Bucky Brooks@BuckyBrooks
Todd Gurley will continue to fuel debates in war rooms about RBs and their overall value. Although TG has played at an elite level as an RB1, the durability concerns will lead some execs to continue to value “RBBC” over a bell cow.

Others will simply draft a talented RB early in the 1st and never make an attempt to sign him to a lucrative 2nd contract. Teams will use the franchise tag or other vehicles to pay them on a year to year basis after rookie contract is done.. It’s a dirty game for RBs

Quotes & Notes 6/3: McVay, Fowler look forward to the pass rusher’s first full season in L.A.

Clarence Dennis

https://www.therams.com/news/quotes-notes-6-3-mcvay-fowler-look-forward-to-the-pass-rusher-s-first-full-seaso

The things are endless. I think the biggest thing for us is just focusing on what is the intent of the day.”
-HC SEAN McVAY

The Rams kicked off their final week of OTAs on Monday afternoon and head coach Sean McVay says his team is looking inward trying to polish things with the majority of the playbook installed.
As for what exactly needs to be cleaned up ahead of July’s training camp, McVay mentioned understanding situations, pre-snap and in-the-huddle communication, in addition to finer details. The Rams will take an approach similar to OTAs when mini-camp hits next week.

“Clearly he’s got so much ability and the God-given talents, but now I think being able to seamlessly use all those things and be able to go react and not have to feel like you’re thinking — I think that will make him that much better.”
-HC SEAN McVAY

Outside linebacker Dante Fowler was on hand for the seventh OTA workout of the offseason, after wrapping up some personal business and individual training in his home state of Florida.
McVay seemed pleased to have Fowler on hand and said he looks forward to seeing what the pass rusher can do with a full season in the Rams system under his belt.
Fowler logged 2.0 sacks, four tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits as a Ram in 2018.

“I’m just going to go out there and be the Dante that I am and I’m very excited for it.”
-OLB DANTE FOWLER

Fowler seems to be on the same page as his head coach, expressing excitement about working with the Rams coaching staff and facing the opportunity to play his preferred position as a “hybrid linebacker pass rusher” in coordinator Wade Phillips defense.
Fowler spoke at length about his injury, off-the-field issues, and lack of opportunity in Jacksonville leading up to the club trading him to L.A. at the deadline last season.
The former No. 3-overall pick claims to have a better grip on the playbook headed into 2019 with a one-year deal in hand.

“Our goal is to get him ready to go for camp.”
-HC SEAN McVAY

Quarterback Jared Goff was handing it to running back Malcolm Brown once again on Monday, as running back Todd Gurley continued to work off the field individually.
In his press conference, McVay painted a picture of when he hopes to have Gurley at full go, when the team reports to camp on July 26.
McVay noted that the Rams will practice with both the Raiders and Chargers in August — an opportunity that McVay said should give his first unit enough reps to where playing in the preseason once again won’t be a priority for starters.

“He brings experience to the secondary and it’s going to help us out a lot. I love playing with him already.”
-CB AQIB TALIB

Back on the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Aqib Talib was encouraged about what safety Eric Weddle adds to his 11.
More specifically, Talib said he’s been impressed with the 12-year vet’s communication on the back end of the defense. The veteran DBs combine for 64 career interceptions. Talib ranks No. 2 and Weddle No. 9 among all active players.

Missed what happened in Week two of OTAs? Catch up before the #LARams hit the field today! pic.twitter.com/CqhAxdWUjz

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 3, 2019

#LARams LIVE: Dante Fowler Press Conference https://t.co/ZwW6QValHN

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 3, 2019

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Quick observation from #Rams OTA’s: Wade Phillips is utilizing a bunch of different personnel groupings/packages, and Clay Matthews figures pretty prominently. The experience/football IQ level of this group really jumps out.

Also Morgan Fox, who missed all last year with a knee injury, has been moved back to DE. #Rams had high hopes for him as a rotational pass rusher before the injury.

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Dante Fowler on trade to the Rams: “When I got here, it just felt like everything I was asking for. It was like my wishes were being granted.”

Dante Fowler said “all the guys,” including Aaron Donald, Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, “just welcomed me with open arms and they just let me be the player that I am.”

Rams OLB Dante Fowler on if the Rams were to offer him an extension this season: “Damn right, I will be signing that paper.”

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
Fowler says he appriciates coach McVay supporting his decision to spend part of OTAs in Florida dealing with a family situation.

Sean McVay says Cooper Kupp is on track to return from his knee injury: “He’s really doing an excellent job staying right on track, making excellent progress.” Kupp has been taking non-contact reps during OTAs.

