NFL Week 9 - Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023

LATE GAMES
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers: 4:05 p.m., CBS
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders: 4:25 p.m., FOX
Dallas Cowboys at Philidelphia Eagles: 4:25 p.m. FOX

MEGA EARLY
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs: 9:30 a.m., NFL Network (from Frankfurt, Germany)

EARLY GAMES
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens: 1 p.m., CBS
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns: 1 p.m., CBS
Tampa Bay Buccanneers at Houston Texans: 1 p.m., CBS
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints: 1 p.m., CBS
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons: 1 p.m., FOX
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers: 1 p.m., FOX
Washington Commodes at New England Patriots: 1 p.m., FOX

SNF
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock

Monday, Nov. 6, 2023

Los Angeles Chargers vs. New York Jets: 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC, WatchESPN

———

ALREADY PLAYED

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers: 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video

NFL Week 9 - Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023

MEGA EARLY
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs: 9:30 a.m., NFL Network (from Frankfurt, Germany)

EARLY GAMES
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens: 1 p.m., CBS
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns: 1 p.m., CBS
Tampa Bay Buccanneers at Houston Texans: 1 p.m., CBS
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints: 1 p.m., CBS
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons: 1 p.m., FOX
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers: 1 p.m., FOX
Washington Commodes at New England Patriots: 1 p.m., FOX

LATE GAMES
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers: 4:05 p.m., CBS
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders: 4:25 p.m., FOX
Dallas Cowboys at Philidelphia Eagles: 4:25 p.m. FOX

SNF
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock

Monday, Nov. 6, 2023

Los Angeles Chargers vs. New York Jets: 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC, WatchESPN

———

ALREADY PLAYED

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers: 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Does Caleb have the mental makeup/fortitude to carry the burden of Franchise Savior?

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In college, the coach can make his players unavailable for interviews after games, like after Utah.
I don't think coaches can protect players like that in the NFL.

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Here is to a great game with no injuries and bad officiating. I don’t think we’re going to win as we’re a bad team. It has been a tough season for both of us.

We have a GREAT football schedule on tap for tomorrow, starting bright and early…

Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023

MEGA EARLY
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs: 9:30 a.m., NFL Network (from Frankfurt, Germany)

EARLY GAMES
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens: 1 p.m., CBS
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns: 1 p.m., CBS
Tampa Bay Buccanneers at Houston Texans: 1 p.m., CBS
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints: 1 p.m., CBS
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons: 1 p.m., FOX
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers: 1 p.m., FOX
Washington Commodes at New England Patriots: 1 p.m., FOX

LATE GAMES
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers: 4:05 p.m., CBS
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders: 4:25 p.m., FOX
Dallas Cowboys at Philidelphia Eagles: 4:25 p.m. FOX

SNF
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock

Monday, Nov. 6, 2023

Los Angeles Chargers vs. New York Jets: 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC, WatchESPN

———

ALREADY PLAYED

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers: 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video

Remember, not BEST, your own personal FAVORITES (judgment-free zone)
You can put 3, 5, 10 or 20 or whatever you want. I do 20.

1. The Squid And The Whale.
2. The Ice Storm.
3. Annie Hall.
4. Deconstructing Harry.
5. Boogie Nights.
6. A Walk On The Moon.
7. The Big Chill.
8. Outside Providence.
9. Animal House
10. Pulp Fiction.
11. Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood
12. Slums Of Beverly Hills.
13. Forrest Gump.
14. The Godfather.
15. The Godfather Part II.
16. Goodfellas.
17. This Is Spinal Tap.
18. Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
19. Crimes And Misdemeanors.
20. Big Fan

That year is going to be a huge test for this franchise. Will their plans for the future be vindicated or will it be a year of question marks?

The big 3 superstars on this team look to retire in 2025. Stafford, Kupp, and Donald will probably retire in that year. It will make a hell of a HOF class for the Rams in 2030.

QB1 TBD: I think the Rams draft Stafford's successor in 2024 and I think that has been their master plan since they extended Matt. I think Penix or Nix have to be high on their wish list because they both are fits for McVay's style of offense.

WR1: Nacua is already looking like a very able replacement for Kupp. He's modeled his game after Kupp while he was still in college and now he's being mentored by him.

