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Zooey
ModeratorI’ve read around on this now, and I still can’t get a grip on this.
My assumption is that Kroenke is not a fool. I don’t think a man builds an empire, one transaction after another, after another, piling up billions of dollars without learning to conduct himself wisely. So it is hard for me to believe that SK is just smashing his way all King Kong like back to Los Angeles with no regard for NFL politics. He has been involved in the business of sports forever, the business of development forever, and the NFL for 20 years. He knows whom and what he is dealing with, and he knows the legalities of all of this both on a civic side and the NFL side.
Consequently, I have a very hard time believing that SK is blindly stepping on toes among his co-owners, or blind-siding the league office with his procedures. I have to believe that he knows what he is doing. I don’t think he is brashly making mistakes.
So either he has done the research and concluded that 1) the NFL will never approve of his move, and 2) he can pull it off against their wishes and still make more money than he can ever hope to make staying put
or
he is operating with league knowledge and approval, and all we are getting is a scripted storyline that protects the league image.
The thing is, though, I don’t really like either one of those interpretations. I don’t doubt he can make more money in LA. Everyone knows the franchise is worth more money there, especially with stadium ownership. Beyond the value of the franchise, and the increased merchandising revenue, as well as related media ventures, he will be making god-awful amounts of money on the retail and residential properties on this piece of land. No way he can build a financial bonanza like that in St. Louis even if the city gives him property for free. So the money is in LA. But the NFL can apparently screw a bunch of money out of him, too, and they have other ways of making life difficult for him. And Stan just does not strike me as a maverick like Al Davis, willing to be a pariah on the big stage.
And I have a hard time believing the NFL has made some kind of secret handshake deal behind the scenes that they can prevent from leaking somehow. I just don’t like either interpretation.
And I’m vexed.
Something is afoot here, and I don’t think anybody has put their finger on the pulse of it yet.
Where is Matt Taibbi when you need him?
Zooey
ModeratorWell, let’s say that St. Louis keeps the name, “Rams”.
If St. Louis doesn’t get a team for a few years the Rams cease to exist.
Maybe they never get a team.
Maybe they become the Oilers.
In a case like that I’d probably become a “Surf” fan since that’s where the players are I was following.
It would be weird.
Very weird.
Oooo…”the Rams cease to exist altogether” plotline.
Good one.
That will throw the Huddle into complete chaos. Probably already happening in one of the alternate universes.
Zooey
ModeratorLos Angeles Surf. I like that.
Maybe I should copyright that. Or TM it, er…whatever.
This whole thing is fascinating, is it not? There are just so many different plotlines one could reasonably draw up for this story.
We just really don’t know.
My hypothetical question is mostly for GRITS, though. What would GRITS do if the Rams moved to LA, but weren’t the Rams, and the “Rams” were actually the Jaguars?
The question makes my brain short-circuit.
I think I’m like you, though. I would root for the Surf for 5 years or so while rooting for the Jax/Stl Rams, and then stick with the laundry and decals and history. I had to do some soul-searching when the Rams left LA as I recall. Perhaps that was more complicated for me than you because I’m a Dodgers, Lakers, Kings fan in addition. But finally it floated to the surface to me that the zip code was irrelevant to me. I don’t live in SoCal anyway, any longer. So….city/laundry. I decided “laundry.”
There’s a good chance that our little posting communities will suffer some significant and memorable turnover in the next 24 months. I don’t think Kroenke considered that before making his move.
Zooey
ModeratorThis is fascinating.
I am dumbfounded to learn that SK hasn’t met with Peacock. That certainly creates a strong impression that he is hellbent on LA.
Yet one would think that SK would be going through all the motions even if he IS hellbent on LA just to make the transition easier. The rougher the voyage out of town, the more it will cost him. And…in the millions. It would be cheaper and easier to play games with Peacock, make requests that cannot be met, hang them out with a plan they can’t finance, and walk away with the blessing of the NFL owners.
But surely SOMEBODY has met with Peacock??? Demoff or someone?
