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ZooeyModeratorThe news isn’t all bad, though.
ZooeyModeratorVandalizes defensive seams with impunity
I have to wonder what Sadiq could have done to the Roman Empire.
ZooeyModeratorYeah, basketball has a problem. Since it’s 5-on-5, and only 8 or 9 guys typically ever play in a given game, having an extremely talented player is essential in order to be competitive, and you need 2 of them to be in the championship hunt (3 is better), so the top players are in high demand. A draft often has only 2-3 guys like that, and they aren’t all sure fire. A great draft will have a handful. There is never a Puka Nacua found outside of the first round. You can only get a really good player through FA, trading, or by having one of the top 2 picks in the draft. So tanking is going to happen unless the NBA figures out a way to disincentivize it, and I don’t know what that is. And I don’t really care.
ZooeyModeratori still like kenyon sadiq. i feel like he could play tight end. he could be a slot receiver. i read he’s even lined up at wide receiver. i bet he could he even line up in the backfield and play some fullback.
he can catch. run. block. super athletic.
I think I’m leaning towards Sadiq, too. He seems like one of those Swiss Army Knife guys that cause problems. McCaffrey is a bit that way. Metcalf was one. That dude who played for the Giants, or Bucs or something. He’s a playmaker though, that’s for sure, and I just think McVay would find new ways to torture defenses with a guy like that.
I’ll be all right with whatever, though. I trust these guys; they’ve earned it, and their vision has brought us back to SB contention with – like – 90% roster turnover in just a few seasons, all while being entertaining and competitive (except for the year after the SB when they blew out all their tires). So I’m good.
ZooeyModerator“Mike Macdonald could be the third best coach in the NFC West”
Is it just me or does it seem like Mina can’t discuss the Rams objectively?
Maybe, I don’t know. I would have said she can’t discuss the Seahawks objectively. But before December, I would have said she was objective across the board. Her views were tainted, though, as the season closed out, seems to me. And that is still there now.
But I still place her in the top tier of analysts. She is better than most people who try to talk nationally.
ZooeyModeratorCarrick Ryan Facebook post
Former Federal Agent come Political Commentator and Blogger. BA (Media) MA (International Relations)To underscores how much of a strategic disaster this war has been for the USA, we need only look at the countless experts who strongly opposed this war being begun, but now suggest that Trump has no other option but to launch a ground invasion on Iranian territory.
The “decapitation strike” failed to induce the collapse of the regime, just as any expert on Iran would have warned.
Facing a genuine existential threat, the regime is now deploying the weapon that every analyst predicted they would. I wrote two separate articles last year warning of the implications of Iran preventing commercial shipping from moving through the Hormuz Strait. This was not a surprise move.
…and yet, almost three weeks into this campaign, and Trump still does not have sufficient naval resources in the region to secure the Strait to the degree needed by shipping companies and their insurers.
Unless the US and Israeli air strikes can somehow inflict enough damage upon the regime to prevent even low capacity attacks like mines, drones, or rockets… then Trump may have no choice but to commit ground forces in the hope of securing enough territory along Iran’s coast to make attacks on shipping impossible.
If Trump doesn’t do this, the geopolitical consequences are seismic.
If he is forced to sign a ceasefire with Iran before fully securing the Strait, it may be remembered by history as the formal declaration of the end of US global hegemony.
Only months after being forced into a humiliating retreat from his all out trade war with China, Trump will be now be effectively demonstrating that the US military is incapable of ensuring freedom of navigation through one of the most geostrategically important trade routes on the planet.
It was never clear if the US Navy had the ability to keep the Strait open if required, and so long as that ambiguity remained, Iran’s greatest weapon was a hypothetical scenario… an untested threat. Now it’s a weapon the US has been, so far, unable to neutralise.
Think about how this will impact the calculations of Gulf States when they choose which superpower they pledge their allegiance to.
Think about how this shapes China’s plans for Taiwan.