DT: Turner is looking like a very able replacement for AD. He's playing out of position a lot this year at NT but the talent is clear.

I think they draft their new #1RB next year as well. Someone like Notre Dame Audric Estime in the late 3rd or even 4th round. He's 5'11" weighs 227 and times at 4.47. He also can catch. I suppose what I like about the kid is he's a grinder who isn't flashy but will get those tough yards, something this offense lacks. If they aren't going to get the take it to the house explosive RB then get that guy that will keep the chains moving. That was the value of Michel. The Rams might not have that Lombardi if it wasn't for him.

The OL will be seasoned and they could have new OT's from 2024 onwards. I think the jury is still out on Jackson as a franchise LT. I pegged him before TC as a RT and still think that would be his best fit. That said his ego might not allow him to make the transition. Noteboom's health would be the only issue with him at either OT position. I think their IOL is set with Avila, Shelton and Dotson.

If Atwell can continue his trajectory he will be a starter in the slot or at Z. I think they will be drafting a WR in 2024 to be that third starter in 2025.

Defensively, I don't see Morris as DC in 2024. I think Pleasant replaces him and Lake takes over the DBs. I see them returning to the 3-4 hybrid one gap front 7. They will be solid at safety but it's TBD at CB. I can see Witherspoon on one side, perhaps Durant opposite him with Tomlinson at SCB. The problem with Durant in Morris' scheme is Durant is a man coverage style CB not a zone CB. I can see Pleasant returning to a mixture of man and zone coverages. They probably will be a top 12 defensive unit.

Outlook: the Rams should be a contender from 2025 going forward.

Hate to bring this score up again but there was a thread here that noted that was the first time in NFL history that score was recorded.

But what got by me is the day before, the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators, yep, 43-20. Numerology and coincidence never cease to amaze me.

The Rams seem to be very successful with their use of analytics. By many accounts they are a leader in measuring player attributes to NFL level attributes with deep data. I think our late round success in the draft supports they have something going here.

The secret sauce appears combining those physical traits to character traits.

At this point I think we all agree… Our use of analytics seems really strong and important to the organization.

If they are good at draft analytics, it would make sense that they would be good at game day analytics as well. Right?

I posted this video before but it didn’t go anywhere. This video pretty much demonstrates with data you should “never run the ball”.

The league is a passing league.

I put this topic up because there is frustration with McVay’s fascination passing the ball. The data suggests thats the way to move the ball the most. Pass, pass, pass.

You got to watch at least 6 min to get the point. THE ENTIRE VIDEO IS WORTH IT.

The main point of the video is pay vs performance at the RB position. He makes a slam dunk point there.

Should make good discussion.

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Les Snead’s lack of vision has hurt the Rams offense​

brockvierra
Thu, Nov 2, 2023, 10:10 AM PDT·4 min read
3


It goes without saying that Les Snead is one of the best general managers in the NFL. The Super Bowl champ is known for his big trades that brought Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, and Von Miller to L.A. but the foundation for his championship squad was built through the draft. Yes, we know about the importance of adding talent in different ways but the selections of Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp were critical in their success. It was a team supplemented by Day 2 and 3 picks like Rob Havenstein, Van Jefferson, Jordan Fuller, and Greg Gaines, amongst others who helped the Rams get over the line. However, since then, the Rams’ offense has performed below standard for the past two years. Let’s take a look at why.

The first problem starts with the offensive line. Obviously, we know that since Andrew Whitworth retired, Snead’s solutions to the left tackle position have not lived up to expectations. The problem was that outside of Rob Haverstein, Whitworth’s replacement, Joe Noteboom, was arguably the best lineman on the team. The interior of the offensive line has remained a mess and it seems that in the past four years, Snead has failed to address it. Yes, he drafted Steve Avila, who looks like a home run pick, but one can not ignore the multiple misses that might’ve caused Stafford to go from Super Bowl champ to chronically injured. Players like Creed Humphrey, Daniel Faalele, and Jamaree Salyer were available but didn’t fancy Snead’s taste. More importantly, Snead’s refusal to bring in veteran players to supplement the struggling line is both uncharacteristic and unacceptable.