I wonder is Stan has decided to go Al Davis. That would surprise me, though. He doesn’t seem like the renegade type.
Here’s a question – since we are asking St. Louis fans what they think – here’s a question for everybody.
Suppose SK moves the Rams to LA. And a new team moves to St. Louis. Supposing the NFL goes Cleveland on this deal, and the Rams logo and horns stay in St. Louis with the new team, and Donald, Bradford, Bailey, and Quinn all play for the Los Angeles Surf. Now what? Which team do you follow?
Zooey
ModeratorI dunno what to make of any of this. This guy says he has ‘sources’
that say Kroenke told the LA Mayor he was moving the team to LAWell, that right there is the first bit of damage control Kroenke has to deal with.
Zooey
ModeratorBut Dak…you don’t know that Kroenke isn’t just leveraging.
You don’t know that he isn’t seriously exploring options in St. Louis. I’m sure he knows what Peacock is doing; he’s seen the sketches, and has an idea of the plans.
And over the past 20 years, there have been more than a dozen Los Angeles plans, some promising, all of which died in the 11th hour. There are two other plans which still have a heartbeat.
Meanwhile…Kroenke’s plan has to make it through various legal hurdles (which have killed other plans) and navigate lawsuits from opponents.
Plus…he has to get 24 votes from the owners. No sure thing. There are the cross ownership issues for one thing, and there may be owners who believe that letting Kroenke get by that rule creates potential problems for them down the road. There are Spanos and Davis who make money out of merchandising in LA right now. If the Rams move back, they will absorb most of that revenue stream.
No deal in business – or in life – is done until it’s done.
We don’t know how ANY of that is going to play out. Kroenke has a LOT of money, and that is a useful tool, but the other 31 ownerships have a lot of money, too, and some of them may feel their interests are threatened.
St. Louis will make its offer shortly, and the direction of this conversation will turn again on the basis of that information.
In the mean time, all we know is Kroenke laid a very interesting card on the table, carefully timed, and with a strategy behind the move. But we don’t know what the end game is. And we don’t know what the other owners think. At all.
Zooey
ModeratorThat list is so desperately bad that it has Frank Gore on it.
I don’t know what the deal is with Locker. The information Ag posted is a chronicle, not analysis.
Of the names on that list, though, Locker is the only one I think that has upside potential. I say that in absence of any knowledge of him beyond his early draft buzz. Maybe things just haven’t clicked for him yet, and still could. Maybe not.
But I don’t think you’re going to see any of those other players exceed anything they’ve already done.
And there’s the Tennessee connection. Wouldn’t surprise me if the Rams kicked the tires on Locker.
January 3, 2015 at 12:01 pm in reply to: how do you see 2015? optimistic, pessimistic, neutral, wait-n-see? #15436Zooey
ModeratorI dont know how you can be skeptical about
Bradford’s “injury-proneness”.
He gets injured just by planting his foot
in the turf. He gets injured by running
to the sideline. He missed an entire season
at Oklahoma. He’s had ankle issues.He is no Cal Ripkin.
w
vWhy don’t you just openly declare your allegiance to the Seahawks, then, since you hate the Rams so much?
January 3, 2015 at 9:06 am in reply to: how do you see 2015? optimistic, pessimistic, neutral, wait-n-see? #15412Zooey
ModeratorBash on, regardless.
I’m a skeptic of “injury prone.” Bradford will be ready for the start of the season, and he is as likely to play all season as any other QB. I will be more nervous about him than a Packers fan is about Rodgers because of his history, but that’s just emotional history clouding my perception, imo. I am not convinced that logically there is reason to fear he won’t make it.
So… Bradford + Reinforced OL = Playoffs.
I also think that – with a good off-season and another year of training camp – Aaron Donald might justify his draft position next year, and finally prove he belongs in the NFL. Call me crazy, but that’s a gut feeling I do trust.
Zooey
Moderator“The Rams finished strong but were the least consistent team in the league. They had the highest variance overall, the highest variance on defense, and one of the five highest variance ratings on offense.”
