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znModeratorJ.B.’s musings: Reactions to the Rams 2019 schedule
J.B. Long
https://www.therams.com/news/reactions-to-the-rams-2019-schedule
The schedule reflects internal and external expectations for the season ahead. And once again in 2019, the Rams have maxed out their primetime assignments with three Sunday Night Football appearances, plus a Thursday and a Monday game. There are three additional kickoffs (vs. Saints, at Steelers, at Cowboys) in which the Rams figure to be the national game of the week. Translation: the league and its television partners expect Los Angeles to play and rate well.
No Division Games in September
If the Rams are to three-peat as NFC West champions, they likely won’t be accomplishing that goal as early as Week 13, when they clinched in 2018. With no conference games in the first month but four in the month of December, the league ensured that the division crown — and the home playoff game that comes with it — will be at stake down the stretch. It’s the first time the Rams do not have an NFC West opponent on the September schedule since 2014.
No Three-Game Road Trips
Even though the Rams successfully navigated their three-game road sequence last year with wins at the Broncos, Seahawks, and 49ers, this is one of the biggest scheduling hurdles teams hope to avoid. The only true road back-to-back of 2019 will come in December in Dallas and San Francisco. However, Rams fans will rightly point to the mid-season sequence at Atlanta, at London, bye, at Pittsburgh as the major travel gauntlet.
No USC Back-to-Backs
In the final year at the Coliseum, the newly-renovated facility will not have to host USC and the Rams on consecutive days. This is a major win, primarily for the hard-working men and women who have had to pull all-nighters to make those transitions in the past. But it’s also a win for the playing surface, which takes a beating on two-game weekends, and quite frankly looks so much better when college markers and Trojans colors aren’t seeping through the NFL setup. The historic stadium should look fantastic this season, in person, and on television.
No Bad Weather?
Cleveland in September. Seattle the first weekend of October. Really the only “risk” of foul weather would be in Pittsburgh in November, where the average high on November 10 is 55 degrees.
Longest Gap Between Home Games: 10/13 – 11/17
As Rams fans have contended with throughout this four-year transitional period, once again there will be a month-long hiatus between home games. From Oct. 13 versus San Francisco until Nov. 17 versus Chicago in prime time, no Rams football in Los Angeles. As West Coast International Series participants who strategically want to launch from the East to London, there’s virtually no way to avoid this. Among the many things to look forward to in 2020 will be no droughts between Inglewood appearances.
znModerator@JasonLaCanfora false news that I am headed to XFL Houston. Maybe get better sources? 🤣 Have a great Thursday. pic.twitter.com/X3cCYJOGPu
— Jeff Fisher (@CoachJeffFisher) April 18, 2019
znModeratorPlaying the old squad, a homecoming + no cold games for the specialists‼️@weddlesbeard, @AaronDonald97 + @JHekker (we gave him permission to join the position players) take the call for the 2019 #LARams schedule! pic.twitter.com/n0dMuL09MR
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 18, 2019
znModeratorLos Angeles Rams’ schedule includes five prime-time games
The NFL has released its 2019 regular-season schedule. Here’s a look at what’s in store for the Los Angeles Rams.
Game-by-game predictions: Rams reporter Lindsey Thiry predicts a 12-4 season.
Sept. 8: at Carolina, Win
Sept. 15: vs. New Orleans, Win
Sept. 22: at Cleveland, Loss
Sept. 29: vs. Buccaneers, Win
Oct. 3: at Seattle, Loss
Oct. 13: vs. San Francisco, Win
Oct. 20: at Atlanta, Win
Oct. 27: vs. Cincinnati, Win
Nov. 10: at Pittsburgh, Loss
Nov. 17: vs. Chicago, Win
Nov. 25: vs. Baltimore, Win
Dec. 1: at Arizona, Win
Dec. 8: vs. Seattle, Win
Dec. 15: at Dallas, Loss
Dec. 21 or 22: at San Francisco, Win
Dec. 29: vs. Arizona, Win
Strength of schedule: T-27, .423
Breakdown
The defending NFC champions, who swept their division last season, will play a first-place schedule and also take on teams from the NFC South in 2019. The Rams start with a tough five-game stretch that includes opening on the East Coast for the first time since 2012 as they take on the Panthers. The Rams will spend nearly a month on the road with a three-game span that includes games in Atlanta, London (against the Bengals), followed with a bye week and then Pittsburgh. When they return home, they will be met with a gauntlet that includes the defending NFC North champion Bears and defending AFC North champion Ravens, a trip to AT&T Stadium to play the reigning NFC East champion Cowboys, and four division contests.
