Not his phone call, but early interview with Akers.

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VPN's are the way to go. Especially if you do any financial transactions online.

TK42-RAM said:

Who ?

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You mean that guy whose team goes to the playoffs every year but has only thrown 4 passes in his playoff career?

Elmgrovegnome said:

I've seen enough of Allen and Noteboom to be convinced that neither has the strength of blocking ability to play at this level.ability

I'm not talking about replacing Evans or Edwards. Blythe is on a one year deal and has had his very bad moments. Wentworth is getting older by the minute. You said Olinemen take time, and I agree. So who is the Center next year? Who plays OLT?

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Well maybe next yr they take a C in round 2 or they get a guy in FA. They will have much more cap room even after re-upping a few of their own.

Or maybe one of their young guys does step up. Allen, Trewyn (sp?), Corbett, or maybe Anchrum moves there. Possibly Blythe plays well in his first full season at C and they bring him back.

I would have liked to have seen Biadaz (sp?) in a trade up in the 5th, but it didn't happen of course.

Last year Brockers was not strong at the POA and all too often would get caught up in the traffic. It was a big reason the Rams allowed him to walk. Now he's back as a 2 year bridge player. When he was originally re-signed I was puzzled as to why. But now I see it was to be that bridge for Terrell Lewis. Lewis is good but he's far from a finished product of being a complete player. Now he has 2 years to strengthen, and develop his technique. His major flaw is a lack of functional strength allowing him to set a hard edge, and to stack and shed. Watching his film it's clear he must win immediately or he gets stalled and his hand play is subpar allowing good OT's to keep him at bay. That said, Lewis has clear upsides with a tremendous ceiling. With guys like AD and Floyd as mentors I think he will be just fine if he stays healthy. IMO he has the talent to be a top edge in the NFL.

As a second year player last year, Okoronkwo flashed but not enough IMO. That is why Lewis was drafted. Okoronkwo looks to be at this point simply a backup going forward. If he doesn't improve he won't get a second contract.

Although listed as a OLB Justin Lawler IMO isn't going to make this team. He's bulked up and now he has the physical traits you want in an OLB except one. As a rookie he was 20 lbs lighter than he is now. Back then he ran a horrid 5.0 in the 40. Now he's heavier and so IMO he's probably running closer to 6.0 which is unacceptable. Part of being an OLB is coverage and running a 5.0 when he was 20 lbs lighter meant there was no way he could cover RBs and TE's. Heck OL could out run him.

Natrez Patrick is another OLB who is small for the position in terms of length and weight, but worse he is also painfully slow for a LB running a 4.97, not much faster than Lawler meaning he's a liability in coverage.

A lot was made of Clay Johnston but in reality he's undersized for even a ILB. He lacks speed for coverages running about the same as Littleton who could only play zone. I see him playing behind Kiser but in reality his role is probably on STs.

I think Okoronkwo is the most likely to be moved outside to play behind Ebukam and learn the SAM position. But in reality his lack of speed will be a problem for him when it comes to coverage. Lewis can play both edges, and OLB. I think he will be the primary backup for both Floyd and Brockers and see him getting significant snaps this year.

I think the LB positions look like this right now:

MLB - Kiser, Reeder, Johnston
MO - Young, Howard
OLB - Ebukam, Okoronkwo
Edge- Floyd, Lewis

IMO the drafting of Burgess shows that the Rams probably won't re-sign John Johnson. Johnson is playing out of position as a FS and he really doesn't have the speed to play that position. Burgess has the speed and frankly the play recognition skills lacking in Johnson. I see Burgess playing slot CB this year then transitioning to FS when Johnson is allowed to walk. Johnson is good enough as a SS that he will get signed quickly. In fact he would have been good trade bait.

SS - Rapp, Fuller, Gervase
FS - Johnson, Burgess, Scott
RCB - Ramsey, Burgess, Alexander
LCB - Long, Burgess, Hill
Slot CB - Burgess, Williams, Deayon

The biggest improvement on defense is the D-line. The LBs have new starters but none are rookies. I said it previously and I say it now that Floyd is a clear upgrade to Fowler. Staley can use him in ways they couldn't use Fowler. I love the signing of Robinson, and he's a huge upgrade to SJD. He plays like a younger Suh. He's aggressive and tough and will stop the bleeding in the middle of the d-line. I only hope they can extend Floyd because with Lewis on the opposite side the Rams will have one of the best defensive fronts in the league. Speed and power off the edges, with AD and Robinson crushing the pocket inside out. This year Brockers looks to be the weak link. It's clear from last year that Brockers has lost that explosive first step that got him drafted in the first round.

