My one knock on Donald through the years has been that he sometimes penetrates and does not hold the gap.

Without strong ILB, sometimes meant big runs up the gut.

With Bobby Wag behind him, AD may be able to let loose knowing that BW is there to cleanup if needed.

Might allow AD more freedom to make splash plays without having to hold gap assignments.

Where AD makes edge rushers like Von better, it could be that BW makes AD better.

Thoughts?

5 younger Rams players who could take a leap forward in 2022​

When the Los Angeles Rams add rookies in the draft, they don’t typically expect them to contribute in a big way in Year 1. Les Snead and Sean McVay like to draft a year or two in advance, knowing those players will be asked to step up eventually after starters depart in free agency.

For these five players, that time could be now.

The Rams will need players to step up after the team suffered several free-agent losses, creating voids on the roster. These five younger players could take a leap forward in 2022 thanks to potentially bigger roles.

CB Robert Rochell

Rochell could be a critical part of the Rams defense next season. Darious Williams is gone and David Long Jr. isn’t a lock to start at cornerback. Rochell was a fourth-round pick last year and made five starts, but he was limited to just 11 games due to injury.

The Rams drafted Rochell to eventually be a starter opposite Jalen Ramsey and that time could come in 2022. He has the athleticism and size to make it as an NFL cornerback, standing 6-foot-2 with 4.41 speed. Rochell just needs to improve his awareness and downfield coverage after giving up 13.5 yards per reception last season.

While cornerback help is likely to come in the draft, Rochell’s role is going to grow regardless – unless the Rams sign someone such as Stephon Gilmore or Tyrann Mathieu.

TE Brycen Hopkins

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Hopkins caught one pass for 9 yards. He played just 10 games total since being a fourth-round pick in 2020, struggling to earn playing time on offense.

With Tyler Higbee sidelined in Super Bowl LVI, Hopkins stepped up. He played 39 snaps, caught all four of his targets for a total of 47 yards and picking up three first downs. The second-year player made a case to stick around as the No. 2 tight end next season with Johnny Mundt leaving in free agency.

Hopkins must get better as a blocker, but he’s bulked up and worked on that part of his game after initially being viewed as primarily a receiving threat. He’ll have competition with Kendall Blanton and potentially a rookie, but Hopkins looks like he could be in line for a much bigger role next season, especially if Higbee misses time again.

G Coleman Shelton

It was surprising to see the Rams give Shelton a two-year deal this offseason rather than just tendering him as a restricted free agent, but it’s a sign that they view him as a potential start at right guard in place of Austin Corbett. That doesn’t mean he’s being locked in at that spot already, but he’ll at least have a chance to compete with Bobby Evans and Tremayne Anchrum.

When given the chance to start, Shelton has looked pretty good. He played meaningful snaps in three games last season, with 177 of those snaps coming at center and 18 at guard. He allowed just four pressures in those games and not a single sack.

With a full offseason to work at guard, Shelton should get even better, which makes him a candidate to take a Brian Allen-type leap forward.

OLB Terrell Lewis

Lewis went from starting four games last season to being a healthy scratch late in the year, continuing an up-and-down stretch to begin his NFL career. He has five sacks in 19 games and recorded four tackles for a loss last season, showing he has the potential to be a productive player at outside linebacker.

But he’s also dealt with injuries, mostly pertaining to his surgically repaired knee. That’s the frustrating part, and it’s something the Rams knew could be an issue when they drafted him at No. 84 overall.

There’s no denying his NFL-type measurables (6-foot-2, 262 pounds) and athleticism, but he must stay healthy this year if he’s going to prove himself. With Von Miller and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo out of the picture, Justin Hollins is Lewis’ stiffest competition.

DL Bobby Brown

Even though he was active for 10 games, Brown played a total of 22 defensive snaps as a rookie – and that was with Sebastian Joseph-Day missing most of the season. He just did not impress the coaching staff enough to warrant more playing time, and was even a healthy scratch for part of the year.

Brown has excellent position versatility along the defensive line, possessing the ability to play defensive end, nose tackle or 3-technique behind Aaron Donald. The Rams need some depth on the defensive line after losing Joseph-Day in free agency and there are no clear-cut contributors behind the starting group of Donald, Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson.

Brown needs to step up in that group as a rotational player who can relieve Robinson and Gaines when they need some plays off during a game.

I'll preface this by saying, I am like most Ram fans who feel the biggest needs are CB and Edge. But with McSnead, you can never rule out offense with the first pick.

