Memento said:

Quarterback - Jared Goff, Josh Love.

(I'm starting with a first shocker. I think that Love wins the coveted backup role. He has a good arm, good accuracy, and his throwing motion doesn't bother me as much as Perkins' does. I think he wins a tightly-contested battle over Wolford and Perkins. I like Wolford, but he doesn't have the upside of either Love or Perkins.)

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Wolford definitely has more scrap and experience which makes him the favorite for that job. But I'm with you here. I want to see a backup QB who has some actual upside. Been saying that I feel like the Rams should be developing depth chart QBs and flipping them for picks. Having a mind like that of McVay running this offense makes that possible.

The Pats have been doing this for years. If you have a backup who is a bit raw but who has upside and your starter can't go, you run the fucking ball more and play field position while you bring him along game to game. This is a great way to save cap space vice paying a backup to sit on his ass for $5M or more per year.

And of course if Goff takes his place as an elite QB by the time the backup has a few years under his belt you flip his ass for picks and draft another one. Rinse repeat.

To all members who like to start threads.
Choose ONE of the following:

A) Stop creating threads related to Covid in the RAMS TALK forum

B) Stop creating threads even remotely related to Covid in the RAMS TALK forum


Please. Thank you.

oldnotdead said:

He can simply show he's better than Smart who was AD's backup. Smart is a marginal talent with limited athleticism. Hoecht should be able to outperform him in camp. Michael needs to show he can be versatile and play multiple positions. Case in point Williams can play 5T, SAM and 3T. Michael needs to show he can play NT, 3T and perhaps DE. He needs to show he can be a force in the pass rush and be stout at the POA on run plays.

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Smart has been cut. Hoecht will have to show he is better than SJD or Gaines.

Interesting. Those are good odds to lay an extra $100 down on.

This just blows my mind...

“Youngblood played in 201 consecutive games, a Rams team record; he only missed one game in his 14-year NFL career.”

Not a great year to be a new coordinator.
I sure hope Staley can get these guys up to speed quickly.
I remember it taking about half a season for Greg Williams defense to come to life......and that was with a full camp.

Makes sense.

I wonder if the situation presented itself that the cap needed to go down... would they work out a deal to instead “hold it” and push the negative value to future years.... in essence flat cap for a few years?

Hoh-oh-mah-nah-wah-noo-ee.

I never had problems with pronouncing his name. Spelling it, on the other hand...that made me use Wikipedia a ton.

Aww Geez...

So many of these pundits are so ignorant, huh?

I’m gonna keep this simple. The 49ers got more than their fair share of the bounces last season. Just saying.

We should have swept the Seahawks last year, so why not this year?

Cards are improving but still look like the 4th best team in the league’s toughest division.

The Rams? Well, I think they made key coaching changes that were needed in all 3 coordinator positions. They also plugged holes via draft and FA. The OL will surely be improved due to experience playing together late last year.

Add it all up and I like Rams chances at reclaiming the division title and a deep playoff run. I like Rams chances a LOT, really.

BuffaloRam said:

Matt Rhule is getting a lot of dough!

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He sort of jumps out on that list.

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if he can elude defenders as well as my wife can elude my advances he's gonna be an all pro for many years.

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Lewis and Obo aren't DEs in a 3-4. Both are OLBs but with different body types. Obo has a Von Miller body type, while Lewis is taller and bigger, almost a body type clone of Fowler, but longer and not as quick.

DEs in a 3-4 tend to need to be in excess of 280

This roster is gonna be interesting because we have a glut of talented players if unproven players across the LB positions.

den-the-coach said:

Yes, they do and many of us would be in a similar boat, I concur with @LARams_1963 being young, it is tough, but you have to consider what you're doing. I felt I was mature in my younger years, but no doubt did some dumb things, cliff diving being one of them, but youth is wasted on the young.