DE - Brockers, Lewis, Okoronkwo
NT - Robinson, Gaines
DT - Donald, Brockers, Copeland
Edge - Floyd, Lewis, Okoronkwo

IMO a typical nickel package will look like:

DE - Lewis
NT - Robinson
DT - Donald
Edge - Floyd

ILB - Young
OLB - Ebukam

RCB - Ramsey
LCB - Long
Slot CB - Burgess
SS - Rap
FS - Johnson

This gives them speed and power all through this package. With that front 4 there won't be a need to blitz. Ebukam is very good setting an edge and coverage in the flats. Young has speed and coverage skills. Staley can play man coverage because the QB isn't going to have much time and he will be throwing into man coverage.

In their base early package, Burgess goes out, Kiser returns and Brockers replaces Lewis. They still have speed in their LBs and power on the d-line. Staley really won't need a dime package if Young is coached up on his pass defense. He has excellent length and DB speed (4.6). He can match up with RBs and TEs with his size and speed. His time in Baltimore showed that Young has some coverage skills.

Kenny Young has some good skills. In his time with Baltimore, he was a parttime player really only playing significant snaps in 2018. but he left there with these stats:

369 snaps on defense.
51 tackles w/ 41 of them solo
2.5 sacks, 7 QB hits, 1 PD, & 1 FF

If Young can improve his coverage skills he could be an absolute steal as an ILB who plays like a 2nd SS. No doubt Staley has tremendous flexibility with this roster. I don't think he needs to be as exotic as people might think. He has enough talent in his starters and versatility in key rotational players he doesn't have to. This defense simply needs to play fast and execute the scheme.

Fuck you, Clay. How about you give the fans the money from your contract, since you sucked so much with us?

Even if he was available, I wouldn't take him. He's got so many character issues that he makes Burfict look like a saint. (And not the New Orleans type of saint.)

That's a cool coincidence dude!

It is a small world.
I had a fairly long uber ride from the 3 rivers area in Pittsburgh to the airport and just talking with the driver, he asked if I watch football, I said I do, he said his 1st cousin
was drafted in the 1st round that year and the whole family are all so excited for him. I asked if he meant Donald (I knew he must) I told him I was a huge Rams fan, I knew who Aaron Donald was and all the Rams fans are excited about getting him. The driver said we will love him. He was going to be our favorite player. He will work hard enough to be great, and won't stop until he gets there. Talked more about his uncle, Aarons dad and even working out in the dungeon with them. It was awesome. He never called him Donald or AD or anything. He referred to them as Aaron or Uncle Arch.

It was like 5am and usually I would have put in my ear buds and not sparked up a conversation with the uber driver but I was so glad I did and every year that memory gets cooler as Donald just continues to prove his cousin right.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/04/30/nfl-draft-rams-jordan-fuller-texts-mcvay-snead/


McVay and Snead got texts from coaches, GMs about Jordan Fuller pick
Cameron DaSilva


Despite taking a safety in the third round, the Los Angeles Rams circled back to the position on Day 3 by selecting Jordan Fuller out of Ohio State. He joins fellow rookie Terrell Burgess as the newest safeties in the secondary, backing up starters Taylor Rapp and John Johnson.
It may have seemed illogical for the Rams to take two safeties with Rapp and Johnson already as the starters, but they couldn’t pass up the chance to add a leader like Fuller. He’s a two-time captain and an Academic All-American, which piqued the interest of Les Snead and Sean McVay.
“We had done a safety earlier. These two are different skill sets,” Snead said on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week. “Terrell could go down and do an element of nickel. Jordan’s probably more of your old school free on the backend. Did a nice job tackling and we felt like it definitely matched up with a lot of Taylor Rapp’s and John Johnson’s skill set. So couldn’t pass on Jordan based on a lot of things.”
They weren’t the only ones who were intrigued by Fuller, either. Snead said he and McVay got texts from other coaches and GMs after the Rams drafted Fuller, complimenting them on the pick.
“He’s one of those guys where it’s always like, you know you picked a football favorite when it’s the sixth round and you make a pick and whether it’s Sean was sharing with me head coaches texting him, ‘Hey, love that pick.’ Same with myself, GMs and personnel guys: ‘Hey, love that pick,’” Snead said. “What’s always interesting when you’re getting those, you like that, right? A little confirmation bias. ‘OK, we made the right pick, this is good.’ But then you’re looking like, why is he still in the sixth round?”