#104 Coby Bryant, CB
#142 Tariq Castro-Fields, CB
#175 D'Vonte Price, RB
#211 Christopher Allen, Edge
#212 Obinna Eze, T
#218 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Edge
#238 Dane Belton, S
#251 Ellis Brooks, LB

Like I said, it wouldn't surprise me to see them go for a TE with either of the first two picks. If they do, I like Jelani Woods @ #104 or Charlie Kolar @#142

It’s less than three weeks to the draft and so far we have only heard of two out of reach names that the Rams talked to.

I hope this means that they have gone all secret agent on prospects because in recent years it seems they get targets plucked from under their noses.

The draft talk between teams is much more open than I ever expected. It seems like a peculiar way to go about target to b players.

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Tom Brady & Asshole Face Plotted Dolphins Takeover?​

As the story goes, Matthew Stafford nearly lost an NFC QB peer in Tom Brady ... while at the same time Stan Kroenke nearly gained an NFL ownership peer in ...

Tom Brady?

It is the stuff of a future film. In fact, you can probably book that, Hollywood. A Los Angeles Rams main rival in the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were - according to an undeniably well-researched Boston Globe report - going to ...

*Lose Brady, as he was jumping to the Dolphins.

*Endure that loss because of Brady's conflicts with Bruce Arians, who has retired as the Bucs coach.

*Watch Brady then take his talents to South Beach, where he would serve as a minority owner, the starting QB, and the guy "running'' the team.

*Watch as the Dolphins then hired Asshole Face as Brady's coach and co-boss. (Brady and Payton share an agent in Don Yee.)

The report states that the scheme fell apart when Brian Flores, the fired Dolphins coach, filed his lawsuit alleging racism in the NFL's hiring practices. But it was so close to happening that the Dolphins were reportedly preparing to introduce Brady as a minority owner the week before the Super Bowl.

So in the end, Brady is not an owner. He is not a Dolphin. He remains a Buc and an obstacle to any Rams' dream of another Super Bowl.

And in the end, Flores’ lawsuit against the Dolphins is still a headline-grabber.

And in the end, Payton is still available to be somebody's coach in 2023.

Just in case some of you are interested this vid discusses the how's re: Starship making its way to Mars.

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Anyone have a high resolution picture they can reply with Stafford drinking a beer and smoking a cigar in the locker room for the Superbowl victory? Thanks in advance!

Needs to be my desktop.

Enjoy Boys. Get a good laugh at what the "experts' thought of Staff.

Teddy Bruschi especially, you are a fu**in fool.

Watch this.....and smile

Well most of you wanted it, And you got it!! https://theramswire.usatoday.com/?p=668298

Hey!

I am always told from a few on YouTube to come back and say hi to ROD. I tend to come back and do that when I can. Just had some fun looking through what some of the people on here were saying about me. Mostly it was positive. I wanted to address both the fans and haters because I think it's long overdue.

For those of you that have stuck by me all these years as a young writer who absolutely sucked I appreciate you. For those that still don't like me from that period and have gone onto hate what I've done with my YouTube channel success I'm sorry you feel that way. I think I realize now looking back now that I'm 26 and keep in mind, started this writing journey as a college dropout in 2016, I wasn't everyone's favorite. Some rallied behind the young kid and others felt either threatened by me, hated the idea of me potentially doing something they always wanted to but never could or just didn't respect my knowledge of the game.

I'm not a hard-nosed X's and O's guy for one. That shouldn't be a shock to people. I'm also not a former player, I never played competitive football in fact and I know some don't value my football opinion because of that. However, I've worked hard to learn the game for a long time and I think I've done a good enough job in doing so.

That brings me to the next part, the writing. I'm not a great writer. I have always struggled to organize my thoughts and while I get paid to write for another site, I understand why some of the guys in here looking back soured on me. It's not that I wasn't a good writer, it's that when they tended to reach out and try and constructively criticize me I lashed out. There's a reason for this, what you don't know is early on when I started becoming bigger on Twitter I got harassed over and over and over again. So, I think because of that I got more defensive on ROD.

I felt I needed to drop this post for everyone to understand I'm as down to Earth as they come, I want to help people, I want to entertain and inform. I've done my best starting my company, my podcast, my YouTube, interviewing prospect after prospect and going to the Senior Bowl on my own dime 3 of the last 5 years to do that. I've put every dime ever made from what I do back into it so I could have the best equipment possible and give you guys the best quality possible.

