zn wrote:

Los Angeles Rams PR@TheLARamsPR
Kevin Dotson finished the 2025 season ranked third in Offensive Grade (86.4) and Run Blocking Grade (89.3) among all NFL guards (min 50% snaps played), according to
@PFF
.

Among all NFL offensive linemen, Dotson’s Run Blocking Grade ranked 8th while his Offensive Grade ranked 10th.

That’s great. But is he going to play? Still listed as Questionable, last I saw, and I haven’t seen any details on the injury. High ankle sprain? Bone bruise? Fracture?

zn wrote:

Denver orange v. Rams blue is a nice contrast. Never underestimate the importance of uniform colors in deciding these things.

My next door neighbor is a friend of mine. We take care of each other’s dogs as necessary, etc. Look after things while the other is away. Great guy. Much more social than I am. Has a lot more fun than I do. Entertains a lot. Set up his house for entertaining.

He hosts a Super Bowl bash every year that about 40 people attend. The food and decorations are themed, and he runs all kinds of dollar bets that he has to track and pay out the pots. It’s fun.

He’s a Broncos fan. He has a billiard table with a custom Broncos log in the center felt. He’s from Denver originally. Family is still there. I’d rather not crush his heart, but… if the Rams and Broncos meet each other, we will probably drive down to the Bay Area together. He said the “Super Bowl Experience” is a lot of fun. All the parties and events and whatnot. Could be a real gas.

If it’s the Rams and anybody else, he probably won’t initiate the trip, so I will miss out because loud, crowded, over-priced events aren’t my thing. But he would make it fun, and I’d just follow around in his wake. So I guess I’d be okay with the Broncos. I just would have to watch the game in my house because I couldn’t watch the Rams in the Super Bowl with all the noise and distractions all around. To say nothing of the fact that most people there are 49ers fans.

wv wrote:

One of the unsolvable problems is — its a stupid award. It just is. Its nebulous. WTF does ‘most valuable’ mean? And how can you compare offensive players and defensive players and different systems, and different schedules, etc etc.

Yeah.

It’s the same with all the stale arguments about “greatest ever” in one sport or another. You can’t tell objectively. Across the years, the games’ rules literally change. To say nothing of variables like modern conditioning and medical care, facilities, surrounding talent, coaching advantages, level of competition, intangible influences on teammates and games, and so on. These arguments can be interesting, and even illuminating, but they aren’t definitive.

So give it to Stafford. He’s fucking earned the Honor.

InvaderRam wrote:

Zooey wrote:

The Rams have better helmets.

it may just come down to that this thing is so close.

If it is “that close,” then sentiment will win out. And it probably should. If you can’t really distinguish between the two players this season, then you let the body of work over a career decide. I dunno, but I think Stafford will probably get it. Seems to me he is the Default. What argument would you use for Maye that would beat all Stafford arguments? They both had amazing years, and one has an advantage here, the other there. So if you really can’t make up your mind…what decides it for you?

Stafford by a nose, I think.

But I care a lot less about that than I do about winning next week.

nittany ram wrote:

zn wrote:

Josh@JoshiosTweets
The Rams will end the season with a 12-5 record and the highest point differential in the Sean McVay era.

8 wins by 14+ points is the most in McVay era and in the NFL this season.

And that’s against the toughest schedule any team has played.

You’re just a Rams sniffer.

Sniff this, Bucko. {hilariously pulls own finger}

zn wrote:

J.B. Long@JB_Long
State of the Rams tight end room:

*All-time statistical leader back in the mix, Tyler Higbee.
*Single-season TD leader enjoying a career year, Colby Parkinson.
*Top pick in 2025 fully integrated, Terrance Ferguson.
*Third-year pro Davis Allen tying it together.

Well…

All-time statistical leader means he’s played a long time. But he is past his prime, and he has been hurt a lot.
Go Colby.
I don’t think Ferguson is “fully integrated.” He’s good; I’m glad they have him. He’s not “ripe.” Yet.
Davis Allen is okay. But he’s a JAG. A useful JAG. But… a JAG.

All that “peeing on the parade” aside, I think the TEs overall are a formidable weapon that I am excited about.

zn wrote:

So far, those fired:

Morris, Atlanta
Stefanski, Cleveland

Just occurred to me.

The 9ers are going to hire Morris for their DC after Salah leaves to take one of the HC openings.