To answer Snead’s last question, it has to do with Fuller’s limited potential due to his athleticism. While he’s a smart player who’s good at diagnosing plays, he doesn’t have the speed to consistently patrol the deep middle as a true free safety. He ran a 4.67 40-yard dash, which isn’t a terrible time, but it did hurt his stock a bit.
That being said, his football intelligence is off the charts and undoubtedly his best trait.
“Take the football player out of it and he was probably up there as definitely one of the gold medalists in terms of football intangibles going into this draft,” Snead said. “And we always try to rank the guys that seem to be – a lot of players are in the ‘A’ range, but this guy was fighting for that valedictorian spot in terms of football intangibles.”
Fuller will have to fight for a roster spot first on special teams before he gets a chance to contribute on defense. Rapp and Johnson will be the starter for at least next season, with Burgess likely as the No. 3 and nickel back. But in 2021, Johnson will be a free agent, and it’s possible the team will continue its trend of letting its homegrown defensive backs walk.
If that’s the case, Fuller could have a chance to be the future at free safety in L.A.

Most know I love CDPA's. Snead has done an outstanding job in this element of his job description.

I will ensure I make a special note in Les Snead's 2020 Job Performance Appraisal when I sit down with him @ my desk & let him know what I expect in the future in this area & his 2021 PIP (Performance Improvement Plan).

IMO the Robinson signing is huge for our new DC Brandon Staley. Having three veteran DL'ers starting (one is the MVP of the NFL) should bring havoc & concerns to all our opponents OC's. The NT post was normally a weak spot last season. Snead/McVay fixed this issue.

Rams could come up with the same or even better projection for the 2022 draft with the below listed pending UFA's:
Cooper Kupp with a market value of $19.4 million.
Jalen Ramsey with a market value of $14.3 million.
Leonard Floyd with a market value of $13.9 million.

Other starters worth strong mentions:
3 yr starting safety John Johnson III.
2 yr starting OLB Samson Ebukam.
3 yr starting IOL Austin Blythe.
Starting CB Troy Hill, Josh Reynolds & talented TE Gerald Everett.

So Ram said:

What are your thoughts on X. Jones ??

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Memento said:

I think that Corbett has the best chance to be a center on our roster - Blythe aside. But Anchrum could easily be a solid backup over, say, Shelton. Allen is up in the air; if he's lost weight due to Covid-19, he might struggle to make the roster...but I'd still put him on the practice squad, if I could (unless he's not eligible, and I'm wrong again, haha.)

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You know my thoughts here on this I would go with what we built on over the last half of 2019 that what the OL learned from working together during that period of time in actual stressful games conditions is priceless value moving forward......and Austin Corbett was the blind side OG starter.

I do not see Brian Allen ever being considered as a PS candidate. BA was Kromer's pick to be his starter @ OC 2019, with Kromer having full knowledge that he was placing an enormous amount of weight & stress on Allen where he was surrounded with a total inexperienced LG & the smallest NFL RG in the NFL on the right. In hindsight, it was a master plan for failure!

That noted....RG starter David Edwards as a rookie really glowed for 3 games @ the LG post too. All of Edwards past play experience was @ RT. Edwards could yet be a better LG than RG over the next 3 yrs of his contract too. If by the end of this season rookie Tremayne Anchrum has made great strides & ends up being a 2020 steal (which @ the moment he may be) & is the kind of OL'er @ RG that he was @ RT in college then Edwards could be freed up for 2021 starter @ LG. Tremayne Anchrum challenge is to be better in TC & Preseason than Chandler Brewer, Brian Allen & Coleman Shelton @ several OL positions. Tremayne Anchrum @ this early time is sure to see cross-training @ RG/ RT & LG. That left side will be uncharted territory for him.

