Here they are!

LINK

Report: Drew Brees Eyed by Amazon for 'QBs Only' Thursday Night Football Megacast​

Legendary quarterback and former NBC Sports analyst Drew Brees reportedly could have a new broadcast home this fall.

According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Brees is "being eyed" by Amazon Prime Video to be one of the members of a "Quarterbacks Only" megacast of Thursday Night Football.

McCarthy added that "nothing is finalized" and the QBs-only telecast is just one of "multiple ideas" under consideration at the moment.

Brees spent just one season as NFL and college football analyst for NBC. The two sides mutually parted ways in May. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported that NBC had "soured" on Brees' potential after initially viewing him as a potential successor to Sunday Night Football lead analyst Cris Collinsworth.

Joining an alternate telecast would give Brees the chance to ease his way back into television after his first go-around was viewed as underwhelming. But he also still has the option to become a game analyst for Fox Sports after Troy Aikman's departure to ESPN for Monday Night Football.

Legendary announcer Al Michaels will be joined by Kirk Herbstreit on the main broadcast of TNF. The tentative plan for the QBs-only simulcast reportedly is for it to run for 4-6 weeks. McCarthy stated that there could be up to three different megacasts for 4-6 games throughout the regular season.

However, Amazon is reportedly trying to coax Pat McAfee into hosting his own alternate telecast as well. Per McCarthy, the company sees the former Indianapolis Colts punter as "the kind of talent who can attract top-notch guests a la ESPN2’s ManningCast with Peyton and Eli Manning." The plans for other megacasts apparently won't move forward until a decision is made by McAfee.

Amazon Prime's exclusive coverage of TNF will begin Sept. 15. The current coverage team includes Charissa Thompson, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.

Reggie Jackson hit a transformer on the roof of Tiger Stadium in the 1971 All Star Game with a monumental blast off of Doc Ellis. It didn't count in his career stats but none-the-less, he hit 563 homers. Just one of 17 players to eclipse the 500 homer mark in the last 51 years. At the time of Reggie's All Star Game homer, there were 9 players with 500 career homers.

Ruth with 714
Mays 642
Aaron 616
Mantle 536
Foxx 534
Teddy Ballgame 521
Eddie Matthews 512
Mel Ott 511
Ernie Banks 510

Two guys would join that club later in the year, bringing the total to 11. Harmon Killebrew on August 10th and Frank Robinson on September 13th. In the first 51 years after Babe Ruth made the home run fashionable in 1920, 11 ballplayers amassed 500. In the next 51 years, 17 more would do it. Some of them with a little help. As a young Yankee fan, I was amazed that of the top 11 home run hitters, 3 wore pinstripes. Ruth, Mantle and Gehrig (493). 500, 600 and 700 are all magical marks but there are some pretty good players....hall of famers.....with 450 or more including. Musial, Stargell, Winfield and Yaz.

Surprises - do they ever work out?? HA!! Got my wife this zip up hoodie -
The size is XL - but it must run small... according to my wife. I didn't argue.

Fanatics takes most things back, for 365 days. Key word: most.
If anyone wants this for, say $35 - I'll put it in the mail to you. Hit me up.
Not worn; tags still attached.

Los Angeles Rams Antigua Women's Victory Full-Zip Hoodie - Charcoal​

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I'll be interested to watch the NFL top 100 too coming up soon to see where Stafford, AD, and Kupp rank.

All you old bastids like @Loyal yelling for the NFL to get off your lawn, get ready for some new looks:

Nothing in the way of new threads so I thought I'd start one.

What was your favorite regular season play? (no playoffs, SB).

Mine was Terrell Lewis knocking the snot out of Rob Gronkowski in week 3.

I'd like to hear yours.

Jalen Ramsey sparks Twitter discussion with Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib​

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is known to be outspoken when it comes to his place among the NFL's elite. Coming off his first Super Bowl, the corner's latest claim to greatness takes a look at his accolades six years into his career.