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Oh, no doubt about that. I'm thankful that social media wasn't around during my youth. LOL

My point was that you can really get an inside look into people with these platforms. Take the youthful madness out of it. That's normal for sure. There are many other things that become apparent too. Some of it is positive and some of it can be almost horrifying. It's fascinating in a number of ways if you really think about it.

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NFLPA provides updates on precautions and preparations for the 2020 NFL season

The NFLPA, which has had an internal task force of scientists investigating the COVID-19 pandemic since early March, held a conference call with player agents today. The focus of the call was regarding preparations and procedures for the upcoming 2020 NFL season.

There were several major topics that were covered, including where the league and NFLPA currently stand in regards to the current public health crisis and the league’s plans for returning to play. Here is a full recap of the call with my final observations and what it means moving forward.

No mini-camps through the end of June

One of the most immediate updates is regarding mini-camps through the end of June. As expected, those have been canceled. A memo explaining this will soon be going out to players. Additionally, they will tell the players that protocols for how to proceed will be developed in the next 30 days.

NFLPA preparing for salary cap reduction in 2021

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) includes a clause on good faith negotiations for cancellations (games) and how it would impact a loss of income/revenue. This includes how it would impact the salary cap in 2021.

The NFLPA states that a season without fans would be a $3-plus billion loss of revenue, which would impact the salary cap next season. Because of this possibility, the NFLPA is preparing for a potential drop in the 2021 salary cap due to a loss of revenue from the 2020 season.

Concerns about players with pre-existing conditions

One major concern and topic of conversation centered on players who may have pre-existing conditions and are more vulnerable to the effects of contracting COVID-19. If a player in such a situation is unable to return to football in 2020, what will be the ramifications be for that player?

Because of this, there is a concern about protecting the compensation and contracts of players who are unable to return to a team facility and play in 2020 due to a pre-existing condition.

Veteran free agents prohibited from signing with teams?

Player physicals remain a major issue. Some teams disallow players getting physicals at the office of a team doctor and mandate the team doctor must perform said physical on players at the team facility. This is not a broad-brush rule, rather a team by team mandate.

On a related note, there is serious concern about existing free agents and their inability to work out for teams, participate in mini-camps, and take physicals. The bottom line is there is no fix for veterans still on the market. In fact, teams are currently prohibited from bringing in free agent players to examine them or sign them to a contract.

And when players are finally able to sign contracts? The NFLPA is looking hard at digitally signing them to minimize face-to-face contact.

What will testing and precautions look like?

The NFLPA is looking at risk factors seriously. Just because NFL players are conditioned athletes does not exclude them from being potentially harmed by COVID-19.

As such, the goal is fitting football into the virus, not vice versa. One part of this includes the development of face shields for players to wear as a way to stop the transmission of the virus.

The NFLPA is also involved in a joint task force with the league for both viral and antibody testing. They are expecting a 90% chance of a legitimate saliva test for the virus by the time training camps open.

The plan as of now is to have everyone (players, coaches, staff) be tested once they return to team facilities – even if they were tested a day before they traveled to a team facility. There is an expectation that everyone will be tested every three days.

Roster sizes, contingency plans, and more

There is a thought from many in the NFLPA on expanding camp rosters to 95 players and delaying cut down dates. It’s a double-edged sword, though. While it would be favorable from a football point of view, bringing in more players to a team facility and having 95 players on the field at one time is a greater risk for COVID-19 transmission.

Speaking of COVID-19 transmission – there are no definitive answers as to contingency plans if a state shuts down in the middle of camp or the season. For example, if the state of New Jersey shuts down in the middle of August or September, what will happen to the New York Jets or New York Giants? There is no answer at this point in time.

Final observations from NFLPA conference call

The call took about 45 minutes and covered a variety of topics. Everyone wants answers yesterday but due to the fluid situation, there were few concrete answers. There were no dates offered as to when camps would open or when announcements would be made as to the opening of camps.

Most interesting was the issue on the 2021 salary cap being negatively affected by a loss of revenue this season due to limited or no fans in the seats, or possible cancellation of a few games. While the NFLPA said they would negotiate this issue with the league, it seemed obvious they were preparing agents for a worst-case scenario – the significant chance the salary cap will be lower in 2021.