I understand some are still upset by how I may have acted when I was 21. I realize I was immature and it rubbed people the wrong way. However, I just want you all to know I still appreciate this community. Just because I get busy and don't post for awhile doesn't mean I don't care about ROD. The YouTube has gone extremely well. I cant thank the people who have stuck by me through it all enough. I'm not a great writer. It's why I've gone into making these videos and streaming. You don't have to like me but you have to understand the level of work I've put into doing what I do. It's taken a lot of sacrifice that I would never take back.

Anyway, happy to be back. I'll try to remain as active as I can. Hope all is well. If you want to give my channel a shot here it is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzsd2pfWWznowBS81fADTpA

Hope everyone is staying healthy, safe and gearing up for another fun season of Rams football. Feel free to follow me on twitter @JKBOGEN. If you have any questions whatsoever I'm an open book and will answer them on here, on YouTube or on Twitter. Take care y'all. Horns up

Both Von Miller and OBJ were VERY pleasant surprises, to be sure. Both exceeded my modest expectations and were big parts of our success in playoffs and SB.

But there were 3 players that just blew the doors off in terms of wildly exceeding my admittedly modest expectations. Mind blowingly exceeded them, tbh.

In no particular order:

A’Shawn Robinson. I had relegated him to the role of underachiever after getting paid. Boy, was I Wrong! Whether inspired by AD, Miller, and the like or not he turned into a late season BEAST. A world class run stopper. Played light years better than previously and wildly beyond my expectations. Might have become a ‘must have’ even on a cap strapped team like the Rams.

Nick Scott. Progressed from a ST demon draft pick to a human highlight reel in his first 3 years. Who can ever forget that hit on Deebo? But it’s more than just highlight reel plays. Scott now makes plays all over the field including timely interceptions. He is now far from the weakest link on a very impressive D. I look forward to seeing him continue to improve as a starter this year. Another Snead gem for a growing collection. Looks like a lottery winning 7th round pick.

Last, but certainly not least, is Eric Weddle. His direct contributions and his intangibles during that playoff run are storybook stuff. Almost fairytale stuff in the sense of too-good-to-be-true. Think about this storyline. Retired for 2 years and has been playing pickup basketball games with friends. Gets a call from Raheem Morris and invited to join a SB caliber team decimated with injuries in the secondary for a playoff run. He then joined coaches and players with which he was unfamiliar and in an evolving scheme also new to him on the fly in a do-or-die playoff scenario. Even played through a torn pec in the SB. Think about that. Yet he not only played well himself but looked like he’d been back there for 5 years. He settled down and solidified that D to a point that I thought was jaw dropping. If a writer wrote this Weddle script I think his editor would demand that he dial this back. Too much like a fairytale.

Thoughts?

This is obviously a premature comparison since FA isn’t finished, trades are always a possibility, and the draft is still 3 weeks away. Not to mention the Snead options that will be available cap-wise after restructuring AD and Kupp.

But I’m feeling antsy today and the more I dwell on this topic the more optimistic I become.

Let’s see…

Let’s start with the Rams O.

Stafford is more comfortable with McVay and this O. He’s clearly better determined what he can and cannot do with his weapons in this system compared to when he first joined the team. The importance of this alone can’t be overstated.

I don’t see how Stafford/Kupp could improve their late season mind meld, but it might just be barely possible. And besides, they can pick up in September and build on it this season whereas last year it took a handful of games to really click together and give us a glimpse of what was to come.

I loved Woods, too, but Robinson is a big step up as a Stafford-type WR. Significant upgrade here.

Akers will be 100% from Day 1.’Nuff said. Huge upgrade.

Boom will be a push compared to Whit in pass pro, but maybe a slight downgrade in the run game compared to the 40 year old Whit.

Allen might have an even better year after his confidence building ‘21 season.

Don’t look now but we may have a couple of TE’s behind Higbee in Blanton and Hopkins that have had that challenging and long developing TE breakthrough.


The positive comparisons on D is a shorter list.

Wagner is a significant upgrade vs Reeder. And his versatility gives Morris huge options to disguise and explore.

Jones will be starting from opening day this year and is already miles ahead of his early season rookie version. Significant upgrade here.

Rochell is POTENTIALLY an upgrade over the ‘21 DW version. Emphasis’21 version. He’s gotta learn fast and stay healthy but his potential is sky high given his athleticism.