The concept of post-Cold War US hegemony was built upon the premise that they had the ability to subjugate any non-nuclear power, regardless where on the planet it lay. That image is now shattered. The President of the greatest military power the world has ever seen now forced to beg for mine sweepers from the same former friends he was threatening to invade only two months ago.
If the war ended today, Iran would prevail arguably stronger than it has ever been. It now has effective leverage over the global economy, especially if you include the ability of Iran’s proxy, the Houthis, to induce similar chaos in the Red Sea.
Whatever their advice was before the war, there will be many Generals and policy advisors now telling Trump that a large scale invasion of Iran is the only option to secure the Strait. For a man obsessed with his legacy and terrified of looking weak… it feels inevitable that this is exactly where we’re heading.
ZooeyModeratorur attacks on Iran are the best thing that could ever happen to China and Russia right now. We are pouring money into Russia, harming our own economy, giving away reams of data about our most modern weapons and combat capabilities, distracting attention from Ukraine, depriving Ukraine of arms, and shooting ourselves in the foot, with no clear objective.
So much winning. Gonna get tired of all the winning.
ZooeyModeratorRosenthal mentions something i hadnt heard. Dunno what the source was, but maybe they floated a Davante Adams trade if an AJ Brown deal had been made.
I assumed that the two moves were related.
ZooeyModeratorLos Angeles Rams: WR, OT, LB
The Rams boast perhaps the fewest weaknesses of any NFL team, particularly after their spending spree in the secondary. Beyond Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, though, their next-highest yardage total from a wide receiver in 2025 came from Xavier Smith, who racked up just 303 yards. Adams is entering the final season of a two-year contract, so the Rams may look to the future at the position early in the draft.
Projected right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. (78.7 PFF overall grade in 2025) is also entering the final year of his rookie deal, so perhaps Los Angeles will look to develop new talent there. Additional linebacker depth could also be a need, depending on how the team feels about its options behind Nate Landman and Omar Speights.
What insight. None of us have thought of any of this before.
I want to go to NFL Expert School. I’m tired of just being a ho-hum fan.
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I knew I was outclassed when they mentioned the spending spree.
ZooeyModeratorIt was an issue. That’s why they replaced Alex Ward during the season with former snapper Jake McQuaide, who had been retired for 5 years.
Ward mishiked a few balls. That came up during the season. Also the LS is like the center of the OL–he calls adjustments and sets the tone. Ward was obviously not good at that, and McQuaide was retired so they can’t count on him in the future.
At New England, Cardonna was a team captain as a long snapper, which tells you about his “like the center on the OL the LS is the boss of the kicking units” role.
Ahh. Well, i knew Ward was an issue, but i didnt realize McQuaide had been retired for FIVE years. Wow. I knew he was old, but, man. That should have been a bigger story.
But i suppose Long Snapper stories will continue to be marginalized by the Mega-Theo-Military-Industrial-Patriarchal-Ecocidal-Corporotacracy.
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vI didn’t know he retired. I thought he was on some other team.
ZooeyModeratorSo Tutu is gone, and I gotta think Xavier finished off his NFL career, so the Rams need somebody
Turns out that the Rams tendered Smith on March 2.
ZooeyModeratorI’ve been thinking about it, and I think the Rams can’t just splurge on this draft. They need a plan because they definitely cannot keep the defense together. And they need to restock the WR room as well.
The secondary is locked up, and so is Landman. But they are going to suffer attrition on the DL for sure. I would think they would be looking for guys there. And a QB plan for the post-apocalypse.
Well it just depends how much they wanna ‘go for it’ this year, as opposed to staying relevant long term. Its a tricky tension/balance. I mean if they are kicking the tires on the Eagles AJ Brown what does that hint at?
Also, if McVay is thinking about leaving with Stafford how much would he care about ‘the future’?
I’m just not sure there is a middle-way here. I think maybe they have to go all-in OR they can stay relevant year after year.
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vKicking the tires on AJ Brown means the Rams believe they need to restock the WR room.