Prime-time Rams
For a second consecutive season, the Rams are scheduled to play five games in prime time, the most allowed on an initial schedule by the NFL. In Week 3, they will get a rowdy crowd in Cleveland against Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr., who the Rams were once rumored to have interest in. In Week 5, they must play a Thursday night game against Russell Wilson, the highest-paid player in the NFL, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. In Week 11 and 12, the Rams will play under the L.A. Memorial Coliseum lights against the Bears and Ravens, on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football, respectively. Then they get another prime-time matchup against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Week 14. Last season, the Rams finished 3-2 in prime time.
Bonding time
The Rams will log more than 16,500 miles in a span of four weeks when they play the Falcons in Atlanta, where they will likely stay for a week following the game before flying to London to face former assistant Zac Taylor, now the head coach of the Bengals. The Rams will return to L.A. for a bye, only to fly again to the Eastern time zone to play the Steelers. The four-week span is reminiscent of a stretch in 2017, when the Rams played at Jacksonville, then continued on to London before they returned home for a bye week, after which they flew to New York to face the Giants. The Rams went 3-0 in that stretch, and several coaches and players credited the seemingly monthlong journey, which included a weeklong stay at a resort in Ponte Vedra, Florida, before flying to London, for building team camaraderie that helped carry them to their first division title since 2003.
znModeratorFirst off, you can’t.
A nuke is a device. By the time it approached the event horizon, the gravitational tidal forces would rip it to pieces. There would be no functioning device. Actually it is not even accurate to say it would rip it to pieces. What the black hole would do is convert the nuke into a stretched-out string of individual particles, before sucking it all the way to the inner part of the black hole, where those incredibly super-fried particles would just then merge with the massively dense singularity at its core. So. Nothin would happen, explosion-wise.
Second off, even it you could explode the bomb, as the video explains, it would be meaningless.
Black holes have been spotted sucking in the material of entire stars.That doesn’t alter it, that just adds to it. All the entire star does is add to the mass of the black hole. One little nuke is nothing compared to an entire star.
znModeratorThe complete NFL schedule is out, and here are 10 intriguing games that you won’t want to miss https://t.co/V5ZFJIbOz2
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) April 18, 2019
==
WEEK 2: SAINTS AT RAMS
The most controversial and consequential game from the postseason gets a redux, though a Super Bowl trip obviously won’t be on the line here. Call it the Nickell Robey-Coleman Game if you wish. Once that blatant pass interference call went missed in the NFC title game, Saints coach Sean Payton became the flag-bearer for a replay overhaul—and he got it. Drew Brees’s window to get back to the Super Bowl continues to get smaller (and this year’s Super Bowl goes back to Miami where Brees won his only ring), and a win against the defending NFC champs could go a long way to deciding whether the Saints get homefield advantage throughout the playoffs again.znModeratorRobert Woods finished with an 88.0 overall grade in 2018, ranking 8th overall at the position. pic.twitter.com/mY6IrKGgmC
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 18, 2019
znModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_Long
Among the other “little things”… Thursday Night Football EARLY in the schedule (Week 5), as it has been during the McVay era. Major win. Though it’s in Seattle, the Seahawks are at Arizona the Sunday prior while the Rams are home, leveling the playing field a bit.znModerator#dawgpound….I’m a believer….#11&5 pic.twitter.com/mzcq74qnMY
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) April 18, 2019
znModeratorThis could be one of our easiest schedules that I have ever seen.
I think the schedule is a little deceptive because of teams that either (1) had off years last year and could conceivably be better this time around, and (2) teams that were emergent last year and could conceivably be better this year. I think those teams are, or could be:
Panthers (7-9 in 2018)
Browns (7-8-1 in 2018)
SF twice (4-12 in 2018) (add the “division games are tough” factor)
Falcons (7-9 in 2018)
Steelers (9-6-1 in 2018)At the same time, it works to the Rams advantage that a couple of their toughest games–New Orleans, Chicago–are at home. Not that the Rams have the strongest home field advantage in the NFL, but still, it’s better than playing in a tough environment like New Orleans.
znModeratoraeneas1
here’s the 2019 strength of schedule, from toughest to softest, based on 2018 opponent win percentage – also included are the number of games each team will play against 2018 postseason teams–home and away:
znModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_Long
It’s hard to envision a “better” schedule for the 2019 #LARams. When you’re playing a home game abroad, it can’t be perfect. But no 3-game road trips, no USC back-to-backs, no weather concerns, maximum prime time exposure, division-heavy in December? Going to be epic.Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
My early prediction: #Rams finish the regular season 12-4.znModeratorSusan Collins flatly stated she would not support a judge who would overturn RvsW. She said she was opposed to “activist” judges, and that they would look at the written judgments, and she would not support a judge who “went out of bounds” to push new interpretations and laws.