For the youngest team in the NFL, that is not surprising.
And I don’t think it takes a “homer” optimist type to think that it is likely – with maturity – that the team tends to stabilize in consistency, and more towards the top end of the scale than towards the middle or bottom of their rankings.
Get a QB. Solidify the OL. And rally around Kurt Warner, and play good football.
Zooey
ModeratorStop the presses!
Zooey
ModeratorTwo biggest leaders this year were probably Hill and Britt.
Which isn’t all that inspiring. But Britt could become something, I think. I really liked it when I heard he wears Quick’s number during practice.
December 31, 2014 at 12:16 pm in reply to: 9 of 11 drives ended in INTs — game winning opportunities #15120Zooey
ModeratorSt. Louis had seven failed game-winning drive opportunities in 2014. Incredibly, nine of the 11 drives ended with an interception, including four picks returned for touchdowns….
Again. I am lost on the algebra.
7 failed game-winning drive opportunities.
9 out of the 11 of those 7 drives ended in an interception.
Am I reading that right?
Zooey
Moderatorwv wrote:
Rams4life wrote:
Hazier akim? I assume he means Az Hakim. And he was twice the player tavon is at this point imo.I dunno. What if Tavon was playing alongside
Faulk, Holt, Ike, Warner, etc ?w
vAs a returner, yes. But he’s not even close as a receiver.
I dunno. Maybe.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if Austin would look close as a receiver to Hakim if he had Bruce, Holt, and Faulk drawing everybody’s attention. I bet Austin is getting CB coverage from higher on the depth chart, and a little more safety attention than Hakim did.
December 29, 2014 at 12:01 pm in reply to: Yep, about what I expected: Seattle game reactions #14909Zooey
ModeratorKendricks. Not Cook.
Can’t seem to edit above post.
December 29, 2014 at 11:50 am in reply to: Yep, about what I expected: Seattle game reactions #14908Zooey
ModeratorMy first thought on the game matched what is said here, but on trying to frame it in my mind as Rams’ mistakes, in each case I had to admit I thought they were just great plays by Seattle.
No DT makes that interception. Ever.
If whoever caused Cunningham’s fumble was 1/2 second later to get there and make a play on the ball, it was a TD. If that guy hadn’t shot out of nowhere, that would have been considered a great play by Cunningham to stretch out for the TD. But he got there in time, and knocked the ball loose a foot before the goal line. It was a great play.
And the INT was a good defensive play, too. The ball was knocked out of Kendrick’s possession, and there was somebody there in the right place, the right time, to take it.
Those were really good plays by Seattle.
And…seriously…if those identical plays had been made by the Rams’ defense against Seattle’s offense, we would all be crediting the Rams’ D with great play rather than accusing Seattle’s offense of shooting itself in the foot.
Zooey
ModeratorThe Rams have almost no chance. Seattle has something to play for, they are rolling right now, it’s in Seattle, and they are going to be focused on making a statement with this win after they got “tricked” out of a victory by the Rams last time.
And they are very good team.
No way they suffer a “letdown,” and no way the Rams beat them when Seattle has their full attention on this game with everything clicking.
Rams 27 – 13.
Zooey
ModeratorShe won’t run.
It’s a massive personal commitment and she doesn’t want to simply run to push Hillary to the left. Bernie Sanders can do that.
Also, she’s not going to waste her political capital on a Presidential run when those bullets are best spent in the Senate.
Lastly, her worst nightmare would be to run just strongly enough that the ticket requires her to be the VP because she’s carrying the left wing of the party.
She’d lose her Senate influence and be relegated to VP? Bill Clinton will do more as First Gentleman…
I’d vote for her in a nanosecond… but she ain’t running.
I cannot see her running, either, but it’s interesting that there are people calling for her to run.
It would be awesome, though, if she ran and got the nomination, and we got a sideline shot late in the 4th quarter of Hillary Clinton’s face as she stands there absorbing another defeat to newbie. It would be better than crowd shots of Viking fans in the 99 playoff game.