Quite frankly, he doesn’t value interior linemen. He’s given big deals to Whitworth and Havenstein but Snead believes that he’s able to replace linemen on the cheap, allowing him the resources to spend money elsewhere. Since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles, Snead let stud linemen such as Rodger Saffold Austin Corbett go after the Rams’ Super Bowl runs and has yet to see the individual production of their replacements match what those two did.
However, the offensive line isn’t the only issue. When we think of legendary wide receiver groups, we notice a pattern. Each receiver brings a different element to the room that causes mismatch nightmares for defenses. The 1999 Rams are a prime example. They had the route-running specialist in Isaac Bruce, the target man that can outshake and out-muscle DBs in Torrey Holt, the slot threat in Ricky Proehl and the speedster in Az-Zahir Hakim.

Snead hasn’t done a good job supplementing Kupp with talent that attacks in different ways. Puka Nacua is similar to Kupp, and Van Jefferson is gone and Ben Skowronek continues to be ineffective. Tutu Atwell is a different type of receiver with his speed.
The Rams could’ve drafted DK Metcalf or Dionte Johnson but picked Taylor Rapp instead. They could’ve had Terry McLaurin but went with Darrell Henderson Jr. The irritating part is that when the Rams won the Super Bowl, Kupp was complemented by Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr, two receivers that bring something different for the QB to use.

The last part has been the Rams’ approach to the running back position since the departure of Todd Gurley. Listen, I get it. You spent a lot of money on him. You didn’t feel like you got a good return on your investment. I understand. However, since the Rams realized Cam Akers’ Achilles injury in 2021 would mean that they would have to search for another running back, they’ve gone with boring, conservative selections that seem to align with their plan to attack the salary cap instead of building a fearsome rushing attack. Players like Henderson, Jake Funk and Zach Evans haven’t impressed, and Kyren Williams feels like what an average running back looks like. No pop, no pizzaz. Just inside runs.

Long story short, in the post-Super Bowl era, Snead has not done enough to address the offense. Yes, he made some excellent decisions to draft some young, promising defenders but his lack of firepower on offense has directly contributed to the Rams’ lack of success. The 2024 offseason scouting plans and ideas for acquisitions must have an offensive focus or you could kiss another year goodbye.

I know this is years-ago water under the bridge for GSOT Rams fans…but looks like a bunch of Big Ten NCAA coaches feel exactly where us Rams fans were coming from when it comes to the signal stealing shit.

Derion Kendrick has had a rough go of it in his second year with the Los Angeles Rams. In seven starts (and eight appearances) this season, Kendrick has accounted for the fourth-most penalty yards given up among all players in the NFL.

Kendrick is tied with Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor for the fourth-most penalty yards (70). On the other hand, he’s tied for the second-most penalties called on him (7) with Jerry Jacobs of the Detroit Lions.



Through the first eight weeks, PFF has given Kendrick an overall coverage grade of 55.6. The second-year cornerback is also coming off arguably his worst game of the season, allowing six receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown on seven targets against the Dallas Cowboys.

Mistakes were expected to occur in the secondary for the Rams this season as they have a largely inexperienced group. But for Kendrick, there haven’t been many positives to outweigh the negative mistakes as we approach the midway point of the season.


Out of the first eight games, Kendrick has committed at least one penalty in five, and he’s registered eight missed tackles. With the Rams trying to decipher who can be long-term fixtures in the secondary, Kendrick will need to perform better down the stretch if he wants to remain a starter.

Story originally appeared on Rams Wire

Thursday Night Football - November 02, 2023
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
08:15pm ET Amazon Prime

RamsOnDemand Sportsbook:

Tough old bird for sure and not everyone's cup of tea. RIP...

Here are some choices available when he was chosen. Stetson had a pre-draft grade of 43.

TV broadcast map for Packers vs. Rams in Week 9 of 2023 season​

Zach Kruse
Wed, Nov 1, 2023, 7:36 AM PDT·1 min read
3


The Green Bay Packers (2-5) will welcome the Los Angeles Rams (3-5) to Lambeau Field for a Week 9 matchup that will be broadcast to many of the big markets around the country on FOX.
Kickoff from Green Bay is scheduled for noon. Adam Amin and Daryl Johnston will be on the call for FOX.
There are two conflicts, including one affecting parts of Wisconsin. The Minnesota Vikings play the Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Commodesplay the New England Patriots in the same time slot on FOX, so the map is split three ways. Viewers in parts of Northwestern Wisconsin will get Vikings-Falcons because they are in the Minneapolis TV market.
Viewing markets in Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Kansas City will get Packers vs. Rams.
Here’s the television coverage map for Packers-Rams, via 506sports.com:

The game can also be seen on NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTubeTV. The radio broadcast is available through the Packers Radio Network or online streaming at Packers.com.