I think she’s a No on Kavanaugh.
We lefties in Maine see Collins as a problem who often says “the right things” to keep her job in a blue state, but, is never ever to be fully trusted. So we’ll see on Collins. Hope you’re right.
Speaking as a Mainer, Susan Collins kept her real self fairly hidden for a while.
Not anymore.
znModeratorThis could be one of our easiest schedules that I ever scene.
@ Cowboys, @Browns, both Seahawk games, and the Falcons game would be real tough.
@Panthers, @Steelers, Saints, be in the fairly tough.
Easy games, Bucs, both Card & 9ers games, and the Bengals game.
Hey, heads up. You only list 14 games. You left out the Bears and Ravens. I assume you would put those in “real tough” and “fairly tough.”
znModeratorBy my reckoning. From what we know now.
Fairly tough to tough games: At Panthers. Saints. At Browns. At Seattle. At Falcons. At Steelers. Bears. Ravens. Seattle. At Dallas.
Easy games: Bux. SF. Bengals (London). At Cards. SF. Cards.
Prediction: they go at least 11-5 and take the division.
znModeratorthe Rams have signed restricted free agent safety Blake Countess and the team’s five tendered exclusive rights free agents.
Exclusive-rights free agents defensive end Morgan Fox, defensive back Dominique Hatfield, wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, returner JoJo Natson, and defensive back Kevin Peterson all signed their one-year deals on Monday.
Westbrooks, Hager, and Shields aren’t returning.
April 17, 2019 at 5:34 pm in reply to: NFL Network no longer available now from certain venues #100008znModeratorNFL: NFL Network and NFL RedZone Go Dark on ATT U-Verse and DIRECTV Now pic.twitter.com/mbbk8V9pRN
— Liz Mullen (@SBJLizMullen) April 17, 2019
znModeratorElvis
If i understand Gurley correctly, he’s treating his knee with rest.
Let’s compare Gurley to Donald.
Donald didn’t miss any games. Donald didn’t have a reduced workload at the end of the season. Donald didn’t take 2 1/2 months off after the SB to rest.
I just don’t think the “nothing to see here” scenario is all that plausible.
I also don’t think all the Rams beat reporters are headline seeking, pot stirring yellow journalists.
Time will tell but of the possible explanations of what’s going on here, the nothing is going on explanation is pretty low on my list…
Snead, McVay and Gurley have all been asked directly about the report of Gurley having arthritis. None of them have answered. Not one has said said, “yes the report is accurate,” or “no that’s not true.” They’ve all responded with non-answers.
Here’s one article with some McVay and Snead quotes:
Snead, McVay dodge questions about whether Todd Gurley has arthritis
Demoff also was directly asked about the arthritis report and declined to answer. Here’s Demoff on ESPN:
http://www.espn.com/espnradio/losangeles/play?id=26266509
The entire Rams press core thinks the Rams are being evasive. I think they’re being evasive. I’m not gonna jump to any broad conclusions. But i’m not gonna not notice either. I can’t tell you what it means but i definitely find it noteworthy… I’ll wait and see how it plays out…
znModeratorThat’s a good one.
znModeratorYou shady devil 😂🤣 @camdasilva #iSeeWhatYouDidThere pic.twitter.com/uKXZNcYfB3
— Brooks (@BrooksKeltonR) April 17, 2019
znModeratorBTW, II: ZN …. Al Swearengen and Calamity Jane are back baby!!! Deadwood Movie coming in May… let the 1870’s cussing begin!
That’s a good “btw,” thanks.
znModeratorMyles Simmons@MylesASimmons
#LARams. Bengals. Sean McVay. Zac Taylor. All happens in London in Week 8Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Week 8 in London, taking an educated guess that means Week 9 = Bye week.April 17, 2019 at 11:56 am in reply to: RAMS draft…articles, vids etc. on just the Rams draft #99992znModerator5 scenarios Rams hope don’t play out in 2019 NFL draft
Cameron DaSilva
5 scenarios Rams hope don't play out in 2019 NFL draft
The Los Angeles Rams enter the 2019 NFL draft without many pressing needs, if any. As their current roster is constructed, they’re very capable of once again reaching the Super Bowl without adding a single other piece.
