Memphis Ram said:

It was a smart move for his needed experience.

But, IMO, he still would have been a top 5 pick in 2025 with a strong pre-draft process.

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Sometimes he looks too tentative to take shots. He also looks like he’s taking to long to make a decision in some games. He may have gone top five based on physical tools but he either needs more playing time or isn’t a quick enough thinker to succeed in the NFL. I’m pretty sure he started playing football in high school, which could explain his processing speed.

Allen2McVay said:

Just my recollection and opinion.

I loved watching Dickerson run. He was truly great. However, over the past three decades, I have found Dickerson’s comments about the past debate able, at best … and, occasionally, entertaining fantasy.

The Bears 46 Defense always played the run first, and then went to Kill the Quarterback.

They didn’t load-the-box for Dickerson in the 1985 NFC Championship. The box was already loaded. Six of the Bears front Seven were legitimate Pro Bowl players. Three of them were Hall of Famers; and, arguably, it could have been five.

The 1985 Rams’ offensive line had four Pro Bowl players; and the 5th (Irv Pankey) was really good. The Bears defensive front dominated the Rams’ O-Line that awful Sunday, as it did the week before in the Divisional Round and a couple weeks later in the Super Bowl.

If Eric Dickerson thinks the Rams were a ‘halfway competent QB’ away from winning that game, THAT is fantasy world stupid, in my opinion.

Anyway, that’s my memory … and, these days, I can sometimes forget my address … but I would love to hear what some posters who were around in 1985 (but not kids) recall and think.

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I was around.

Bears 46 D was a "stuff the run keep going to the QB if he has it" defense. I believe they always called it loading the box with the SS lined up close, and they did with Fencik. Madden would gush about it. The CBs were on an island and they had 2 who could stay with their man until the rush got there. Dolphins' upset on MNF showed that if you give Marino enough time he could expose them.

Rams did need a halfway decent QB in all of ED's years with the Rams. Everett showed signs of that in ED's last 2, but also he had some rookie mistakes. Ferragamo had been either regressing or the OC didn't play to his strengths. He wasn't a timing pass QB as I recall, and he could be really off the mark at times in his last 2 years. Kemp and Brock were average at best. And Ellard being a young talented rookie as their only vertical threat means their offense was very limited. Duckworth had shown some signs but then mysteriously went AWOL and wasn't available. Michael Young as backup, who's afraid of that guy? And Ron Brown wasn't always "that guy" either and was inconsistent.

The Rams had beaten that 46 defense pretty decisively in 1983 and 1984 in the big A. But with Brock at QB there was just no way they were gonna get past the Bears D. Back then I had higher hopes for him because he had at least 4 very good games that season. But he was trash in the playoffs.

As for the OL, pretty much what you said. Pankey wasn't all pro but I remember his battles with LT. It wasn't anything like Slater vs Reggie White in 1988, but they had some good back and forth plays. Pankey didn't usually require help on the all-world LB, and would sometimes get off a good block on him, or hold, and LT would get fired up and make the next play. Irv held his own, but one could only do so much vs Taylor. Madden was great calling the replays. Of course he was always an LT guy but he gave Pankey some props.

I actually liked the Bears back then mainly because they dethroned the whiners and thrashed the cowgirls. I rode their wave of cool misfits for a bit until that championship game. Then I was like screw them and their fans. A team I like becomes an enemy when they play the Rams. The fridge hype started to get old, and I thought the song video they did was dumb... until I saw the Rams' cringe version!

Loyal said:

Nice, but you would be over the moon with KU gear for Christmas!

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But it would be a shame to be forced to return it to sender; I hate to do that with Christmas/Hanukkah gifts.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas! Now, let’s get back to that Egg Nog!!!!

Is this the shortest game thread in ROD history?

I'm still trying to design my Rams tattoo. Want to incorporate Rams, Lakers, Dodgers into one and have the basic design for it. I do a large search for the right talented tattoo artist before I ink anything.

fanotodd said:

I’d say it will be determined by whether or not the Rams re-sign BB3.

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BB3 is literally a depth piece and nothing more. Any other answer is wishful thinking.

@Ramhusker it's happening

DzRams said:

I get the take since he does look like the Clowney type. And you very well may be right. I changed my mind because I see data points that indicate he will be a big sack guy.

In Clowney's 11 years, he's had one season that surpassed Verse's 68 total pressures to date (6 sacks, 14 QB hits, 48 hurries). His 14 QB hits matches Clowney's career high. Verse, as a still developing rookie, is already superior to Clowney in the very basic pass rush stats.

When you take a deeper dive into more advanced metrics, they aren't close. In PFFs and ESPN's pass rush metrics, Verse is in the top 10. Before he hit the wall, he was in the top 5 across all metrics. Clowney is usually in the 20s or 30s with his best years topping out at around 13th.