Zooey
Moderatorwv wrote:
Well I wonder if Roger Saffold will be able to
lift and train in the offseason if he’s
going to have surgery.I think it will be minor surgery. Kinda a scope job on his shoulder, nothing like an ACL type thing. He can have the surgery in a couple of weeks and be ready to go in a month or so. At least conditioning stuff. No worries.
Why do you think that? Is that a hunch, or did you read something I missed?
Zooey
ModeratorOkay, well, I was expecting a more definitive answer from you, of all people.
So if that’s all you got, I guess I will just have to watch the game and find out for myself.
Of course, now that I think about it, even watching the game won’t give us a definitive answer because a bounce here, a bounce there, and the outcome could change. In fact, there is reason to believe that there WILL be different outcomes in an array of parallel universes.
So this is a completely open thing, I think.
Zooey
ModeratorI doubt he’s around when the Rams pick anyway.
But I wouldn’t take him.
A quarterback HAS to have his mental game together. Self-discipline is extremely important.
Maybe if he’s still around in the 4th round – depending on who else is available….
Zooey
ModeratorWe now know Fisher will draft Offensive Linemen high. Will he do it two years in a row?
Only if there is an OL the board really wants…in which case he will take a WR.
Zooey
ModeratorI’m thinking Leonard Williams. Get some depth on the DL.
Zooey
ModeratorBoy, I don’t know why they didn’t plug him in immediately as the longsnapper.
December 17, 2014 at 7:27 pm in reply to: Patz sign Garrett Gilbert (so the Rams Gilbert era is probably over) #14084Zooey
ModeratorDamnit. They now have the next Tom Brady as well as the current one.
Zooey
ModeratorRamsMaineiac wrote:
Technically, couldn’t the Rams still finish ahead of the 49ers and thus alter their 2 games determined by place? (Washington, Tampa Bay would flip to Giants & Falcons likely)If Harbaugh leaves you can expect a sweep.As for the Cardinals as long as Bradford plays and the line is healthy I expect them to beat them.
I am not so sure about that.
While I am loving watching the 49ers implode, I am not so sure that they are worse off without Harbaugh. He’s a good coach, but right now, he is a controversial coach, and his continued presence in the locker room there is probably moderately destructive.
The potential replacements might be better. There are a couple of guys on the 9ers staff that are highly regarded, and who actually might be better for that team than Harbaugh. So be careful what you wish for.
Zooey
ModeratorI believe I have to weigh in with Nittwittany. His logic is impeccable. The Seahawks simply are not allowed to win back-to-back, and that leaves Green Bay. It has to be an NFC team, and Green Bay is really the only John Facenda team in the tournament with a prayer, so GB it is.
Besides Aaron Rodgers and I grew up in the same town. Not together. Obviously. But still.
Zooey
ModeratorLoL. This amuses me.
This Division has some real characters
in the coaching ranks.I just cant work up any antipathy for Arians
yet. As far as a villain goes, he’s
no Harbaugh in my book. Not yet, anyway.I will probly root for the Cards in the playoffs,
i guess.w
vYeah, what I’ve found has not seemed more than minor blustering. Though from a guy who hasn’t actually won anything yet himself, calling the Rams out for sustained mediocrity was slightly arrogant. It isn’t anything much – nothing to get riled about – but it does make a nice foundation to build on later if these teams don’t botch that opportunity.
December 13, 2014 at 11:38 am in reply to: reporters, analysts etc, do the post-mortem on the ARZ game #13802Zooey
ModeratorI am very impressed with what
Arizona has done the last two weeks
against KC and the Rams.I dont think they can beat Green Bay,
but i think they can beat any other
team in the NFC.I’m startin to think Arians might
be the Belichick of the NFC.
Its not just the Rams who are
“a quarterback away.”w
vYes. And they are missing some key guys to injury. That’s a good team.
Zooey
ModeratorWhere can I find these Arians’ comments?
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