On Friday, Ramsey took to Twitter to question if any other corner in league history achieved three first-team and five Pro Bowl selections at the position in his first six seasons. He believed that only two other players in league history have met that mark, but only one has. Former Buffalo Bills corner Butch Byrd is the only other corner with such a résumé, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Byrd played seven seasons for Buffalo, where he was a three-time first-team All-AFL selection and five-time AFL All-Star.

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Cornerback Richard Sherman, who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and suited up for short stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joined the Twitter dialogue with his résumé for his first six seasons compared to Ramsey's. He also suggested Minnesota Vikings defensive back Patrick Peterson be considered for this discussion. Later in the conversation, Sherman praised Ramsey, calling him "the standard" for secondary players.

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Ramsey's former teammate Aqib Talib wanted to compare stats as well. Although he had more interceptions and touchdowns in his first six years, he didn't eclipse Ramsey in Pro Bowl honors, All-Pro nods and Super Bowls.

All Ramsey wants is for people to respect greatness when they see it.

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Ramsey and the Rams' quest to defend their Super Bowl title begins on July 23 when training camp starts.

LINK
NFL Teams That Are Failing Their Rebuild Plans
The Cincinnati Bengals provided a glimmer of hope for all NFL teams that are in rebuilding mode.

Just one season after finishing 4-11-1, the Bengals found themselves in the Super Bowl thanks to an offseason in which they got Joe Burrow healthy, drafted wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and utilized free agency to upgrade their defense.

In a league that strives for parity, they were an example of how a focused rebuilding plan can cause a team to make a huge leap.

Some organizations have done a good job of showing a coherent plan to turn things around. The New York Giants, for instance, hired a coach in Brian Daboll who could get the most out of running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver Kenny Golladay and quarterback Daniel Jones while bulking up in the trenches through the draft.

Others have made moves that make you question where their rebuilds are headed. Things might get worse before they get better for these five teams.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers' spot on this list isn't exactly about the quarterback situation.

In a vacuum, the deal the team made for Baker Mayfield is a good move. If Mayfield can return to his 2020 form, he's easily the best quarterback on the roster.

The Panthers got him Wednesday for a conditional fifth-round pick and still got the Browns to pay $10.5 million of his salary, per Mike Garofolo of the NFL Network.

The problems in the rebuild come from management and coaching.

Matt Rhule should absolutely be on the hot seat. He is entering his third year as head coach with back-to-back five-win seasons on his resume. Joseph Person of The Athletic reported owner David Tepper is "unhappy and embarrassed" about the seven-year, $62 million contract he gave the former Baylor and Temple head coach.

And this time, Rhule's staff is even less exciting.

Ben McAdoo will replace the talented Joe Brady as offensive coordinator. McAdoo hasn't coordinated a top-10 offense since the 2014 and '15 campaigns with Eli Manning under center for the New York Giants.

You can make the argument the offensive line will be improved. It was downright bad in 2021, but Ikem Ekwonu, Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett give the unit enough new blood to creep closer to average.

But slightly better quarterback play and an improved offensive line might be negated by the defense.

The Carolina D helped keep the team in some games last season. The unit tied for third in yards allowed per play (5.1). However, losing cornerback Stephon Gilmore, outside linebacker Haason Reddick and defense tackle DaQuan Jones leaves the Panthers with important roles to fill.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears seem to be splitting their rebuilding efforts during the 2022 offseason.

On one hand, they are clearly trying to tear down the roster. New general manager Ryan Poles and new head coach Matt Eberflus are trying to build the team in their image.

They traded Khalil Mack, watched Akiem Hicks, James Daniels and Allen Robinson walk in free agency and could still wind up trading All-Pro pass-rusher Robert Quinn.

On the other, the quarterback of the future might be on the roster, and they aren't maximizing that window.