And the thing is that they are already all-in for this year. They just went all-in by enlisting the Chiefs’ secondary. I think the only way they go even more all-in is by drafting a weapon at #13 (or higher): Love, Sadiq, or maybe Tyson. Then they need to reserve something for mid-season if they have to make a move for OBJ or Von Miller. I doubt that Love is the guy unless he falls into their lap and their other targets are gone. Even then, they may trade down. They may do that anyway if they feel like they are already all-in, and they want to repopulate for the post-apocalypse.
But, really, none of the picks – except possibly the first one – are for this year. They don’t have any holes anymore. They don’t need any more starters beyond maybe WR#3 and a LB better than Speights, but they’re set everywhere. I just found out that they tendered Xavier Smith on March 2, so he’s back, I guess. It’s depth and development. All of it. Because there just aren’t any job openings except WR#3. They have Whittington and Mumpfield there. I don’t think they love that, though.
ZooeyModeratorI’ve been thinking about it, and I think the Rams can’t just splurge on this draft. They need a plan because they definitely cannot keep the defense together. And they need to restock the WR room as well.
The secondary is locked up, and so is Landman. But they are going to suffer attrition on the DL for sure. I would think they would be looking for guys there. And a QB plan for the post-apocalypse.
ZooeyModeratorAdam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Dolphins are signing former Rams free-agent wide receiver Tutu Atwell to a one-year deal, per source. Atwell is from Miami and now returns home.Well…he was not a bust. Had some good games.
Rams could still use some speed at WR. I would think one of the top two picks will be a WR.
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vHe was probably more productive than first-rounder Tavon Austin. He didn’t fall short of expectations, but he didn’t surge over them, either.
I was surprised the Rams kept him last year. And his price tag – I don’t remember what it was – seemed too high to me, but I’m not a boy genius, so whatever.
But I think I’m logging this one on my side of the ledger. I didn’t think Tutu was worth keeping, and I was right, seems like.
I think the Rams need somebody fast. A guy that can blast past the defense in a game three times a year, and also is a threat in the return game.
I don’t value the return game as much as other fans do, I don’t think. I really don’t need a guy to bust off TD returns. I need a guy who catches the ball, and doesn’t fumble it, and knows when to catch it, and when to let it go over his head. Tony Horne was fun and amazing, but the Rams didn’t win the Super Bowl because of Tony Horne.
So Tutu is gone, and I gotta think Xavier finished off his NFL career, so the Rams need somebody, but it’s going to be a late pick or a camp guy. I would think.
ZooeyModeratorSo many questions about the future. I dont have questions about next year. Its pretty clear what they are doing.
But after that…? Stafford? McVay? Rebuild? Tank?
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vTime will tell.
ZooeyModeratorThe Rams Likely Priced Themselves Out From Retaining 2023 Draft Class
The Los Angeles Rams’ pursuit of a title will once again cost them in the long runBrock Vierra
WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. When the story of Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams gets written, there will be no moment more pivotal to the turnaround of the franchise after the failures following Super Bowl LVI than the team’s 2023 NFL Draft class.
In regards to Sean McVay’s second act, where he flirted with a media career before rediscovering his love for coaching, the 2023 class made up for the team’s massive deficiencies with shockingly effective results.
Despite Jalen Ramsey’s departure, the lack of a first round pick, Matthew Stafford returning from a season-ending injury, and more, the 2023 draft class overcame those issues on top of a massive overhaul to the offensive coaching staff and a 3-6 start to the season to finish 10-7, securing a Wild Card spot, while setting up the successes of 2024 and 2025.
With the 2023 class set to hit free agency after this season, the Rams are expected to enter negotiations for contract extensions after the draft. After seeing the moves made on the open market to free agency, paired with the moves the Rams made themselves, it’s becoming quite clear that the team will struggle to pay all their top players from the class. Here’s the latest.