If indeed Corbett (is what you & many others believe he is) has the best skills & abilities of all current Ram OL'ers signed for 2021, then with the departure of this yrs projected starter Austin Blythe......Corbett might indeed earned (after 2 seasons as our starting LG) get his shot to be our young starting center in 2021 & beyond. Should I mention that Corbett came into the NFL as the same size as center John Sullivan was 6-4 310 in 2017. I am sure we all like to see that size introduced back in @ OC.

RamFan503 said:

FIFY

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#FACTS

My Cowboys absolutely killed this draft, all while taking 2 players the eagles fans really wanted. They mad!!

I wanna file a grievance for Clay mailing it in last year. Good riddance.

RamsOfCastamere said:

Run 21+ does not mean you're a sub 4.4 guy. Those stats just mean the others may not have reached their top speed. For example, was Leonard Fournette really a 4.3 guy? He has speed, but we can look at the tape and see he's closer to 4.5

View attachment 36001

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Right. What it means is that although VJ may not run an actual 40 time as fast as some of these guys, his playing speed is better.. most likely due to his precision route running and techniques used to get off the line. that is why I always say "route running trumps speed". Unless a guy is on;y going to run straight routes and nobody in his way ... running a 4.3 doesn't always matter much lol.

LoyalRam said:

and he takes poor angles with piss poor tackling technique

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Exactly. Cut the bum now.

Merlin said:

Well one thing's for sure... If I do end up being wrong I can count on you to keep score and let me know.

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Right on Merlin feel the same. In the end it will be about The Rams winning.

I’ve always drank to much of Kool-aide. Les Snead has had his ups & downs.

If there has been a draft MCSNEAD really F”D up it was 2018 & The Rams still went to The SuperBowl.

One thing that would have been cool, but now is TOTALLY F”d UP is Trent Williams being traded.

To think Demoff F”d up & Snead was apart of it as well with signing Gurley to a long term contract. Don’t understand it,but maybe Aaron Donald had something to do with it because of his 2 years of holding out ?
My point then & now is you don’t give into the player for the betterment of the team.

Memento said:

Everett will cost too much. And yeah, Hopkins could definitely flash as a receiving threat. I think he needs to improve blocking, like I said. So a guy like Blanton, a bigger player than Mundt, at 6'4", 260 lbs., could definitely thrive as a blocker, and he was a decent receiver in the preseason.

So I'd still put Higbee and Everett in the 12 formation, with Blanton in 13.

Hopkins could go into the slot for obvious passing downs for now, but personally, I think he needs to be completely rewired in his blocking; like I mentioned in his own thread, I felt that he was as soft as a baby sea otter's ass. He needs to become like Higbee: a fucking wolverine in all stages of the game.

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well even Tyler Higbee went through his growing pains. Pound for pound Gerald Everett has done a good job blocking. Mundt improved his game,but I believe the injury to Everett held The Rams back a little. Then again talk about a coming out party as a receiver with Higbee.
Higbee used to get blown up his rookie season, especially for a guy his size.

—Kromer does a good job with the TE’s with refining there blocking skills. Will see how Phillips does with the TE’s again in 2020. The Rams must have liked the upside of Hopkins.

oldnotdead said:

I could be wrong but I don't think the roster expands until they move to the 17 game season. The real change I know that will be implemented this year is the expansion of the active gameday roster by 2 players and the requirement that at least one of those 2 is an o-lineman. Normally teams only carry 8 o-line as they activate 7 on gamedays. This means all o-line will be active on gamedays or they will now carry 9 on the active roster.

Because of the truncated season and the fact they may be playing games without spectators, the word I'm hearing is that the NFL is considering that the roster changes won't take effect until next year. I think everything is in flux and the teams might not want to spend the money on expanded rosters if they won't have fans in the stadium. That's millions of dollars they won't get each week. So I'm going by the normal 53 until they finalize what is going to happen.

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The truncated season may impact, but I was under the belief (which could be mistaken) that the initial plan was to bump roster sizes this year.

Rams77 said:

What cant this guy do?! I just wish the Rams would have won that SB for him

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They will!