49erland is confident.

My sportsradio attention is pretty limited, but from what I gather, all the local talkers think the 9ers have this. I do not sense Homerism as a factor. They talk like we talked in 99.

You know the whole, “Rams haven’t played anybody yet” thing that we endured all year long? These guys have a bit of that. Especially when it comes to Brock Purdy. They have watched every game he has ever played, and they aren’t having any of the “Purdy is a system guy” bullshit. There isn’t even any debate about it, afaik, within the ranks of the sports talkers. There aren’t any skeptics. Across the board, 9er-watchers believe Purdy is Legit.

If JoeMad is around, I’d love to hear what he’s hearing. He’s also a Bay Area NoCal guy, and Ozone. I dunno if they watch/listen to anything, but that’s my 2 cents from where I’m standing.

Billy_T wrote:

I definitely think the Rams should draft several O-line guys

If they keep Stafford healthy, they have a shot at the Super Bowl. Depth on the OL is important. And luck.

Their chances improve with some secondary excellence.

After that, RB depth and pass rush come into play.

Everything else is gravy/insurance.

My vote for meme of the day. pic.twitter.com/EJntXxT71X

— John Oberlin (@OMGno2trump) February 5, 2024

4 free agent players the Rams should look to target this offseason
The Rams have a projected $56.6 million dollars in open cap space, these players could help the team immediately

By Jason Dalessandro Feb 2, 2024, 11:00am CST

The Los Angeles Rams were somewhat of a surprise playoff team this past season. Coming off a 5-12 season in 2022 and being cap-strapped heading into the offseason, LA had a fantastic draft and rebounded to not only rectify their cap situation by trading away veterans, but string together a 7-1 record to end the season and earn a wild card position with a 10-7 record.

The Rams will have the luxury of returning most of their current roster in 2024, including QB Matthew Stafford, WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, LB Ernest Jones and DL Aaron Donald. This time around they also ability to add some key pieces via the open market, with only a few players slated for free agency this year, and an expected $56.6 million dollars in cap space, the Rams should be viewed as potential Super Bowl candidates next season if they can build on their young playoff team.

These are four players I believe the Rams could bring in to help boost their chances of getting their third Lombardi trophy in franchise history.

Brian Burns – Edge Rusher
It’s hard to start any free agency list for the Rams without including Carolina Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns. It’s no secret that head coach Sean McVay likes Burns, as LA tried to trade a rumored two first-round picks and a second to acquire him back in 2022. Now the team has the chance to sign him as a free agent, while giving up no draft capital to get him.

Burns is currently rated the fifth best free agent available by PFF, so if there is any downside to Burns, it will be the cost to bring him to LA. That said, Burns is only 25, and one of the best edge rushers in the league, if there was a player to spend money on in long-term deal, Burns is an ideal candidate.

Last season Burns had a PFF rating of 74.1 with nine sacks on the season. He also had 12.5 sacks in 2022, and could be the perfect compliment to go along with second-year edge rusher Byron Young, who toted eight sacks of his own last year.

Kenny Moore – Cornerback
Kenny Moore may be a more surprising selection at corner for the Rams with players like Bears Jaylon Johnson and Chiefs L’Jarius Sneed available, however Moore should cost considerably less than both of those players at age 28. While that may be seen as a negative, I think bringing a veteran presence into one of the youngest cornerback rooms in the league could be a huge benefit to Los Angeles, especially if the Rams plan to used a top pick on bringing in another corner through the draft as well.

Don’t let his age fool you though, Moore’s play was still top tier last season in Indianapolis. He is a tackling machine from the corner position with 72 solo tackles in 2023 – the second-most in the NFL by a defensive back. This would be a huge strength for the Rams, as their corners struggled with broken tackles most of last year.

Moore also had three interceptions, which ranked twelfth in the league, and a PFF score of 77.4. To put it in perspective, Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick were both under 60, and Ahkello Witherspoon, LA’s best corner, had a score of 64.0. Moore’s addition would clearly be a big improvement over the current situation, and pairing him with another young stud corner in the top two rounds of the draft could completely reset the Rams secondary for the better.

Andre James – Center
With current starter Coleman Shelton slated to be a free agent, the Rams may be in the market for an addition to the middle of their offensive line. Andre James of the Las Vegas Raiders had arguably his best season as a pro last year, and could be an improvement at the position for a relatively reasonable price.

James should be in the market for a pay increase from his current 2 year – $8.65 extension that he signed in 2021. At only 26, his new deal will most-likely need to be a long-term contract to compete with other team’s offers.

Raiderswire.com expects that James could pull a deal somewhere in the $8 million-a-year range. Considering the Rams currently pay backup center Brian Allen $6 million on average, James potential $8 million per year as a starting center would be somewhat of a bargain, even on a 3-4 year deal. Further more, the top four centers from last year all averaged over $12 million annually.