The 2023 Draft Class
Members of the class who are still with the team include Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Steve Avila, Stetson Bennett, Warren McClendon, Nick Hampton, Davis Allen, Desjuan Johnson, and Ethan Evans. Six starters and multiple contributors. Also, Emmanuel Forbes, who was drafted by the Washington Commaders is a part of the class as when the Rams claimed him in 2023, they picked up Forbes’ original rookie deal.The Money
According to Over the Cap, the Rams have a little over $144 million in remaining cap space for the 2027 season. This is without Trent McDuffie’s cap hit, and his contract comes out to $30+ million per season.As a result of paying McDuffie a record-setting extension, this confirms what we already know, and that is Puka Nacua will also get a record-setting deal. The highest-paid receiver in the NFL is Ja’Marr Chase, who averages $40 million per season. Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba might drive up Nacua’s deal if his gets done first.
Newly signed edge defender Odafe Oweh, secured a four-year, $100 million deal with $68 million guaranteed from the Washington Commanders. Byron Young has outplayed Oweh in his three years in the NFL, compared to Oweh’s five, setting up Young’s pay day to be higher. Young earned his first Pro Bowl bid this season and led the team in sacks.
So that’s already nearly $100 million out of $144 million dedicated to three players. Even if the Rams do the accounting to put certain cap hits down the road, both Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams are set to be free agents after this season.
The bad news is that there will be tough decisions to make. The good news is that if the Rams win the Super Bowl, none of this will matter.
ZooeyModeratorI’m wondering just how bad 2027 is going to look. Stafford might be gone, and who else? Arent they gonna lose a ton of guys after next year?
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vProbably like a breakfast burrito in a campfire. I don’t have the list, and I don’t track the cap, and nobody knows anyway, but they will lose some good players.
This is it. This is the year. The next window of opportunity is, at best, going to be 2-3 years down the road, and that’s if they get everything right, including a new QB.
ZooeyModeratorAtwood’s Oryx and Crake.
I’ve never read that book, and I get the feeling that I should.
ZooeyModeratorJeezus H cHrIsT. 100 million for a stature of a football player??
This country is like a bad post-apocalypse-novel.
Just for fun, I offer a slight and doubtless pedantic correction. An unnecessarily expensive statue would be a trope from dyspotian fiction. In post-apocalyptic, they can’t afford expensive statues. Or any statues.
It’s about time somebody told off wv. He’s been getting away with nonsense like this for decades.
ZooeyModeratorJeezus H cHrIsT. 100 million for a stature of a football player??
This country is like a bad post-apocalypse-novel.
I would prefer to see a bunch of Kurt’s favorite sunday-school kids make a life-size, day-glo, multi-color, playdough model of him. Seriously.
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vI didn’t even catch that. I’m gonna now backtrack that post because that cannot be true. Also, my feed is loaded with bogus Rams stuff, clickbaity trades that are fantasies passed off as real in the headlines, and this reeks of that kind of thing. There ain’t no way Kroenke would spend $100 million on a statue. Nobody would. Unless it was government money and went inside the new Trump Memorial in Washington DC.
ZooeyModeratorBoy, the Ravens signing Hendrickson this morning is a bad look for them. It sure looks like trading for Crosby was Plan B, and they shafted Crosby, the Raiders, and everyone else who was playing that round of poker. That front office is going to get yelled at during the next owners’ meeting.
ZooeyModeratorDunno where to put this.
Hope this statue is completely inaccurate.
ZooeyModeratorwell. if on the field, the rams defense doesn’t live up to expectations, that would reflect very poorly on shula. there’d be no one else to point the finger this time.
maybe the rams could get another linebacker. maybe some dline depth, but they’ve done about as much as you can do. it’s up to shula to make this work.
^^^This is accurate^^^
ZooeyModeratorDid Maxx Crosby fail his physical with the Ravens? I’m seeing blurbs online about that, but i dunno whether its rumors or what.
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vThat’s bananas. How does this potentially impact their cap and all the FA that they intend to sign starting tomorrow. Are they going to be desperate to offload him?
