Yes congrats to the US on your performance.

Very pleased with our Australian team. 17 Gold, 6 Silver, 22 bronze for a total of 46 -- not bad for a country of 25 million. We've always been strong in swimming but some of our athletes in the track & field were very competitive.

Kudos too to our neighbours across the ditch, New Zealand -- 20 medals from a country of only 4.8 million people.

Brilliantly staged by Japan in what were extremely trying conditions. It was a marvellous effort to bring the worlds best athletes together during a lockdown and stage a highly entertaining spectacle.

Omedetō.

Merlin said:

Great now I feel like a dickhead. Having a bad week myself of posting so no worries.

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Your awesome man. You’ve been solid for years. Enjoy your post. It’s a new week. Go Rams

What’s Bruce supposed to say? He just joined 4 if his teammates in the HOF which has to be amazing, and he’s waiting for his partner to join him hopefully. These guys act like Ike was disrespecting Moss and Carter and whoever else, I saw it as giving props to his guys and giving some pub to guys who don’t get enough.
Moss was as gifted as maybe any wr ever but he could also be a headache and, to use his own words, he plays when he wants to. There’s a lot of guys who don’t seem to want the spotlight on them, who would rather let their play do the talking. Guys like Moss and T. O., AB and OBJ, give meaning to the term diva wide receivers, and are great for headlines and clicks, but I bet most people don’t realize what kind of numbers Bruce and Holt put up. I didn’t see any numbers from Stephen A and Spears showing how much better Moss and Carter were, I think I’m open minded enough to grudgingly give respect but on the other hand don’t start yelling like it’s absurd to even think Bruce and Holt should be in the conversation. Which I think was what Ike was after.

Part of the difficulty in evaluating players is understanding the scheme Staley employed and now how they will be used by Morris. As I've stated in other posts, a bit of hesitancy is to be expected from the starting ILBs, Reeder and Young. Reeder came in with more potential than most give him credit for. But he was raw and really needed a year to develop. So he got that year in 2019. He was one of the ILB that stood out in TC.

He was thrust into the starting lineup in 2020 going from 27% of defensive snaps to 41%. People don't realize that Staley's pass defense-centric scheme often went with only one ILB who was expected to play more like an in the box SS. Kenny Young was often the rotational ILB and actually ended up with slightly more defensive snaps. What was apparent was Reeder outperformed Young on fewer snaps. Extrapolating Reeder's stats to a more normal 80%-95% of defensive snaps and his production would compare favorably with some of the better ILBs. The problem with trying to evaluate Reeder and Young is their role in Staley's scheme. It was a new and fairly complex scheme and there were mistakes made by both LBs and DBs leading to breakdowns.

As with any new scheme installation, there is a "break-in" period as players think their way through the play. That begins to improve as the season progresses. That was apparent with Staley's scheme. Now with yet another new DC this year it would seem that Morris will return to a more conventional scheme. If that is so then he will employ 2 ILB normally on 1st and 2nd downs hoping for a 3rd and long to bring in his pass defense which in fact might not be so different in personnel as it is in how they are employed (much the same way Seattle used the Legion of Boom). Reeder and Young will be expected to play a more traditional role as ILBs which will be keyed by down and distance. The difference this year is that the expectations in their roles will be more in line with what they have always played. As such I would expect them to play faster with a much shorter "break-in" period.

I would expect their snap counts to rise closer to 60% or higher. If Morris platoons his guys then pairing the ILBs would seem to be the natural way to go. If Reeder and Young are again the starters than Jones and Howard offer the same type of skillset pairing. From reports it would seem Morris front 7 will employ 2 DL (Donald & Robinson), 2 OLB edge (Floyd & Hollins), 2 ILBs (Reeder & Young) and SS Rapp or DE J. Williams to play in front of Hollins on early run downs. By playing William at DE on early downs they bring speed and power to the DE position to disrupt outside runs by bringing penetration to force the run back inside. IMO that 7th guy will change the emphasis of the scheme from pass to run defense. Also, when you look at the possible ILB pairings, the same can be said with Jones & Howard could be employed to emphasize the run defense while still having the ability to drop into an effective underneath zone on early-down passes.

I think we will see J. Williams employed much the same way as Phillips used Brockers as a strong force on the perimeter to force runs inside where Morris will have 2 ILBs to deal with that eventuality. It may seem like a more cosmetic change in the scheme but IMO it's far more than that. With only one ILB it left only a bare-bones box and it's why Staley's scheme struggled against a strong run attack like the Niners have. It made Reeder look worse than he is. Now facing a good OLB and two ILBs it will be a normal box that RBs will have to face and that should control the runs on first and second down allowing the defense to key pass on a 3rd and medium to long. This is part of Morris' emphasis on results, not numbers.

Anyway, this is my takeaway from the scrimmage with the Boys.

Zodi said:

Agreed, but it's understandable how fans might criticize a WR who drops a catch after getting two hands on it. It was a great play by McCourty, too. L's all around that offensive performance.