Justin Fields has to be considered one of the biggest losers of the offseason. He has a blossoming No. 1 receiver in Darnell Mooney, but there isn't much depth. The Bears are betting on Byron Pringle, who was a complementary piece for the Kansas City Chiefs, and third-round rookie Velus Jones Jr. to make a big impact in 2022.

It's hard to say the Bears got better on the offensive line either. They could be starting 2022 fifth-round selection Braxton Jones at left tackle, per Larry Mayer of the team's website.

There's bound to be growing pains for him there. Overall, the unit is ranked 31st in Pro Football Focus' preseason rankings.

If the Bears didn't have Fields, essentially stripping down the roster and looking to 2023 would make sense. The problem is they do have Fields and aren't putting him in a position to see if he can be the guy in 2022.

Houston Texans

There are certainly things to like about the Houston Texans rebuild. Namely, the haul they were able to get in return for Deshaun Watson.

The franchise dealt a quarterback who didn't want to be there and is awaiting the results of a disciplinary hearing by the NFL after 24 women filed lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual assault or misconduct during massage sessions.

Watson, who has denied the allegations against him, has settled 20 of the 24 lawsuits. The league is pushing for a suspension of at least one year, per Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press.

The Texans got three first-round picks as well as a third-rounder and two fourth-rounders from the Cleveland Browns in the Watson deal.

But those selections will not help turn the franchise around unless Houston drafts the right players.

The 2022 class hasn't played a down yet, but there's reason to be skeptical. Derek Stingley Jr. has the potential to be a shutdown corner, but he only played in three games his final season at LSU because of a foot injury and gave up a passer rating of 128.1, per PFF.

Then the Texans took Kenyon Green with their second first-round pick. The guard has some impressive tape, but he ranked No. 42 on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's final big board.

The risk-taking continued in the second round when they took John Metchie III from Alabama. Metchie was 94th on the B/R board and is coming off a torn ACL suffered in the SEC Championship Game.

The Texans clearly went with the high-risk, high-reward approach. They tried to hit multiple home runs for a franchise that desperately just needs some singles and doubles.

Jacksonville Jaguars

To be fair to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they will almost certainly be better than last year.

Replacing Urban Meyer with Doug Pederson returns them to some sense of normalcy. The Meyer era was marked by reports of constant friction between the former Ohio State coach and his coaches and players.

Pederson brings a level of professionalism and credibility that should at least make the Jaguars feel like a professional football team again.

That's where the good might end, though.

The Jaguars were the biggest spenders in free agency. They handed out over $328 million this offseason, per Over the Cap.

A lot of that money went to players who will be expected to take on larger roles than what they did with their former teams.

Christian Kirk (four years, $72 million) will be expected to be the No. 1 receiver despite having just one season with more than 75 catches and not eclipsing 1,000 yards in any of his first four campaigns. Evan Engram has the sixth-highest cap hit at tight end in 2022. He hasn't topped 700 yards since his rookie campaign in 2017.

Paying a premium to get talent when you are a rebuilding franchise is one thing. Overpaying mid-tier players hoping to get premium production is wishful thinking.

Putting second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence behind an offensive line that ranks 26th in PFF's preseason rankings and hoping players like Kirk, Engram and Zay Jones can all have the best seasons of their careers isn't a sound plan.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints round out this list because they may be the only team that doesn't realize they should be/are rebuilding.

In the last two years, the Saints have lost quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Asshole Face, and star receiver Michael Thomas missed a season-and-a-half because of an ankle injury.

The team won single-digit games for the first time in the last five seasons, going 9-8 in 2021.

With Payton retiring, it was the perfect opportunity to bring in a coach from outside of the organization, start clearing the books to create future cap space and focusing on rebuilding for a time when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers no longer have Tom Brady and the NFC South is wide-open.

Instead, the Saints kept their coaching hire in-house, kicked the financial can down the road once more and made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to give themselves two 2022 first-round picks while surrendering future draft capital.