James is stellar in the run, and he fits the Rams mold of bigger interior lineman at 6’4” 300lbs. He had a PFF grade of 74.6, and was the website’s pick for 2024 NFL free agent the Raiders couldn’t afford to lose. Rams starter Coleman Shelton had a score of 64.5, meaning James should, in theory, be a solid upgrade for the interior of the offensive line and maybe even a long term answer at center.

Darnell Mooney – Wide Receiver
If there is one thing the Rams lack at wide receiver, it is a player to completely take the top off the defense. While their were high hopes that Tutu Atwell would become that player, he has struggled to stay on the field. Mooney could be the low-priced answer the Rams are looking for.

Mooney is the definition of “low cost/high ceiling” type of player. He had a down year last season behind DJ Moore, however Chicago also has one of the lower-volume passing attacks in the league, so some of the blame for his performance may be directed at that.

In his second year in the league, Mooney had 1,055 on 81 receptions and was regarded as a young up and coming player in Chicago, if McVay can get that potential again out of Mooney again, the Rams could find a steal at WR.

Mooney is only 26 years old and has an ability to separate consistently on deep routes. He could be brought in on a cheap “prove-it” type deal, and if anything, this could help push Atwell in training camp by bring in some competition. Mooney has shown in the past he can handle a substantial role in an offense, however he would not be asked to do that in LA with Kupp and Nacua, most-likely be used at wide receiver to stretch the field and bring some speed to the outside.

The Rams could also opt to bring back WR Demarcus Robinson, but he should be in for a salary increase after last season’s performance with Los Angeles. Mooney could be a lower cost option and may fit better with LA’s plans, contract wise, if they are looking to bring in another wide receiver via the draft too.

I didn’t see either game. Championship weekend is my favorite football weekend of the year. Two great games. I like it better than the Super Bowl which always is a bit surrealistic.

But I had to go visit my in-laws on Sunday, and they have not only No Interest in sports, they actively hate sports and hold sports fans in disdain.

I did see bits of the Lions-49ers game on my frequent bathroom trips, though.

zn wrote:

In my view they need another back of roughly his caliber.

Yeah, okay.

On the SUBJ of running backs, I was pondering a week or so ago about what this offense would be like with Steven Jackson in his prime. Good lord. Can you imagine?

zn wrote:

The draft priorites as I see it are another RB and defense.

 I agree with what you said about the left side of the line, and I agree that defense is a priority. I think C becomes a higher priority than RB, though. They should add another RB or two, but I wouldn’t make it a “priority.” They have 10 or 11 picks, plus they seem pretty good at adding ronin RBs.

If Shelton leaves and Allen gets let go – as expected – the Rams have no Center. That would be a problem. I’d like them to keep Jackson, Shelton, and Dotson, replace NB, and draft a C and continue to add other guys there.

My priority would be the secondary. That is the most glaring weakness. That and Special Teams. The other high priority that gets mentioned a lot (and I agree with) is another pass rusher.

wv wrote:

Only, this.

I don’t know if this belongs here, either. Is this devoted to news, or is analysis welcome? If this belongs in a different thread, then by all means, move it.

The marvelous Jourdan Rodrigue on off-season priorities.

Five Rams’ offseason priorities — OL investment, tough conversations — and one big question

By Jourdan Rodrigue
Jan 23, 2024

The Rams are currently in the after-action review of a 2023 season during which they overachieved relative to the experience level of their roster, and outside expectations.

Ten wins, a narrow wild-card loss, an offense that got back into the top 10 in the NFL and the emergence of a strong rookie class — not bad, right?

They did it by going back to some of their fundamentals as coaches and executives. General manager Les Snead preached discipline from last offseason into the trade deadline, where the Rams had previously spent big capital (money and draft picks), and his scouting and personnel departments were patient and intentional about the players they selected in the draft and veteran free agency.

The 2024 season, it seems, is set up to reward them for that discipline. They will have around $40 million in workable cap space (estimations vary up until the new league year) and will wipe most of their dead money off the books. They’ll have their first-round pick and a full slate underneath it. Some of their top players are heading into only the second or third years on their initial contracts. But success is not a given. How can the Rams avoid regression in 2024?

“From this point forward, a lot of messaging will be, ‘OK, you got to this point and you’ll just move forward next year,’” Snead said. “What we do know is, we can reason that next year is gonna be different. We’ll be a different team. We’re not gonna be able to just show up and hop back on the train and be in rhythm. That took a lot of work. And I think the thing that we can do — what you can apply from this year — is, last year we really said ‘let’s come in every day and try to do something every day so that the collective can play quality football.’ We never talked about having more points than the other team, just quality football.

“The lesson would be not to come in and think, ‘OK, now this is what we do, and now we’ll have 11 wins over 10 (wins).’”