Take comfort in the fact that the majority of my predictions about the world are wrong.

zn wrote:

Adam Grosbard@AdamGrosbard
Without Davante Adams, the Rams’ red zone conversion rate has dropped 20 points.

Without Quentin Lake, the Rams run defense EPA has gone from third to 20th.

Both are coming back just in time for the Rams’ playoff opener against the Panthers

If those guys make that much difference, then they should get more than the vet minimum salary.

Any day but Monday, please. I think the Rams got hosed on this last year. Wasn’t the Vikings game on Monday? Then they have to go play in Philly who had 2 weeks off. That’s BS, actually. I know why they do it, obviously, but that shouldn’t happen in the playoffs, imo.

Looked like the Rams played another half-hearted game for a bit, but after AZ went ahead, I just leaned back and said, “Here it comes.” They were not going to lose that game, and they blew them away like they should have from the start.

Witherspoon was not impressive, in spite of the INT. Wilson had a good day. But apart from that fake punt and ensuing big play TD, the Cards didn’t get much going. Like everyone else, I am hoping Lake is the Safety that binds them all. And I sure want Dotson back. I’m hoping he was held out because they wanted to and not because they had to.

I’m waiting for that schedule. I’ll happily take any time slot except the Monday game. I would prefer Saturday because the Panthers will have the same short week, and it will give the Rams an extra day to recover before heading out on the road.

wv wrote:

Strange, old-school game between the 49ers and Seattle. Rams put up over 500 yards in Seahawks. 49ers had 173 yards at home.

Seattle is peaking, has the bye, and home-field. And yet this is so different than last year, when the Eagles seemed like a juggernaut. Just seems like the Eagles, Bears, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers. And maybe the Packers –are all within a field-goal of each other.

w
v

Honestly, I think they should just settle it on the field.

wv wrote:

By Jove, I am not covetous for gold…if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive…
…proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart;

…He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.

C’mon. Can you think of a single time that quoting Henry V on a message board was followed by the Rams hot-waxing their opponent?

TSRF wrote:

This looks like a flawed team, and it is a shame. Stafford has been plying his 37 year old ass off, probably to the point where the 38 year old ass is going to be an old, dead ass.

Sorry to say it, but our window with Stafford is closing quickly. If we don’t get there this year, we should probably cut bait and hone in on the next reclamation QB.

But every team is flawed. And until last night, it felt like the Rams were more unlucky in their losses than flawed. The Philly, SF, and Seattle losses all felt like the Rams got snakebit. The loss to Carolina for me was – like – shit happens. They had a bad game.

I think the Rams are the best team in the league, just as I said a month ago. I just don’t think they’re better by a country mile. I think they’re good enough to beat anybody anywhere. I just think winning 3 straight games in bad weather in the playoffs is unlikely. But if these games were in neutral, good weather sites, like college bowls are, I’d still lay on the Rams.

I do think Shanahan may be a better coach. He seems to be able to get more out of less than McVay does. I dunno. I mean… the Rams had 11 days to get ready for that game, and they came off a bad loss to Seattle. I think the Rams got outhustled by both Carolina and Atlanta. They are clearly better than those teams. By every measure. Except, perhaps sheer get-after-it-ness. I don’t think McVay stokes a hot fire under the team.

I will say that the holding call on that TD was unconvincing to me. You see more flagrant holds than that every single game that go uncalled. It wasn’t a hold. It was a takedown with leverage, and I’m not sure if technically that is a hold nowadays, but like I said, you see worse every single game.

That was PI on the Tutu bomb, too. No question about it.

But I think the call was right on that spectacular Puka catch.

wv wrote:

Zooey wrote:

They could pass the 9ers and go to Carolina or Tampa which would be better than Chicago or Philly.

Ok, so have i got this right — If the Seahawks beat SF, and the Rams win out, then the Rams go to Tampa-lina, and SF goes to Philly? Is that it?

But what if SF beats Seattle and the Rams win out? What then? Can the Rams pass Seattle?

w
v

I haven’t seen the scenarios fully explained, but I have seen two different articles say it is possible for the Rams to draw Tampalina. That would mean the Rams are the 5 seed which would mean that, after beating Tampalina, they would head to Seattle. Following Seattle, they would either go to Philly or host SF, presumably. Although I see I’ve left the Bears out of the discussion. I dunno.