Jim_Everett
    It’ll be fluid with much depending on the Fowler/Littleton/Ramsey commitments or lack there of. The draft is an option for an OL addition or two. We have young talent on the OL, but we’ve seen what happens if they arent ready yet. #KromerWorkingOvertime

    Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
    Ha yes indeed. I feel like if they get Whitworth back, there are enough pieces to find a successful O-line. All things being equal, they’d probably want to keep Ramsey at his 2019 cap number but I don’t know if that will be possible.

    —

    January 4, 2020 at 1:09 am in reply to: around the league & college tweets, starting 1/1 #110066
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    January 4, 2020 at 1:07 am in reply to: around the league & college tweets, starting 1/1 #110065
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    January 3, 2020 at 8:17 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110063
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    Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
    Starting a dive into the Rams’ salary-cap situation reminds me how Les Snead was mocked for re-signing Tyler Higbee four months ago. Guess those days are over.

    Much of the offseason hinges on whether Whitworth comes back. The problem with doing cap projections is I have absolutely no idea how much he would re-sign for. He averaged $11m on his last deal. What’s the 1-year market value for a solid 38-year-old tackle?

    January 3, 2020 at 6:30 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110061
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    https://twitter.com/TheRamsWire/status/121322134218885529

    ==

    link: https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/01/03/nfl-rams-andrew-whitworth-left-tackle-help/

    There’s no doubt the Rams used their tight ends and backs to chip pass rushers often this season. However, most of the help went to the right side with Bobby Evans. The Rams used a lot of two-tight end sets down the stretch, which had Johnny Mundt lining up next to Whitworth, but it’s surprising how high the double-team rate was.

    ==

    January 3, 2020 at 4:56 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110058
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    Michael David Smith@MichaelDavSmith
    Aaron Donald got 49 first-team All-Pro votes of the 50 ballots cast. The only person who didn’t vote for him is Howard Deneroff. I have no idea who Howard Deneroff is or why the Associated Press felt that he was one of the 50 people most qualified to have an All-Pro vote.

    Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
    Aaron Donald got 49 of 50 votes as a first-team All-Pro. I’d be fascinated to hear the rationale of the other voter.

    Beto@_BMule
    According to PFF Whitworth was one of the very worst OTs in the NFL first half of year. One of the very best in 2nd half.

    trey wingo@wingoz
    Did the game pivot in 2019? 5 of the top 6 rushing offenses made the postseason, while 4 of the top 5 passing offenses did not. And fitting to their season Dallas was the only top 5 rush offense that didn’t make the playoffs

    January 3, 2020 at 4:38 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110057
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    January 3, 2020 at 1:54 pm in reply to: tweets etc. … 1/1 thru 1/4 #110055
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    LMU93

    three team stats Rams most have to improve in 2020

    1. 0 turnover ratio. Tied for 15th in the league. But this was -5 heading into the Arizona finale and more telling. They were 5th (+10) in 2018 and tied for 9th in 2017. The biggest culprit here is giveaways by the offense- 22nd in the league. Goff had 10 lost fumbles between week 11 of 2018 and week 10 of 2019 (15 games). But he did not lose any in the final 7 games- perhaps another sign of the OL’s growth?

    2. 3.7 yards per rush– 27th in 2019. They were 5th in 2018 (4.8) and 7th in 2017 (4.4). Needs to improve to 4.2 minimum. They don’t have to run for 140 yards/game but running more effectively (i.e. 2nd and 6, not 2nd and 9) is critical.

    3. 63.5% red zone scoring defense– 28th in 2019. Down from 15th in 2018. About 52% or better would be top 10.

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