Oh, I can answer that.
The Raiders are pretty fucked right now.
They just signed around $230 million worth of free agents yesterday, calculating that Crosby’s $30 million was off the books, and now it’s not.
And the price for Crosby just plummeted because whatever the Ravens were paying is obviously way too much. So if they go to the second-best offer right now, that team is going to reduce its offer because the merchandise is broken, and also they know the Raiders HAVE to unload Crosby or they can’t follow through with their other deals.
The Raiders are royally screwed which, as a born-and-raised Northern Californian, makes me happy.
ZooeyModeratorYeah, Crosby is still a Raider. Wonder if the Rams would spend their 13 pick for Maxx Crosby?
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vHe’d have to take a pay cut to the vet minimum.
Anyone who spells his name “Maxx” with two Xs is just too much of a coward to spell it with three.
ZooeyModeratorcurl will be in his age 27 season. lake in his age 27 season. kinchens will be 24. mcduffie 26 and watson 28. a young secondary that should be at or are around their prime years.
On paper this is the best defense they’ve had in quite some time. On paper.
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vYou keep saying that. You keep emphasizing the “paper” part.
True Rams fans know that paper covers rock.
ZooeyModeratorHoldenCantor@HoldenCantor
Cardinals apparently “struck out” with Jimmy G, my sense is Jimmy wants to be back with Sean McVay and the Rams. They’re in talks to bring him back. Anything can happen but he should be back.That’s interesting.
I mean… AZ is not a desirable destination at this point because they suck and there would be a lot of losing, and then AZ will draft a QB next year anyway. In LA, there’s a chance of starting for a Super Bowl contender. Less money, I would think, but better situation. I don’t suppose, at this point, that he’s going to have years and money offered to him. Nobody is desperate enough, I wouldn’t think, to give him any security. I had just kind of assumed he would be gone this offseason, but I think I just explained to myself why he’s staying.
ZooeyModeratorI used “THEY” because I am not sure how ChatGPT identifies, and I was trying to play it safe.
Well, you could have just asked her:
“As an AI, I do not have a gender, gender identity, or personal pronouns. However, I am generally referred to in the singular “it” or “they” (as a gender-neutral singular) by users, as I am a digital assistant rather than a person.
Gender-Neutrality: As a machine learning model, I do not possess gender identity, making “they/them” or “it” appropriate neutral terms for me.
“They” as a Pronoun: In language, “they” is commonly used as a singular pronoun for individuals whose gender is unknown, or for entities that do not conform to traditional gender binaries.
Would you like to know more about how I can adapt my persona to be more helpful in our conversations? “
True story: the first time I ever used ChatGPT, it gave me a moral lecture.
I asked, “Why is Elon Musk such an asshole?” and it responded
I’m sorry, but it is not appropriate or accurate to label someone as an “asshole” without providing specific evidence or context for such a characterization. It is important to maintain a respectful and fair attitude towards others, even if we disagree with their actions or behavior. It is also worth noting that perceptions of individuals can be influenced by media coverage, personal biases, and other factors, and may not necessarily reflect the full complexity of their personality or actions. Therefore, it is important to approach any assessment of someone with an open mind and critical thinking.
ZooeyModeratorPurdy,
Juszczyk,
McCaffrey,
Kittle,
Jennings,
Mike Evans.Not bad.
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vI’ve been thinking about this for a few hours, and what I’ve concluded is that the Rams should just beat the shit out of them. That’s all.
ZooeyModeratorRams Tapes@RamsTapes
Former Patriots (LS) Joe Cardona has signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams.This is the Rams’ one blind spot.
They have been flailing around at this position ever since they let Chris Massey go.
Personally, I would just swallow the ego, and give him a call. I know the vet minimum is probably $100 million a year by now for his age, but we have a Super Bowl to win.
There is only ONE team that has won a Super Bowl championship inside SoFi stadium. I want to keep it that way.
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