Setting the table in the offseason is all-important. Here are five priorities:

1. Continued investment in the offensive line 

The moves the Rams made along their offensive line in the draft and via trade — plus a scheme change in their run game — paid dividends. Rookie Steve Avila will start for them at left guard for a long time. Left tackle Alaric Jackson, an undrafted free agent, got better as the season progressed. Coleman Shelton was consistently solid at center. Right guard Kevin Dotson, whom the Rams traded for in August, was one of the top guards in the NFL in 2023 and paired very well with Avila. Right tackle Rob Havenstein is still the veteran and captain of the group. They also invested in a four-person coaching staff, from position coach Ryan Wendell to assistants Zak Kromer and Nick Jones, and consultant Mike Munchak.

Jackson is a restricted free agent, so subject to a tender. Shelton is an unrestricted free agent, as is Dotson. Snead indicated that at least trying to re-sign Dotson is a goal of the Rams this spring, but he will have a competitive market.

“I would bet that he’ll definitely have a marketplace, for sure, people are gonna want him to come play football for them — we’re one of those teams,” said Snead, adding that the process could take some time. “… But I can say, too, agents will call (and) we’ll start engineering and designing kind of a blueprint, more of a timeline of communication so that each step of the way they know where we stand.”

The Rams may need a right guard, or a center, or both. Even if they are able to keep Dotson, continuing to add for the future along the offensive line is important and should be a priority for a team that learned the hard way in 2022 what could happen if multiple linemen got hurt at once.

It’s important to remember that just because the Rams have resources again, it doesn’t mean they will burn through them all or over-extend their long-term financial plans in the case of a competitive contract discussion. Both Snead and coach Sean McVay have reiterated this point through the start of the offseason. Don’t be surprised if the Rams aren’t splashy in the early days and weeks of free agency.

2. Re-invest resources into 2 premier positions and 1 ‘abnormal’ position

The Rams historically have viewed a couple of positions as “premier,” meaning they are comfortable putting a lot of financial resources and/or draft capital there whether the player was developed in-house or acquired in a trade: outside linebacker/pass rush, quarterback, cornerback and, in very rare cases, receiver (Cooper Kupp, who was also a homegrown player).

In 2023, they stayed young and/or financially disciplined at those spots, particularly pass rusher and cornerback. Rookie Byron Young emerged as a starting outside linebacker with a bright future. Elsewhere, there are clear holes to fill. The Rams badly need another pass rusher on the outside and this year could afford to go the “veteran at the end of first contract/free agent” route for the right player. It could be argued that they need two cornerbacks, too. They have had success with a “pay one, draft and develop the other” strategy with their outside corners.

One position outside their typical team-building model that could merit a rare contract extension is inside linebacker. Ernest Jones has emerged as a team captain and core leader of the defense. Jones is entering the final year of his contract.

“Obviously he’s someone who is a very important part of that defense for many reasons, definitely the leader of the defense,” Snead said of the 2021 third-round draft pick. “In the past, obviously we’ve been invested in some other positions. But I think as we evolve, and as teams evolve, there are times where you may be less invested at a certain position than you were in the past and one of your better players is an inside linebacker. So, he’s definitely someone we’ll discuss and definitely someone we’d like to have around.”

3. Have the hard conversation about future at offensive skill positions 

The Rams got great production from their three offensive skill spots in 2023 from a combination of veterans and young players (even if one, tight end, was more blocking-centric in a re-invented run scheme). Still, significant injuries at running back, receiver and tight end should give reason to deeply evaluate all of those positions, and continue to invest in them.

At running back, second-team All Pro Kyren Williams missed four games to an ankle injury. Williams was a legitimate star for the Rams in 2023, should be again in 2024 and his presence on the field made a huge difference in their overall production:

zn wrote:

Try an historical one. Ask about the Faulk trade or something like that.

Okay, I will. I will fart around with this, but I don’t have a timeline for this project. When I read the line, “My knowledge is up to date only until January 2022,” I smelled bullshit. I’ll go back and ask, but I don’t think it could say anything intelligent about the OL scheme prior to Jan 2022, either. Sometimes AI just plain old makes shit up.

In my first encounter, I fed it a prompt that I thought it simply couldn’t do, and it did okay with it, but it completely lied about the word count of the essay. Other people have reported that it has invented sources when required to provide them. So…it doesn’t appear to be above “making shit up.”

I will play more with it later.

zn wrote:

Baltimore slaughtered both teams in the regular season. Ravens over Lions at home, 38-6. Ravens over 9ers on the road, 33-19. Not predicting anything, just pointing out how the story looks so far.

Welp, my final act in Las Vegas was to put a hundred bucks on the Ravens at +300.

zn wrote:

You know what might be fun in this thread to add to the discussion? Ask AI a question about the Rams that all of us know is nuanced and important, and then post what AI says. A question like how did Kyren Williams help the Rams improve their game in the second half of the season. People in the thread would see from such a post that no actual person would ever write that way.

I’m on board. Start a thread, and I will contribute to it after I think about this for a few minutes.