Dennis Allen is an excellent defensive coordinator with a long history in New Orleans, but he went 8-28 as a head coach with the Raiders from 2012 through Week 4 of 2014. There's reason to wonder if he will be able to guide the Saints to the same successes Payton did.

Brad Spielberger of PFF recently analyzed the cap health of all 32 teams. The Saints finished last as they've continued to start every offseason well over the cap and have to do some mathematical gymnastics just to stay in the black.

The trade that sent the No. 18 overall pick, a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 seventh-round selection, a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second-rounder to the Eagles for Nos. 16, 19 and a sixth-rounder would have made sense for a team that is truly a piece or two away from contending.

The Saints aren't that kind of team with Jameis Winston at quarterback.

I just finished reconfiguring my computer room which ironically I removed my computer from.

Now I have a 50” TCL 4k 120Hz tv and PS5 (tv just got put up and was only $300 at Best Buy and it’s a damned bargain, lemme tell ya)

Problem is I used to stream the Rams on my computer. Is there a way to stream on the PS5? I’ll drop the $100 on NFL Sunday Ticket or w/e and I’ll be signing up for ExpressVPN I think later today and I’m pretty sure I can have the router use the VPN.

The goal is to watch the Rams live in 4K. I might have another alternative, but I’d like to try to work this out without having to MacGyver too much.

Help me Obi-ROD Kenobi… you’re my only hope!

There are quite a few bad trades.

But ever since we got Bobby Wagner, I keep going back to that trade where we traded back in the Second round to get Pead and a fifth round pick that was absolutely worthless instead of picking Bobby Wagner which they have stated would have been their pick if they didn't trade back.

What do you guys consider the worst trade?

How did you celebrate?

“What the hell are the Chiefs thinking?”…

Mahomes cap hit this year is $35M, before ballooning to $47, $44, and $46 the next 3 seasons.

They have $14M in cap space right now. It sort of feels like they are in a good window to press hard for another Superbowl… instead, I am looking at their WR room and wondering… “would the Rams be happy with this group?”.

I don’t think so.

They traded away a star player, Tyreek Hill, and filled in their WR corps like this;

WR1 JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR2 Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR3 Skyy Moore (R)

Tyreek is counting $6M against the cap this year in Miami. They could have fit him. Especially with $14M in available space. So why didn’t they?

The Chiefs would look a lot tougher with Tyreek in the mix… Instead it’s Smith-Schuster, Valdes-Scantling, and I-Need-A-Hyphen-too Moore.

DIFFERENCE FROM THE RAMS - Maybe we don’t break the bank for Tyreek either, but they didn’t aggressively fill their WR room to take advantage of this Superbowl window season.

And… Skyy Moore (selected with #54 pick this year)… the Chiefs got jumped on a run of receivers;

50. Tyquan Thornton, wide receiver, Baylor
51. Cameron Jurgens, offensive line, Nebraska
52. George Pickens, wide receiver, Georgia
53. Alec Pierce, wide receiver, Cincinnati
54. Skyy Moore, wide receiver, Western Michigan

Word is, they liked Pickens, ended up with Moore.

DIFFERENCE FROM THE RAMS - We get our guy. We’ve been jumped before too (Bobby Wagner) but if our team needed a WR to complete our Superbowl window we make sure we get who we want.

Thank you Rams for hitting this Superbowl window hard! We might not win it all again this year, but our leaders are giving it one hell of a try.

The Chiefs are trying too, no doubt, but they aren’t hitting it like we are. Look at their WR room.

.

1. Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams​

Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 7
Age: 27 | Last year's ranking: 1

Ramsey dominated the voting for a second consecutive year, but it's noteworthy a few trusted evaluators didn't have him in the top five.

"I think he's falling off and a little overrated at this point," an AFC exec said. "Super Bowl, to me, is an indication of what it's going to look like moving forward."