Fortunately, they do still have the draft at their disposal and could add a starter or two in the big event next week. Things could also go awry and they might not be able to grab any of their top targets at No. 31 overall.
Here are five worst-case scenarios that would be disappointing developments for the Rams in the draft.
Early run on pass rushers
Top pass rushers don’t often slide in the draft unless there are serious concerns. It’s a premium position and teams aren’t afraid to spend top-10 picks on guys who can rush the quarterback. That’ll be the case again this year with guys like Nick Bosa, Josh Allen and Montez Sweat all potentially landing in the top 10.
If there’s another run on edge rushers like Brian Burns, Rashan Gary and Clelin Ferrell early in the draft, that’ll spell bad news for the Rams. That scenario will push other pass rushers into the first round, making it more difficult for the Rams to land one at No. 31 or in a trade back in the second round.
The longer pass rushers remain on the board, the better it’ll be for the Rams.
Interior offensive linemen fly off the board
This isn’t a top-heavy draft on the offensive line, especially with regards to interior players. There isn’t a center or guard deserving of being taken in the first 10 picks, which would seem to make it likely the Rams could get one at No. 31. Not if they fly off the board in the middle of the first round.
Garrett Bradbury, Chris Lindstrom and Erik McCoy could all be first-round picks and might be selected before the Rams go on the clock. Not having a quality interior O-lineman on the board at No. 31 would be disappointing, leaving the Rams to focus primarily on the defense.
If tackles like Andre Dillard, Cody Ford and Jonah Williams start coming off the board earlier than expected, there could be a run on interior linemen, too.
Unable to trade out of 31st pick
The Rams would probably love to trade back from No. 31 overall, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to do so. In order to move down, someone has to be willing to come up. If the top quarterbacks are already off the board by the time the Rams go on the clock, there may not be a team willing to trade up.
Trading back would allow the Rams to land additional mid-round picks, somewhere in the range of Round 3-4. That would be one of the best-case scenarios for them, but if no one wants to trade up, they could be forced to stay put and pick the best available player – one that hopefully fits their needs.
No top safeties fall to No. 94
The Rams could very well pick a safety in the first round, having done extensive work on many of the top prospects. However, if they don’t, they’ll be anxiously hoping one falls to them in the third round. With a 63-pick wait between their first and second selections, there’s a good chance most of the starting-caliber safeties will be gone by No. 94 overall.
Juan Thornhill, Johnathan Abram, Darnell Savage, Deionte Thompson and Sheldrick Redwine are among the safeties they’ve hosted for visits, but it’s far from certain that any of them will be available in Round 3. The Rams clearly want to select a safety early, but they may not get the chance to grab an impact player if they pass in Round 1.
Wide receivers, running backs tumble
If there are two positions the Rams almost certainly won’t address in the first round, it’s running back and wide receiver. Quarterback is also in that group, but for the sake of this argument, we’re focusing on RB and WR. If players at those two spots slide down draft boards, it’ll spell bad news for the Rams. That would mean teams ahead of L.A. are taking players at other positions, which are of greater need to the Rams.
If only one or two wideouts and no running backs go in the first round – which is a real possibility – the Rams might miss out on some of the best safeties, edge rushers and defensive linemen in the draft. They have to hope three or four wide receivers go ahead of them, and maybe a running back or two.
znModeratorVincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Early #NFL schedule alert: The #Rams will play the #Bengals in London on October 27. The rest of the 2019 schedule will be released at 5 pm today.znModeratorfrom: https://www.therams.com/news/rams-sign-countess-five-exclusive-rights-free-agents
With the start of the offseason program on Monday, the Rams have signed restricted free agent safety Blake Countess and the team’s five tendered exclusive rights free agents.
Exclusive-rights free agents defensive end Morgan Fox, defensive back Dominique Hatfield, wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, returner JoJo Natson, and defensive back Kevin Peterson all signed their one-year deals on Monday.