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I was wasted in Vegas with this cool-Sista.She had a SuperBowl bet which was fun & made the game really exciting. I cheered for her that the under / Pats hit.
Truth was I always do my play by play & am ahead of most all the time ahead of them(announcers) on the calls.Word for word they call it.
I was in my own element at the stratosphere.I don’t even know if I had a bet. Just got caught on a BS IRS form.The point though is.

When Carroll was letting the clock run I was freaking A static. Mocking The cheat(Bill) on the screen going,what are you going to do now Bill? What are you going to do now. LMAO, tick .. tick … come on Bill still LMAO.
The pass was on Russell Wilson. Pete was in it to win it. He had the cards & called the cheat Bluff! He did not call a TO & Pete was in control of the game. Russell had the TD & no matter what part of the game would have made that throw.If he had to do it again he would still try to put it in there.The play was there.Sometimes you just have to go with it.
It’s History but I will always say it was the right call,because he had control of the clock. The cheat could not count on Brady.
I go back & look at the Philly game & still NE had time in the end. Your talk about the(hate) goat.The Hags still could have run it in. If it was 2nd down it makes the point even more valid. Look at Halftime & Pete going for it ? No one ever talks about that. He had huge Huevos on that play.I swear though if he doesn’t complete that you’d here about how bad of a call that was.
Most Fans don’t get down,distance & all that goes into a game.We all have different opinions, but I am lower 5% on that play.

Seems like we might be depending on quite a few guys that are fragile this year. Kupp, DJax, our entire RB room just about, Robinson, Lewis, etc.

Seems like more of them on offense too. So hope we get some fortune this year with a healthy group going into the playoffs.

Merlin said:

Stafford said he doesn't need to be restructured too which is badass. $20M this year and $23M next year.

Win a Super Bowl in one of these two shots we have at it and then see if the guy is open to something rational. That would be really cool and it might happen that way given that he's probably more driven by winning rings right now than MVPs and big paychecks.

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well, he did get a $50m signing bonus when he inked the deal. he'll be ok.

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Florida_Ram said:

Uncle Rico was my vote.

I'm guessing the Rams only keep 2 QB's on their final 53.

Stafford.
Wolford.

Our 3rd string QB will be on the practice squad.

Who that is, will be determined after the preseason ends.

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Agree about this yr... 2 QBs and a practice squad guy.

What will be interesting going forward though is when will McVay draft a potential QB of the future. I mean I would only expect a 5th or 6th rounder if it's next yr, but they will start QB hunting hoping they get lucky with a late rounder with the assumption that they will need a QB in 4-5 yrs.

Or do they see Wolford as legit? Of course they will not be able to hold onto him after 2 yrs when his contract is up though.

Merlin said:

One thing you see with Green Bay/Rodgers is if there's a free rusher he spikes the ball and ends the play. With a QB who is aggressive like Stafford I have to think doing that will net you a big play every few times or so it happens. I'll take that possibility every time it happens tbh even with the risks involved.

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Absolutely it is the top tier QB's generally making this happen.
I think it changes this year.

Now if DMarco left I'd be upset. He's always upbeat, funny, humble, knowledgeable, personable, first hand experience, and a SB ring. I did think he and Myles had a good chemistry tho. Plus they used to read my questions on that show.

kurtfaulk said:

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do any nfl players do any research on any of the steroids or hgh that gets pumped into their bodies?

painkillers?

the cocaine they snort where they have no idea where it came from?

when they pop ecstasy tablets?

dead set. suddenly they're all professors about vaccines.

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How dare you!! Cocaine is and has been thoroughly evaluated in the Colombian processing plants, government research, and multiple times has been tested in multiple countries on the way north before it even gets to the US! Stop spreading fake news!





@Loyal Your stupid blue font BELONGS TO ME!!!!

Robert Cleckler Bowden was one hell of a Football Coach. Didn't like Florida State, but loved Bobby Bowden, he still is simply amazing. Even in the Move "We Are Marshall." They portrayed him as "Pure Class" RIP Coach as my prayers and thoughts are with his friends & loved ones.

Win-Win: Stafford looks good in joint practice. Threw an INT and is still dialing in his deep ball accuracy, but in all other phases apparently looked very sharp.

Goff started slowly the past few days, continuously opting for the "safe" passes. After talking to HC Campbell who told him it was okay to take chances, he threw a pass like he used to do in 2018. He threw a bullet to his TE who looks to be the Lion's primary receiver who was in triple coverage.

Looks like it's going to work out just fine for both teams.

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MODERATOR COMMENT: Looks like this thread needs a break.

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Psycho_X said:

does this looks like the face of a man who wants to stay under the same roof as his father when he can get his own double wide, binge on his own Natty Lite, and have an 82 Trans Am on blocks in his own front lawn? I didn’t think so.

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Still funny the second time.

XXXIVwin said:

Knee braces and thinning hair.... yeah baby!

Nice freakin catch

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The sentence in bold made me laugh out loud. Good stuff man. It looked like some senior citizen's 'Last wish foundation' event didn't it. Damn getting old really hurts my field cred.

I need to work on my footwork. I'm not sure if I got both feet down (with control) the other day while playing catch with my son. Yes, that is 54 year old me making a nice catch last week.

Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/dIagIp4nly0

Merlin said:

Yeah been focusing on him a bit on my boredom tour through last year's games and I'll say that I hope losing weight helps him out. Because he got trucked by duos on a routine basis. Maybe him having some threat of speed will change that equation idk.

What's gonna annoy me is if McVay sits his ass through preseason. Because IMO he needs work and snaps to get himself into game shape. Letting him have the preseason games off and hoping he can do it might lead to losing a promising depth option IMO.

Also want to see a ton of BB. We really did get pushed around a lot up front by some teams, most notably of course SF but not just them. Praying they have the pieces to rectify that shit.

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Agreed!

Robinson IMO has yet to show up as a Ram. Add in the fact that the Rams did lose two DL'ers who did show up last season in Morgan Fox & Micheal Brockers. If Robinson continues to turn in more of what we saw in 2020 then the Rams would be in a bad position going forward due to the amount of Dead Cap $6,500,000 that is tied up in him. It does not get much better either in 2022 in cap ramifications. I think right now he was a really bad investment.....but hoping I will be totally wrong.

DL Coach Henderson has a good young trio of known college-run stuffers in Gaines, Copeland & Hoecht. They all have some size.

The starting line I'd like to see week one:

3T: AD
1T: B Brown
5T: SJD

My rationale is AD is best with an anchor type near him who can eat blockers and pile things up a bit. B Brown hopefully can do that, and on the nose he doesn't have to really show too much penetration it's a dirty damn job but an important one. SJD has good enough length meanwhile to move out to 5T and his ability to move and stay on his feet plays well there too. We have Gaines to back up B Brown and rotate in with him often if necessary, and Gaines is like a damn boulder in a stream he just doesn't move that well.

Nice thing here is they can try Brown at different spots and worst case keep SJD/Gaines as a solid NT duo. But I would like to see someone who offers a little more oomph next to AD so hoping re: B Brown.

oldnotdead said:

Interesting take considering Jourdan reported he was a standout on drills. Michael isn't a DE he's strictly a DT. He has exceptional quickness and strength. He gives them a legitimate option to Robinson, especially next year when Robinson's cap jumps to over $9M.

We will just have to disagree on this guy.

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Depth there will be well sorted by preseason since no starters.

The DL group is gonna be fun to watch and I can't wait to see them in live snaps.

Jordan Fuller makes a highlight interception and more training camp updates​

Psycho_X said:

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/jgroc/status/1423447936785080320?s=20

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Did someone say wide right?

CGI_Ram said:

Can you look and see if this button is pushed? Un-select it, if so.

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i can't believe i missed that.

i opened up all the options to see if there was one character in them which was black and working. didn't see it.

thanks man.

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Rams43 said:

Ok Just a tip, CoachAllred.

Copying and pasting articles from a paywall (subscription) site is considered not only a breach of etiquette, but is downright illegal.

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I always thought of Allred as a bit of a rebel.

oldnotdead said:

Here is why starting Allen at C makes more sense. Have you seen how many FAs the Rams are going to have next year. Noteboom is one and he's going to be a priority as he will be a starter. As a starter, they will be looking at between no less than $8M/year with increases each year.

If they start Corbett at center his value would be $8-$9M/year. Remember they probably want to extend Darious Williams who will be looking at at least $15-$16M a year. This is why they drafted Rochell and why on draft day McVay made the comment about not wanting him to "get away". Signing Allen next year as a center would be millions less. Signing Corbett as an OG would be would probably save the Rams around $2M/yr.

The financial ramifications are very real. They have a whole lot of guys to sign. Signing Corbett as a center would probably concede extending Williams so Snead would be hoping for a 2nd round comp pick if that's the case. Also, Allen has actual game experience at the position which should count for something.

If Allen doesn't work out or gets hurt again they know they have a viable backup in Corbett. I think it's premature writing Allen off as a starting center. What happened between 2019 and now? Moving Corbett back to LG makes a lot more sense, while they can move Edwards to RG. Or simply release Havenstein a year early and start Edwards at RT and leave Evans at RG which probably was their original plan back in 2018.

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Several things occur to me here. And they are based upon limited info that comes from coaches quoted, beat reporters, and our own camp reporters.

We just don’t know for sure whether Corbett will be a stud OC, although early feedback sounds promising.

Allen is miles away from being considered a likely starting OC just yet. We’re encouraged, but he hasn’t earned a damned thing yet.

There is no such thing as a 2nd round comp pick, 3rd is the highest possible.

I’ve resigned myself to losing DW because of the cap. It hurts but what can they do?

Boom is iffy as our starting LOT. Honestly, I think it could go either way for ‘22. I do not think our starting LOT is already on the roster if it’s other than Boom, however.

So here’s a summary of my best predictions for ‘22:

Corbett will be extended as our starting OC.

Allen will be our backup OC and paid accordingly. If he wants more, and can get it, then he’s a goner.

Boom is 50-50 likely to be extended as our starting LOT but it will be at a team friendly price or he’s a goner, too.

DW will be a cap casualty like so many before him. It will sting like a mofo but the 3rd rounder as a comp will help ease the pain.

Hav’s Ram future gets very iffy after this season if only because of the cap.