The voter is referring to big plays from Cincinnati's Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase with Ramsey in coverage during the title game. But most voters believe that's nitpicky and no cornerback can match Ramsey's total package. He appears on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and his four interceptions on his way to an 84.5 Pro Football Focus rating were impressive.

"He's not as good as [Darrelle] Revis or Charles Woodson, but he's the best in this era," an NFL personnel director said. "He does everything well."

One NFL exec said Ramsey's man coverage was not great in 2021, that he wasn't isolated in that matchup often and he gave up a high percentage of catches when he was. NFL Next Gen Stats' coverage numbers say Ramsey allowed a 60.2% completion percentage (56 of 93) as the nearest defender in overall coverage -- not specific to one scheme or philosophy. But a prominent NFL coach clarified: Ramsey's reputation has much to do with his lack of targets. Plus, Ramsey's switch to the inside in 2021 probably impacted his outside fundamentals a bit.

"Still a force, huge engine, fierce competitor, smart," a high-ranking NFL coach said. "Best tackler, hitter, blitzer of that group. ... He's still the best right now."

.

This is why I wish we had a media sticky/repository. Not sure this needs its own thread, but here ya go...

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STATEMENT 1: Aaron Donald's need to replace his mega-deal with an even bigger mega-deal, under threat of retirement, is the reason we lost Von Miller. Its really a shame, as a full season of Donald/Miller would have been really amazing to watch, and would have really put us in the pole position to become repeat champions. Not a "we, not me" approach, on Donald's part, that's for sure.

STATEMENT 2: Von Miller, who was pulled by the Rams from purgatory in Denver to a championship in L.A., was offered a fair opportunity to return and help the Rams run it back. Instead, he took a mercenary approach, forcing the Rams to choose between rewarding Aaron Donald or retaining Miller. The Rams made the right choice, as Donald has spent eight years earning every penny with the Rams. Besides, Miller's departure made Bobby Wagner possible, so we're good to go.

With the addition of Wagner; a season under their belt for Jones and Rochell; the return of Hill; a draft rich in potential at CB and S; and dare I say, an ascending player in Long Jr, we might be looking at a even better results!

‘PFF released a chart identifying the teams with the most “perfectly-covered dropbacks” last season. The Rams, under Evero, had the highest percentage of perfectly-covered dropbacks last season by a pretty solid margin’

Now I don’t often rely on PFF, big covered drop backs must be a fairly straight forward analysis, and so the chart is bound to be accurate

This is only part of the picture but I wouldn’t be surprised if Donald totals over 20 sacks and Floyd goes to his first pro bowl

I’m talking about ‘men among boys’ type dominance caliber studs.

Deacon Jones

Jack Youngblood

Eric Dickerson

Marshall Faulk

Kurt Warner

Isaac Bruce

Just to name a few as examples.

You know, those types of players that one can never forget. But those types are pretty rare and it’s unusual to have more than one on any given team at the same time. Rams once had 3 at the same time in Warner, Faulk, and Bruce and it was called the GSOT. Think about that for just a moment.

Well, I’m trying to wrap my mind around our current 2022 possibilities. I think we might just have 5 and maybe even 7 such talents on Rams roster for this season.

Matthew Stafford. Is there a better QB for this O in the league?

Aaron Donald. Need I say more?

Jalen Ramsey. If healthy, he’s the best CB in the league.

Cooper Kupp. Possibly the smartest football player on Rams since Faulk. And what a year he just had paired with Stafford.

Bobby Wagner. Yeah, he’s in the twilight of his career but it’s been a HOF worthy career with no signs of slowing down yet.

IMO, all 5 of these guys are All Pro caliber currently and constantly treat us to jaw-dropping plays. All will be future HOF’ers, I think.

Now I’m gonna add 2 more names for your consideration.

Allen Robinson. Yep, I’m projecting here because he just joined the team but I see him flourishing in his 1st year here like Stafford and Kupp did when paired last year. We’ve seen glimpses of what AR can accomplish with much lesser QB’s in vastly inferior O’s so I’m very optimistic about this guy for this year.