1. I'm back from a few days off the grid.

2. See what happens when I leave for a few days?

3. The Rams have lost 5 games this year, but Sunday was the first true debacle. No part of the team (other than Aaron Donald, perhaps) played well. Just a series of mistakes by an unproductive offense, porous defense and mistake-prone special teams unit. Nothing really here for me to analyze at this point, it's been done to death here already.

4. While the extreme disappointment of fans does not surprise me, I am a bit baffled by how extreme it becomes after a couple of consecutive losses. For the record...

5. No, Matthew Stafford is not done.

6. No, replacing Sean McVay is not a good idea.

7. No, a fire-sale of our veteran talent before yesterday's trade deadline would not have been a good idea.

8. No, it's not time to give up on this season or "tank" for a higher draft pick.

9. The truth is, the Rams are still a playoff contender. I would put good money on at least one 9-8 team making it in the NFC, and the Rams can reach that mark.

10. This week could be key. Getting to 4-5 before the bye would be huge. It would allow the Rams to heal up for a stretch run that has many winnable games on the schedule.

11. As I write this, Stafford is still "day to day." Like many, I'm torn. If the Rams could steal a victory at Green Bay without him, thereby allowing him to heal up over multiple weeks, that would be ideal.

12. I'm guessing he'll play.

13. A win would also be huge for the confidence of a young team.

14. Last Sunday was horrible, but things are tough all over. KC lost to Denver? SF is on a three game losing streak? The same Cowboys who just blew us out lost by 32 to SF and also lost to the Cardinals? The point is... a full season defines a team. A game or two... maybe just an anomaly.

15. I'm still bullish for this team's future. However this season turns out, there is enough young talent gaining valuable experience to form a solid foundation. Next year, when that foundation intersects with our fading stars, some key FA acquisitions, and premium draft picks, look out.

16. Some are lamenting the Rams not getting in on Montez Sweat or Chase Young. Of the two, I would have preferred Sweat. With both, though, its not hard to see why the Rams did not wish to give up draft capital for a player who is going to demand big money this offseason. Better to find another Byron Young in the draft.

17. Young seems like a rental for SF. I'm betting he signs elsewhere this offseason.

18. For continuity's sake, I'll name an offensive and defensive player of the week. Darrell Henderson gets the nod (by default) on offense, and Donald on defense.

19. Chin up, guys... there's still a lot of football to be played this year!

20. I'll try not to leave again. Clearly, you guys need me.

McDaniels and Ziegler OUT.

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Why don't the Rams play a base 5-2

DL
Hampton W9
Hoecht 5T
Turner 1T
Donald 3T
Young W9

LBs Jones, Rozeboom

CBs Witherspoon and Durant
Safeties Lake and Yeast

Nickel pull Rozeboom, play Ojemudia or Tomlinson

This gives them speed off the edges, and power inside. It resolves their inability to play contain. Play safeties left and right with alternating one dropping into the intermediate zone. QBs do more damage throwing into that middle zone than deep outside with slants and crossers. So they are playing man outside and zone inside. I've seen it used situationally and it works. The Rams have the personnel to play it and they have the need to set edges on both sides.

Running inside against Donald, Turner and Jones isn't easy. Rozeboom gives support to either edge or takes away the short zone. Raheem needs to get creative and quit trotting out the same looks over and over again. He's not disguising or fooling anyone.

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This is out of left field but again why are we going for these guys? There are bettwler options available. Unless we are trying to talk for somebody?

I know we are looking forward to next year, but this signing really does show me that they don't give a shit about this season and are just "trying to make it through"

Adding Wolford to your active 53. If I had to watch him stink it up in a Rams Uni again I'd have to bleach my eyeballs.

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Fuck me….

Click here and bet to make a Tuesday night more fun:

....drives, that is <edit: click the blue link, not the "watch on youtube" panel>
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The Bears gave him permission to seek a trade. He is in his contract year. I’d like Snead to try to work out a deal to trade and sign him.

If he won’t sign then get him for a later round pick. He’s better than Kendrick.