Field Yates@FieldYates
A note from Schefty: “Darrell Henderson, third round pick 70th overall, running back from Memphis, here’s a guy that I believe Sean McVay thought was THE most dangerous offensive player in the draft…That’s right. [The Rams] LOVE Darrell Henderson.”

Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
Henderson is a great runner. Watched a ton of Memphis last season

—

Todd Gurley is a monster after the catch – earning 9.9 yards on average a season ago! pic.twitter.com/Dzv2mUMGE8

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 3, 2019

Lincoln Kupchak@spanneraol
They need to win this season

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
The window is open longer than that. To keep it open they need to keep doing what they’ve been doing: Draft well and develop. That’s the key. As long as there are young, inexpensive players who can produce around the core they can maximize this window

Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Here at #Rams OTA. Team is split up in individual groups and interesting to see Jamil Demby working off to the side at center.

Joel Corry@corryjoel
A protection agreement is signed before participating in the rookie minicamp if contract isn’t already done. It ensures player with get the deal associated with his draft slot if hurt

Mandatory minicamps are this week & next week. Any NFL player under contract that skips all 3 days is subject to a $88,650 fine. Players with unsigned tenders, like Jadeveon Clowney, can’t be fine. There isn’t a contractual obligation to perform services.

4 Rams players who could break out in 2019 https://t.co/YFpzi3uFMl

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) June 3, 2019

Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
So teams that major in cover 2 have to run a stunt called a pirate to fill gaps. It’s very easy to see. They don’t care. But sometimes a team is stupid enough to actually say “pirate” on the field. So we caught on once and they changed it to “Pittsburgh”…

Of course we figured that out quickly and I’d yell out pirate when they called Pittsburgh. After the 3rd time they called Pittsburgh I yelled out “y’all think we are that stupid. It’s a pirate. We know it”. Someone said “no it’s not” and then they proceeded to run a pirate. 😂😂

After a narrow playoff defeat in 2012, @DangeRussWilson & @PeteCarroll foresaw a Super season. They're getting the same vibe 6 years later, and they aren't afraid to say it out loud. My story from @Seahawks HQhttps://t.co/BGxHpbeqwo

— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) June 3, 2019

Rams should wait on mega-deal for Marcus Peters
Inconsistent in one season with the Rams, talented corner enters the fifth and final season of his rookie contract

RYAN KARTJE

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2019/06/01/kartje-rams-should-wait-on-mega-deal-for-marcus-peters

THOUSAND OAKS — Last week, while in Hawaii for his foundation’s free youth football camp, the NFL’s most unpredictable cornerback tried his hand at predicting the weather. Marcus Peters, amateur meteorologist, did not disappoint.

“The weather’s doing good, man,” a grinning Peters told the anc“The weather’s doing good, man,” a grinning Peters told the anchors on Hawaii NewsNow’s morning broadcast. Standing in front of a green screen, the Rams cornerback couldn’t keep a straight face as he attempted to navigate his first forecast. “We got big waves over here, little waves over here. Little, tiny sharks down here. It’s all good.”

Back in Los Angeles, as the All-Pro corner enters the fifth and final season of his rookie contract, the current forecast for Peters’ future with the Rams is best described as partly cloudy. Peters, who will make $9 million in 2019, would likely prefer to sign a long-term deal to stay with the Rams, who acquired him in a trade from Kansas City in early 2018.

The Rams have so far reciprocated that sentiment. General manager Les Snead and Rams coach Sean McVay have spoken optimistically about bringing Peters back. Rams brass is expected to meet with Peters’ representatives sometime after the team’s offseason program. It’s possible a massive, record-breaking deal could be drawn up as soon as this summer.

As likely as an eventual agreement may seem at this point, Peters’ long-term outlook in L.A. was undoubtedly much sunnier at this time last year, when the Rams traded a pittance of draft picks for a player with more interceptions in his first three seasons than all but five others in NFL history. Concerns about Peters’ personality, which contributed to his departure in Kansas City, were quickly extinguished in the Rams locker room. As long as he lived up to expectations on the field, a long-term deal seemed inevitable.

But Peters’ uneven performance over the course of his first season in L.A. has since complicated that calculus, raising serious questions about when a potential deal might come together – or if the Rams should approach the negotiating table at all this offseason.