There is also a major concern about the remaining free agents still on the market- especially the veteran guys. Will they get signed? Can they get a fair shake?

Bottom line – everything is a work in progress and the NFLPA hopes to hammer out more details in the coming weeks.

By #1 WR do people mean primary WR no matter where he plays or the old definition of the X WR position? Actually I don't see what the issue is. The Rams have 3 WRs that can play all three WR positions. Woods, Kupp, and Jefferson can play X, Y, and Z positions with the issue being the Y and Z positions are played off the LOS making it more difficult to jam them. The X is generally played outside of the LT and is on the LOS and requires a WR that can beat a jam and tight man coverage by the defenses #1 CB. All three of the Ram WRs I named have the speed and route running to beat coverage no matter how it's played and by whom. That is why if they play Jefferson in the slot I don't see any #3 CB (NCB) staying with him. Most NCBs don't have 4.4 speed and the length to match up with a 6' receiver. That will take one of the safeties out of the equation once Jefferson proves he can consistently beat the NCB. By the end of the season the Rams will be facing mostly zone schemes because of the matchup problems with the WRs but also the RBs that the Rams have can take it the distance against a man coverage secondary.

Separation is the issue with Reynolds, in that he's strictly a Y & Z WR as he struggles if jammed and why Jefferson is an upgrade to not only Josh but Cooks as well. He's faster than Woods with good length and he has the route running separation that is Kupp's hallmark. Jefferson has elite-level talent and the only reason he dropped to the Rams is because of the COVID-19 issues which eliminated pro-days. The only secondary I can see that can match up with these 3 is the Rams' own secondary of Ramsey, Long, and Burgess. Which is why I think this Ram defense is good enough to beat anyone.

These three WRs coupled with the Rams being 3 deep at TE give them the best WR and TE units in the NFL. No other team is 3 deep at both WR and TE. Add in the 2 headed RB monster in Henderson and Akers and this can be a top 5 offense. I can't wait because I can see this team dominating on both sides of the ball once they hit their stride.

LARAMSinFeb. said:

I think Jefferson will be productive this year. His highlights are already like watching a slightly taller Robert Woods.

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Watch the Senior Bowl & Jefferson ram an out & was able to create enough space to get a couple steps past the markers on a 3rd & long.He runs his routes with a purpose.

Legatron4 said:

Clock is ticking fast. Less then 3 months. Day 87 is an infamous player that helped get the Rams to the Super Bowl.
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I love hearing the way DeMarco Farr tells that story! Proehl made some big catches for us.

Consistent player.

Rams4life said:

I had heard they were interested in Andy Dalton before the Bengals cut him. Not sure if he's still available

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He signed with Dallas.

FaulkSF said:

Congrats on your wedding and future journey with your soul mate. Wishing you much happiness and fortune as you spend time together and grow as a family.

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Thanks man I appreciate the kind words!

dang said:

Woods and a Kupp were, are and will be better than Cooks. Not to put down Cooks but tonoroperlt align the 3 WRs.

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And I agree 18 and 81 are more complete WRs than Cooks, I should have worded “ highest paid WR”.

I had actually written Cooks off due to multiple concussions, how freaking fortunate were we to actually work out a trade for a 2nd rounder?

CGI_Ram said:

That first clip... Thordaddy Game.

I can hear ROD...

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Still the best game I’ve watched to this day.

kurtfaulk said:

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I enjoyed that. Well produced, with some video and graphics.

Soul Surfer said:

Goff is the perfect quarterback for this offense.
I am not really interested in any other quarterback behind center for the Rams.
He had really shaky pass protection last year.

That is all.
End of story.

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Agreed. 100%. He DOES need to limit back breaking mistakes and be more consistent. Those are my only concerns with our boy. He's really good. Maturation will make him great. Elite even. I can't wait to see him grow in this offense.