I’ve become a rather big Scott honk. Scott really won me over when given the chance and I’d love to see him starting this year. Scott and Wagner have made Rapp expendable, imo, and I would hope for a Rapp trade in exchange for a pick or player at a position needing depth. Anyway, I see Scott as an upgrade for this season. I doubt that Deebo will be as excited. Lol.


ST is another upgrade over early ‘21.

For openers, DeCamillis started slow but eventually made the needed improvements. I now feel that he is proven capable of fielding a solid overall ST in all 4 phases. That’s huge.

Gay is a proven Pro Bowler. We didn’t know that last September.

Powell is a damned stud as returner and he will be available for all 17 games. That’s an infinitely better situation than last September.


Just a word about our coaches vs last year.

McVay has grown in one area vs last September, imo. He now better understands the value of the running game and more importantly he has learned not to abandon it too soon. This is a big growth building block for McVay and I am beyond impressed. It will pay dividends for the rest of his career.

While there has been once again tremendous turnover in our coaching ranks let’s not forget that they were for promotions elsewhere. IOW, McVay keeps hiring great teachers and quick developers of talent drafted in the mid to late rounds. I see NO reason not to expect more of the same from his newest hires and internal promotions. He continues to have his virtual ‘pick of the litter’ when it comes to coaching hires.

In fact, I suspect that Coen will prove to be an actual upgrade over O’Connell. There, I said it.

I can’t leave this coaching topic without mentioning the vast growth of Raheem Morris as the season progressed. The season ending/playoff version of Morris was light years ahead of the September version. I can’t think of a bigger ‘22 upgrade over the ‘21 version of the Rams, tbh. And we will have this version of Morris from opening day onward. Huge.


Now, we must address perceived downgrades from the ‘21 version.

I see a potential for regression at RG with the departure of Corbett. Shelton might be more than adequate and Rams clearly seem happy with their depth but I will feel better only after seeing actual evidence on the field.

I would like to see a 3rd RB taken somewhere in the draft. Our RB’s after Akers and Hendy don’t fill me with confidence. This draft reportedly is deep with RB’s well into the late rounds. RB is not a regression vs early last year but I’m just thinking out loud a bit here.

In summary, on Offense, I guess I’m seeing only a potential regression at RG on O vs last year in September, huh? That’s amazing.


Regression on D is obvious, starting with the loss of Von Miller. Yeah, it’s true that Miller wasn’t onboard in September last year (Rams were actually 7-2 before his arrival) but his impact was so profound that it would be foolish to pretend that it can be ignored. Hopefully, Snead can pull a solid vet out of his hat or execute a trade for same predraft.

DW is gone, so technically that’s a regression. Then again, Rochell might be a very pleasant surprise. Honestly, the disappointing ‘21 version of DW won’t be all that hard to replace, right? Plus, there’s the draft in a pretty decent CB class.

Rams lost SJD but he had already been beat out by Gaines so that’s hardly a regression. And Bobby Brown is waiting in the wings so that DL looks fine vs last years version.

Frankly, I’m hard pressed to see other regression on this ‘22 version on D vs the ‘21 version.


ST has absolutely no regression vs last year. Quite the contrary.


Mind you, Rams still have FA and trade opportunities plus the draft before this comparison can be complete, but I must say that after re-reading the above I am even more optimistic about this still being constructed’22 Rams version.

NFC opponents will NOT be looking forward to playing this ‘22 Ram team. Trust me…

Thoughts?

Here are the choices:

Whiners
Hags
Cards
Bills
Raiders
Cowboys
Falcons
Panthers

We also play the Chargers at SoFi but they are technically the road team, so I doubt that will be considered.

This is a tough one.

I highly doubt it will be the 9ers, tempting though that must be for the NFL.

I just don't remember divisional games being played week one and it will mean, presumably, that the Cards have to play the Hags.

The Bills and Raiders make sense, but I'm gonna have to go with Dallas.

I just hope they don't take the fucking stadium over if that is the case.

In fact, I'd pass some bylaw that makes it a capital offense to sell your ticket to a Cowboy fan. Seriously, death is too good for those people.

I'll take Dallas, a heavy win and a total Skip meltdown resulting in him finally being admitted to an asylum by Tuesday the following week.

It's nice to see him get a big commercial deal that bumps his profile. It's purposely clunky and his wink at the end was a nice Grace-note, With that said, let's say he's no Merlin Olsen when it comes to TV. But every reminder that the Rams are champs is what makes the time after the season so rewarding to us fans.