From Weeks 3 through 9 last season, Peters was, to put it plainly, a liability. Russell Wilson threw three touchdowns past him in Week 5. Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees torched him for a combined 295 yards in consecutive weeks. Prior to the Rams’ bye, Pro Football Focus graded Peters as one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league. His issues in press-man coverage, exacerbated by Aqib Talib’s absence and an early-season calf injury, ultimately forced defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to adjust his scheme. And while Phillips blamed himself for not catering to his corner’s talent, even Peters admitted how poorly he was playing.

As Phillips integrated more zone coverage in the season’s second half, Peters seemed to return to form. After allowing six touchdowns over his first nine weeks, he didn’t allow a single score for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. His deep ball coverage, which had been his most glaring weakness, suddenly became a strength; per Pro Football Focus, Peters didn’t give up a single completed deep pass over the latter half of the season.

“He stayed the course,” McVay said. “He took accountability, and I thought he played his best ball at the end of the year. You see a guy with all the ability. Our challenge as a coaching staff is to continue to suit our systems to our players’ skill sets. Clearly, this is an extremely productive player.”

Peters’ production at the end of 2018 doesn’t erase his first-half struggles. Raw talent notwithstanding, Peters is not without his shortcomings. He plays a high-risk, high-reward style in coverage, and last season, the Rams experienced both ends of that spectrum – often in the same game. A long-term deal would mean embracing those circumstances for the foreseeable future.

In Peters’ case, the Rams may decide they’re comfortable with that. Few cornerbacks across the league have more upside, after all. But recent history suggests the Rams front office has been wary of committing long-term deals to any defensive back. Just over the past three years, top cornerback Trumaine Johnson was franchise-tagged twice to avoid handing him a long-term deal, and the Rams let Janoris Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, T.J. McDonald and Lamarcus Joyner – all productive starters – go elsewhere in free agency.

None of those departed defensive backs would’ve been as expensive as Peters promises to be, and with impending negotiations on the horizon for several of the Rams ascending stars – including one especially expensive quarterback – any deal for the mercurial corner would carry significant salary cap implications. The recent 5-year, $75 million deal that Miami handed to shutdown corner Xavien Howard is expected to be the baseline for any negotiations, and Peters’ representation is sure to argue that his career credentials, which include double the interceptions, suggest he’s worth even more.

It’s possible they’re right. But after just one uneven season, it’s impossible for the Rams to know for sure. So, without all the information they need, it would behoove the Rams to exercise some caution here. As much as it goes against their standard operating procedure, they should wait on a Peters decision until the doorstep of next March’s free agency.

Peters still has one year remaining on his contract, and as of last week, he’d given no indication he’s upset with his current contract situation.

“The only thing I can do is come in and do my job and be the best teammate, be the best player I can be on the field, and the rest of the stuff will take care of itself,” Peters said. “I’m not too worried about it.”

Until that changes, the Rams shouldn’t worry much about it, either, even as the prospect of replacing both of their starting corners looms a year from now. Fellow starting corner Aqib Talib, who missed eight weeks last season, is also entering the last year of his deal, and how he plays in 2019 could impact the Rams’ willingness to break the bank for Peters. The Rams also spent a third-round pick on undersized Michigan corner David Long, who should get every chance to prove himself this season.

Still, as far as the Rams are concerned, Peters remains in the team’s long-term plans. Negotiations on a deal have yet to begin. And whether any conversation would yield an actual extension before the fall remains to be seen.

Asked to forecast when a long-term deal might get done, Peters shrugged.

“We don’t play the Super Bowl until February,” Peters said. “The rest will take care of itself.”

wv wrote:

zn wrote:

Then, in three playoff games against the Cowboys, Saints, and Patriots, Goff completed 55.7 percent of his passes, averaged 6.7 yards per attempt, threw one touchdown, got picked off twice, and accumulated a 71.7 passer rating. 2019 will be a revealing season if Gurley is hampered by his knee….

=================
He makes good points, but its also true that though, Goff’s numbers werent good against the Saints, he played a helluva football game in mindbogglingly difficult conditions. He showed a LOT of the ‘it factor’ in that game.

I think he’s good enough to a win a ring with, if all the other pieces fall into place. You dont have to be an elite QB to win a ring. The Eagles did it. The Giants did it. Several of the Non-Brady-teams did it…

w
v

Yeah I feel the exact same way, about all of it. The Saints game, and so on. But I am also betting (and you probably are too) that Goff gets better, more steady and consistent, and has fewer of those kinds of Chicago/Detroit/New England kinda days.

….

Robert Woods finished last season as the Rams' highest-graded player on offense! pic.twitter.com/Ml8I3XJVRO

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) May 28, 2019