More than any other data point I've seen, the below chart from early November, shows that Verse is very capable of getting the quick win. Note that he ranks top 5 in quick disruption pressure rate.

View attachment 68888

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I think he is or will be better than Clowney, I just made the comparison because they are similar in terms of high pressure rates, but fewer sacks than you would expect based on those pressure rates.

Classic Rams said:

Growing up in Hawaii we may have been a little behind but we kinda kept up. I remember hearing cool, cherry, righteous... for something good in the 70's, before bad came out. And if it was better than cool, it was "way cool." We all usually get our slang from the media be it movies, TV, or radio. And from others who heard it before we did.

Then I remember awesome become the favorite. Around when bad came out, maybe a little after... it was fresh, still in the 80s, then sweet was maybe the 90s, then "tight" after that. When Michael Jackson's song came out, bad was already the norm for good for some years. Now it's badass (one word), fire, and sick. I can't ever use sick for good, it always meant having a cold, barfing, skipping work (calling in) or being messed up in the head.

Most of us remember when goat used to be unflattering. You screwed up and lost the game, you were a goat! That changed in about the late 90s early 2000s? Maybe this goes in the non-football thread. Toss me over there if you like, mods.

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Well, I was born in So Cal, but left in 1975 for Texas and I was using "bad" before I left.
In the 80's it was more Valley Girl lingo. "Tripindicular" "Totally" "Gag me with a spoon" "like TOTALLY" "lord god king Bu-Fu". All of which were in @Merlin 's verbal wheelhouse....

Londoner said:

Our week 17 clash with the Cardinals could be moved to the Saturday triple-header.

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I think it was!

Kupped said:

Coaching issues? WTF? lol

The Falcons desperately needed a new QB.. and paid desperate money. There were risks, of course.

Then.. they saw what they believed to be a true QB of the future available.. and made the pick.

Where in any of that is bad process? Don't we know how hard it is to get a QB?

If there was any mistake.. it was in waiting too long to put Penix in, imo. Cousins just didn't recover enough movement to be effective.

If the Rams were in a position where a QB of similar stature was available.. they'd be dumb not to pick him, imo.

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I agree with this take.

They overpaid for Cousins but I get the rationale for why they did what they did.

Elmgrovegnome said:

That’s my point. That overly conservative gameplan isn’t going to win a playoff game against a good team.

I get that it was cold but the Jets defense is not good. Having so many passes behind the LOS was an odd choice, especially since the Jets were sitting on them.

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Don't disagree with you there. Hopefully McVay's mindset changes aggression wise once its a playoff game vs a regular season game. I'd love for him to find a good balance of when to push the pedal yet be smartly patient with how he calls a game. Think we'd all be ok if he was showing conservative calls to lull a team to sleep only to hit them with a big ass play every now and then.

86.3 PFF gradet this week.. although pass blocking grade was low.
79 overall grade this season.
He's earned himself a big chunk of money this year.

The next one is the best one.

Aside from that I'll take the win in Seattle a few years ago that saw the 12tards leaving at half time.

@IowaRam -

May not be a guy that hates the Patsies as much as Faulk (well besides all of us).

He deserved that SB win in his home state!!!! You will never convince me there was not stuff going on behind the scenes there....made LVI that much sweeter

IM ready for the next one....

kurtfaulk said:

We want the Rams to have a chance of hosting a second round game.

.

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Good point.

Assuming a 7 seed like Wash can take out Philly in Wildcard round, we could then host the 4 or 5 seed winner as Detroit would face Wash.

This would be ideal to me as I don't want to face Philly.

Our path would go GB@Sofi-->Minn\ATL\TB@Sofi -->Detroit@Detroit.

All winnable games.

Or imagine the NFC Championship @Sofi if Washington beats Detroit.

shovelpass said:

Cousins is shot. Can't move, and can't generate any zip. 1 TD to 9 Ints the past 5 games. There's a reason he was benched. Has nothing to do with the OC. I think Robinson is fairly competent btw. Cousins would get killed behind Seattle's OL. Atlanta's offense is better everywhere except maybe TE, Pitts is fools gold, and WR is close.

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Yikes didn't realize it was that bad

Soul Surfer said:

Didn't Aaron Rodgers State earlier this season that he wanted to be traded and didn't want to play for the Jets?

What a team leader.
How inspiring.

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I really don't recall that

A loss to the Panthers in overtime will, hopefully, completely deflate them for next week.

RamUK said:

I'm definitely not intermittent fasting. Fuck that shit when there's football on!

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Hell yes!

Just when you think it’s getting better it’s getting worse ?

WTF - the defense gives them the ball on the jets 33 to score a TD. Other than that a FG late.