USFL to eliminate chains, measure first downs with chip in ball and yellow line on TV​

When it’s time to measure for a first down in the USFL, the officials will call for a high-tech solution in place of the decidedly low-tech 10-yard chains that have been used in football for a century.

The USFL played a preseason game on Friday night that included the debut of its new first down measuring system, which combines a chip in every football and the yellow first-down line that fans are accustomed to seeing on TV. Video of its use during the preseason game was accompanied by a claim from the USFL that the upstart league has “First down measurements that are more accurate than ever.”

That, however, may not be accurate. Although it undeniably looks cool on TV to see an image of the football and an image of the line to gain — reminiscent of the way replay is used in tennis — the reality is that this kind of ball tracking technology isn’t precise enough to guarantee that first down calls will be correct.

The NFL already has a chip in every football, but it uses those chips only for its Next Gen Stats tracking data, and not for officiating. That’s because the chips in the middle of every ball just aren’t accurate enough to locate where a football is to the inch. The data works fine as a good approximation of where the ball is, give or take the length of one football. But it doesn’t tell you whether a third down play just barely picked up the first down, or whether the offense should be facing fourth-and-inches.

Replay technology works so well in tennis because tennis is a sport fundamentally conducive to it: The smaller size of the ball, the spherical shape of the ball, and the ability to always have camera angles with unobstructed views of the ball and the lines on the court make tennis well suited to its replay system. Football just doesn’t work that way. It’s not always possible to tell precisely where the ball was when the ball carrier’s knee touched the ground, especially when huge men are surrounding the ball carrier and blocking any view of his knee or the ball.

So TV viewers will probably enjoy watching the USFL’s solution to first downs, but no one should expect the actual spotting of the ball to be any more accurate than it is in the NFL.

It was a mixed bag. Yeah, the Rams dominated and won convincingly.

Higbee was a beast. If he can stay healthy he’s gonna be a huge weapon for Stafford. We were very fortunate to survive his loss in our SB playoff run.

Woods had a nice game. Kinda bittersweet to watch now knowing he’s gone.

I watched Hollins and Lewis at edge opposite Floyd and I’ve gotta say that I was underwhelmed. I’m not sure that they’re enough on that side this year. Can Snead pull a rabbit out of his hat at edge for another SB run? I think he’d better.

I know some on this board have suggested that we might not need edge help this year. Color me skeptical. And I would certainly hate to miss out on a 2nd consecutive SB because our FO got overconfident about our edge status. If not a FA maybe a player for player trade?

I got a little antsy while again watching that Morris soft zone version of early last year. Night and day difference between that and the late season/playoff version. Aikman commented several times. In fact, I think Aikman commented on it every game that he and Buck broadcast until the SB. What a dramatic upgrade that D became.

DeSean Jackson was a diva but the guy was a weapon. Gotta give him that. He tore the Bucs D a new one time and again.

Brady no longer strikes fear into the Rams team. They’ve beaten Brady 3 times in a row now and rather convincingly at that.

It was a fun watch, especially knowing about how everything was gonna work out.

Hit record-button last night. A 2009 game between the 1-8 Lions and the 1-8 Browns. Two Power-House Teams! It was also Matthew Stafford's 1st fourth quarter comeback, and very entertaining. Shown in 90 minutes, it was an easy watch. Scheduled to be re-aired on Sunday Night (10:30 PM ET) should anyone be interested.

Stafford was mic'd for the game, making it even more enjoyable.

One thing that struck me was how similar the rookie-Stafford looked to the 13-year-vet / Super Bowl Champ.

Stafford had a great game and showed amazing toughness and leadership (the final moments are spectacular). Sound familiar? Stafford was also too-aggressive, throwing two interceptions into deep-coverage. Sound Familiar?

Couple of negatives though. When pressured in his own end-zone, rather than quickly get rid of the ball (as his OC Scott Linehan told Stafford he should have done), he held onto the ball and carelessly flipped it at the last moment. Sound Familiar? This resulted in an intentional-grounding-penalty and a safety. Still, it reminded me of some very poor decisions against the Titans and Ravens this past season.

Finally, there was a fourth-down and one-foot QB-sneak that Stafford converted by an inch, with the help of a generous official's spot. All season and in the Playoffs, I thought the Rams' coaches would explain to Stafford that he needed to get lower on his QB-sneaks. He was simply too high. Guess what!?! Stafford was far too high as a rookie. He's never figured it out!

Anyway, it's a fun watch for Rams' fans that are enjoying the Rams' off-season but missing game action.