OBJ. He hasn’t signed yet and won’t be able to play until November, I know. But IF he signs then and joins this O mid season he will once again be making one amazing play after another. This O should be unstoppable. I feel that this last surgery cleaned up his knee and he will be good as he ever was, and I also feel strongly that he will re-sign with Rams. It makes too much sense for both parties.

So there you have it. A confluence of 5 All Pro caliber elites plus 2 more strong possibilities waiting in the wings to join this party. All coached by McVay and his staff.

How in the world did Snead put this all together for one potentially amazing season in the first place? Somebody pinch me!

This is worth a Hot Damn!

Go back to the start of 2020… These guys were all top-10 RB’s… What about now?

Derrick Henry
Ezekiel Elliot
Saquan Barkley
Christian McCaffery


Derrick Henry - Now 28… how much is left? Last year Henry was limited to 8 games, but he still rushed for 900 yards.

Does he still have it? YES

Ezekiel Elliot - He will play this season as 27yr old. He should still have it, right? Thats young enough. Last 2 seasons… 32 games 1980 yards, 4.1 YPC

Does he still have it? NO

Saquan Barkley - Only 25. First two years he appeared headed for stardom. Now? Hard to say, but the last 2 seasons haven’t looked great… averaging 3.6 YPC. Did the injury move Barkley into Gurley Territory?

Does he still have it? NO

Christian McCaffery - He is 26 this season… does anyone remember him as a healthy player? Its been since 2019 that he’s played more than 7 games.

Does he still have it? NO

How do you see it?

There’s something about LA Rams rookie OLB Daniel Hardy​

Some players have that intrigue, that unquantifiable bit of success. It’s unexplainable confidence, a swagger of a player whose maturity seems to be far greater than the number of years on this earth or in his position should possess. That quality is not often found in rookies. But it seems to be present in LA Rams rookie outside linebacker Daniel Hardy.

No, I’m not talking about his workout routine in the pool. By now you’ve probably read a half dozen stories on the subject, and seen the video a dozen or more times. But in the rare chance that you have not yet seen Hardy jump out of a pool to stand poolside, here it is again:

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Okay, obligatory workout video of an LA Rams rookie embedded? Check.

My eyes were lured to focus upon another type of workout, a more traditional workout for NFL outside linebackers who train to improve their jump out of the blocks and work on ridiculous hard pivots at the line of scrimmage designed to keep offensive linemen on their heels.

Daniel Hardy may be an NFL Rookie, but he makes this look so easy. He got some juice in his jets, and he is generating all that thrust and speed out of the blocks while remaining in complete balance. That’s rather impressive.

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And to think that he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 235th overall pick.

It is difficult to understand how the LA Rams were able to locate such a promising young man in the seventh round of the draft. One factor could be the simple fact that he hails from a small collegiate football program. Another factor could be the fact that he is 6-foot-2, a less than the optimal height for the prototypical NFL edge rusher. In fact, his draft profile states: Lacks desired size and strength at (the) point of attack. That is almost verbatim from the draft profile of Aaron Donald. So no worries there.

He was projected to be selected anywhere from Round 5 or later, so in terms of where the Rams selected him, he was good value.

In terms of raw athleticism? He is a home run. He is raw in experience, technique, and refinement. But in terms of what he can deliver after he is coached up? Well, let’s just say that he will only be limited by the way he applies himself.

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The LA Rams appear to be embracing their strategy of selecting coachable prospects with extremely high upside and relying upon their positional coaches to get them there. If Hardy ends up anywhere close to his potential, the Rams will be set at the position for years to come.

Apparently that is what Delta offered for 8 volunteers to give up their seat. If I was on that flight I'd say "Is a pig's ass pork?" And I'd gladly give up my original ticket and rebook a flight to Vegas.