zn wrote:

Actually as it happens I’ve heard this concept before. Mastering fire and so cooking food gave us more and more easily consumed nutrients, thereby providing the energy we need to power larger brains.

It’s fascinating.

But I see you avoided mention of Sui Juris Ram, who, as I recall, used to let his chicken start to spoil before he ate it. Raw.

Then, without warning, he quit posting.

I did not see that coming.

I wonder what Sui Juris Ram would make of this.

zn wrote:

I agree that that doesn’t honestly represent what we usually mean by “continued investment.”

I think many of us expected them to draft one or two guys.

wv wrote:

Zooey wrote:

She’s going to write best-sellers and take a place next to Michael Silver, Peter King, and so on. She’s the best football writer of her generation….

Better than Fast Eddy?

w
v

Fast Eddie was in Jim Murray’s generation, and he was promising up until his abduction by aliens.

I still blame Janet Jackson for that.

zn wrote:

nittany ram wrote:

Weird thing is, I’m not sure her new role will play to her strengths as a writer and journalist.

Did you read or hear the whole thing she did about the McVay-tree coaches? (Tree coaching is a complicated business). Or her long piece about how the Rams draft? It really does look like she has “trends in the NFL” type articles in her. She does a lot of research and is well regarded by the national analyst/reporter types because of it.

She’s going to write best-sellers and take a place next to Michael Silver, Peter King, and so on. She’s the best football writer of her generation, and she’s going to become a household name among NFL fans nationwide.

zn wrote:

PARAM

Another question is DJ Humphries. Many fans feel he’s not that good. But I have to wonder. The guy started 80 games for Arizona from 2018-2022. Drafted in the first round (#24) they picked up his 5th year option and he subsequently earned two more contract extensions with the Cardinals, making the Pro Bowl in 2021. Are we judging him on how he looked vs Aaron Donald and the Rams? Furthermore, don’t we consider our OL coach one of the up and coming stars in the NFL? Is it possible, he could make Humphries even better?

He is probably the best #3 OT on the roster, and there was a need there. Most of us thought the Rams would be drafting that position. Humphries is probably better than “Fine” as a fill-in.

Terron Armstead: I’m OK never having to face Jared Verse again

from Josh Alper at Pro Football Talk:

Rams edge rusher Jared Verse said recently that he thinks he has a lot of room to improve on his performance from his rookie season, but one seasoned NFL offensive lineman thinks he’s already pretty hard to handle.

Terron Armstead retired this offseason after spending 12 seasons as a left tackle for the Saints and Dolphins, so he’s seen a lot of pass rushers come and go. Verse was one of them during a 2024 game between the Dolphins and the Rams and Verse was the first player to come to mind when Armstead was asked which players he won’t miss playing against during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“That young boy Jared Verse? I’m cool,” Armstead said. “I’m good, I never gotta see that man again. I’m OK with never seeing that young man again in my life. Bull rush different — Dawg, it’s different. You know that it’s coming, you brace yourself. He’s different. Jared Verse is different. He will be a defensive player of the year one of these days. Mark my words.”

Armstead rounded out his list with more experienced edge defenders like Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Trey Hendrickson. It’s good company for Verse to be in at any point in his career, but a particularly good one when there’s reason to think he’s just scratching the surface of what he’ll do in the NFL.

zn wrote:

Albert Breer@AlbertBreer
For what it’s worth, I’d heard the $10 million number, at the time, was sort of exclusive to the Rams. As in, an example of how badly he wanted to go there in March—”He’s willing to go there for $10 million.”

WTF?

CBS guy is bearish on the 49ers.

2. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ 2024 season was a disaster and the offseason wasn’t much better. No team lost more talent, as safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, offensive guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Charvarius Ward, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, pass rusher Leonard Floyd, defensive tackle Maliek Collins and running back Elijah Mitchell are now playing for new franchises. The 49ers also traded away versatile offensive weapon Deebo Samuel and running back Jordan Mason.

Meanwhile, the 49ers’ free agency class is headlined by tight end Luke Farrell and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Bryce Huff is an interesting addition via trade, but he was a disappointment in Philadelphia last season. According to CBS Sports Research, San Francisco’s $264 million free-agent spending deficit from players lost to players acquired was the largest in NFL HISTORY.

Teams with the worst deficit in free agent spending over the last five seasons

The exodus of talent is a clear reason why San Francisco had one of the worst NFL offseasons, but this issue could be amplified with Brock Purdy at quarterback.

Most NFL fans can admit Purdy is a good starting quarterback, but the question is how good? How many other NFL quarterbacks would you take over him if you were starting your own team? On one hand, Purdy has the highest yards per attempt (8.9) and passer rating (104.9) in NFL history, but he needs plenty of talent around him to be successful.

Purdy has a career record of 27-15, including playoffs. However, he has a losing record (10-11) when any of his “big five” does not suit up — a list which includes Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Samuel. That “big five” is no more, as Samuel was traded away this offseason, so Jauan Jennings or Ricky Pearsall will have to step up and produce at a high level. Can Purdy return to MVP form with less talent around him in 2025? The 49ers are +146 to miss the playoffs. On paper, this is not an obvious playoff-caliber team.

zn wrote:

Pro Football Focus’ Mason Cameron ranked the former 2018 UDFA at No. 19 amongst the top 32 centers ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Doug Smith.

Last Rams pro bowl center.

America has become a parody of itself.

A million years ago, this was a national scandal. Today, it is just an every day occurrence that we all tacitly accept.

— Jack Murphy (@jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social) 2025-06-03T13:44:55.468Z