Wow RIP
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I think of Todd often.

He was like a meteor that flamed out suddenly in the night sky. Merlin thought it was an alien flaming out, but really it was just a brilliant career cut short like a bad metaphor........

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Maybe not.

Wide 9: Floyd
3T: Gaines
1T: Robinson
5T: Donald / Lewis

LBs Wagner, Jones, and Hollins.

They have played AD outside on many snaps in his career. He has the quickness and strength to play anywhere on the DL including edge. Gaines gets good penetration inside. Robinson isn't a pass rusher, but they won't go anywhere if it's a draw. Now add in the wildcard called Wagner. If the offense over commits anywhere on the DL, you give Wagner the option to blitz. With Robinson and Jones, Morris has the interior gaps covered should it be a run.

That is a formidable base front 7 to run or pass against. With AD outside it's going to be really tough to double him. Everyone on the front 4 is stout at the POA against the run. They have power and speed on the edges. The LBs are solid in coverage. This front 7 will allow Morris to really mix his coverages up on the back end. Hollins would be the rotational LB in the nickel.

They probably already have one of the best edges in the NFL in Donald. We have seen how good Gaines can be when they turn him loose. I'm not so sure anymore that they really need an edge. Lewis will allow Morris to continue to shift AD back inside, but what if they simply roll with Gaines, Robinson/Brown inside, and Floyd and Donald on the edges?

I think it's time for Lewis to be the player they expected when they drafted him. Lewis needs to do more than flash. He played 48% of the snaps and had 3 sacks, 7 pressures, and 4 hurries. But his role with Von playing ahead of him was more of a blitzing LB. It's time for Lewis to show he can be that every-down edge. But until he does AD is as good of an edge option as the Rams could want.

BUT... I'm so proud and thankful to call y'all friends and fellow fanatics. And I'm so thankful to call the Rams OUR team! And an so proud of Kroenke, Demoff, Pastoor, Snead, McVay and the players.

We're truly so lucky after being so unlucky for so many damn years!!

Cheers y'all

I fucking love conspiracy theories and I think it would be awesome to share some of our favorites.

I’m really getting into this Mandela Effect. I’ve done several quizzes that show that my memories are different. I know there is a reason for it, but it’s still cool to think of.

Aaron Donald: I keep telling people, I get better with age​

During a recent appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, Donald said he feels like he’s still improving.

“Yeah, I’m faster,” Donald said. “I was just with my guy Wednesday training and I always ask after I work, ‘What do you think?’ And he [said] back, ‘You’ve got about three, five more years in you with how you’re moving.’ So, I feel good, I really do feel good. I feel quick, I feel explosive.

“I don’t feel like I’m slowing down — if anything I feel like I’m getting faster. I feel like I’m in better shape. I keep telling people, I get better with age, man. I don’t slow down. I just feel like I’m getting that much stronger. I look better with age and all that.”

Donald, who turns 31 next month, was named a first-team All-Pro for the seventh consecutive season in 2021. He recorded 12.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 25 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles in the regular season. Then he added 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, and nine QB hits in four postseason games.

The Rams have said they’re working on a new contract for Donald, as he’s outplayed the last deal he signed just before the start of the 2018 season.

Let me test my thoughts on this.....

The 49ers have slaughtered us in most of the Kyle Shanahan years in Frisco. They have always had that bully persona with a punishing run game AND a demoralizing Kittle and now Deebo short passing game over the gut of the defense, which is where Wagner will hopefully stop them cold. I watched a little bit of film and he is a sledge hammer and is quick to sniff out misdirection pf which Jimmy G likes to take advantage. Getting pressure up the gut by Aaron Donald and/or on the edge with Floyd, will pop Jimmy G. like a nasty zit, resulting in sacks or interceptions. I believe the Seagals had good games vs the Niners because of what Wagner did in the middle for them.

To be fair, Seahag fanboi's wanna harsh Merlin's buzz, by saying that Wagners legs are gone and that he is a vulnerable in coverage now that he's older. Sour grapes or do we have a later version of Baby Animal at MLB? 2nd Team or 1st Team All Pro for Bobby last year counters that narrative. I think Wagner will look rejuvenated by being surrounded with a great defense which doesn't depend on him to be the defensive savior. Consequently, with either Jimmy G or the not-ready-for-prime time Trey Lance, the smashmouth feel of the Niners matching up against us will be different. I think the Rams split or sweep them this year.