Of the group, both Fox and Peterson are returning from season-ending knee injuries suffered during the 2018 offseason program and 2018 training camp, respectively.
znModeratorCameron DaSilva@camdasilva
In his career, Russell Wilson has a losing record against only one NFL team (min. 3 games). Can you guess who it is?znModeratorLA might be home to the 2 best uniforms in the NFL pic.twitter.com/RcVM69hv8t
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 16, 2019
znModeratorPaul Hembekides@PaulHembo
Russell Wilson career (since 2012)
Pressured 37% of time (highest in NFL)
Hit 386 times on pass plays (most in NFL)
Worst O-line pass protection rate (45%)
Started all 125 games (including playoffs)
Leads all NFC QBs with 83 winsznModeratorTodd Gurley might be ‘feeling pretty good’ right now, but what does that mean?
Vincent Bonsignore
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — As Todd Gurley strolled to a waiting podium at the Rams’ practice facility on Monday, it was immediately apparent: He wasn’t walking with a limp and he didn’t need the help of crutches or a cane.
Whew.
Given everything everyone thinks they know about the condition of Gurley’s left knee — officially or (mostly) otherwise — the sigh of relief from Rams fans could be felt from the Santa Monica Pier all the way to Santa Barbara.
In the two-month aftermath of the confusing use of Gurley during the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots after his return from a late-season knee injury, speculation about his knee has ranged from a career-crippling arthritic condition to him recently leaving a Los Angeles nightclub with a limp so severe he basically had to drag his left leg around like a ball and chain.
Yikes.
Gurley, it seemed, was severely damaged goods. And the timing could not be worse given how the Rams gave him a record-breaking contract extension last summer.
So just to see him walk around without impediment or assistance was a pretty big deal.
On the other hand, if you were hoping Gurley would put to rest all the worst-case speculation — or even confirm it — by laying out a clear and concise diagnosis of what he actually dealt with at the tail end of last season and what he faces moving forward, then consider his talk with reporters on Monday a huge letdown.
And that’s probably not a good thing if you’re hoping that the six months between the 2018 and 2019 seasons will be sufficient for Gurley to permanently move past the issues he dealt with last December and January.
Only time will tell.
But if you listened close enough, you sadly get the feeling Gurley is entering a phase in his career in which his left knee will have to be handled with care in order to get him through future seasons at maximum level. Whatever the issue was, it didn’t require offseason surgery to correct it. That means it’s more of an issue that requires management rather than repair.
And it sounds like Gurley is as anxious as anyone to figure out what the future holds.
“Taking it day by day,” Gurley said when asked about the status of the knee. “Feeling pretty good.”
It’s been 71 days since the Super Bowl. You would hope pretty good would be good by now, right?
When asked if his knee will need continual attention and management, he said:
“All I can worry about is how I’m feeling right now. I don’t know how I’m gonna be feeling six months from now. So like I said, just keep working hard and doing what I’ve been doing these last couple years and communicating with (the training staff) and really just taking it day by day and then just trying to make sure that I feel the best once the season comes.”
That doesn’t exactly sound like a guy who is completely confident his late-season knee injury is a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, head coach Sean McVay hinted he was keeping a close eye on his Pro Bowl running back.
“Our goal is over the elongated period of time, really until the first game. That’s really the timetable that we’re operating with,” McVay said. “How does that specifically affect his workload through OTAs, into training camp. Those are things that we’re going to continue to monitor his progress, see how he’s feeling – communication from both sides.
“He’s in a good place right now. He’s feeling good. I know it was good (for him) to get back in the building. He’s been here doing some things. That’s really something that, as the offseason progresses and then as we get into training camp, he’s a guy that we will continue to monitor, but it’s like that with all of our players.”
Fair enough.
But the truth is, we have no better idea today than we did two months ago what Gurley’s future truly holds. And we probably won’t until the end of the 2019 season.
Will Gurley show up to training camp in late July completely fine? And will the knee present no negative issues over the course of the season? If not, can the issue be managed or mitigated with a detailed practice, treatment and usage plan?
Or are Gurley and the Rams at the continual whim of what the knee feels like when he wakes up each morning? Or after one half of play? Or one quarter? Or every series?
As much as we’d all like answers to those questions — the Rams and Gurley included — it’s unrealistic to expect them.
This one is going to take awhile.
znModeratorVincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Michael Brockers said he’s gotten comfortable playing outside in the 3-4 but that he’s told #Rams coaches if they need him to move back inside he’s a OK with it.#Rams Aaron Donald said he took two or three days off after the Super Bowl before getting back to work. (There’s a reason he’ll go down as one of the five best defensive linemen in the history of the #NFL, and talent is just one part of it.)
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