I've seen teams declare their protected practice squad players...but I haven't seem the Rams announce any.
Does anyone have any info on this?

As I recall, D'Marco Farr said that Brian Allen was "the key to the Rams season." (Somebody help me out here... not sure what the exact wording of Farr's quote was, but that was the gist of it).

Anyway: below, a link to an interview with Brian Allen on a podcast with JB Long.

My first impression: holy crap, Brian Allen is a boring interview! Of course all that matters is if he plays well... but man, that is one dull MF'er!

At first Allen seemed kinda nervous and gave flat, predictable answers, but he seemed to loosen up as the interview went on. On the plus side, he made JB Long look shrimpy by comparison!

Anyway...I know I'm being too hard on him, he seems like a genuine, humble, hard-working guy. Here's hoping all that hard work pays off for him.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Will Return To Serialized Planet Of The Week

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Respect.
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NFL.com Season Predictions

With the 2021 NFL season just around the corner, our analysts predict which teams will compete for -- and capture -- the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California.

Which team will win Super Bowl LVI?

Brian Baldinger: Chiefs over Buccaneers. With the sting of last year's Super Bowl loss still weighing heavy, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Co. are on a mission. They blaze through the postseason and exact revenge on Tom Brady's Bucs on the game's biggest stage. This time, the Chiefs' overhauled offensive line proves to be the difference.

Judy Battista: Chiefs over Packers. Aaron Rodgers finally gets back to the Super Bowl, but in a high-scoring game, the Packers can't overcome a rebuilt offensive line protecting Patrick Mahomes.

Jeremy Bergman: Chiefs over Packers. This Super Bowl I rematch (same teams, same locale) will rival Eagles-Patriots for highest-scoring title game, with Patrick Mahomes running to the end zone -- not for his life -- capturing his second Lombardi in three tries.

Gil Brandt: Chiefs over Buccaneers. Unlike last year, Patrick Mahomes will be fully healthy and well protected. With an improved defense, too, the Chiefs avenge their Super Bowl LV loss to the Bucs.

Chase Goodbread: Chiefs over Rams. In his third straight trip to the big one, Patrick Mahomes gets the pass protection he didn't get against the Bucs last year. It'll take a shootout to beat Matt Stafford.

DeAngelo Hall: Chiefs over Buccaneers. We get a repeat of the league's top two teams. This time, Patrick Mahomes takes down the G.O.A.T. behind a revamped offensive line, avenging last year's Super Bowl loss.

Dan Hanzus: Chiefs over Rams. The pairing of Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford proves to be a smashing success, but even an excellent Rams defense cannot figure out Patrick Mahomes, who follows up his second NFL MVP award with another Super Bowl MVP.

Shaun O'Hara: Chiefs over Packers. Mahomes torches the AFC once again and gets a better performance from his offensive line to steal another Lombardi from Titletown, while Rodgers has another stellar postseason only to see his defense fail him again. His future is in Jeopardy!

Scott Pioli: Chiefs over Buccaneers. The Chiefs are still the most talented and fastest team in the league. They won't allow the Bucs to get the best of them two years in a row.

Chad Reuter: Chiefs over Packers. This is a rematch of Super Bowl I, which was also played in Los Angeles. Both teams will "matriculate the ball down the field" to honor the late Hank Stram, but this time, the Chiefs come out on top.

Marc Ross: Chiefs over Buccaneers. The Chiefs and Bucs become only the second pairing in NFL history to face off in back-to-back Super Bowls, joining the Cowboys and Bills (Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII). Behind his revamped and rejuvenated offensive line, Mahomes adds to his résumé and takes top-dog status from TB12.

Kevin Patra: 49ers over Bills. No rookie QB has ever made it to a Super Bowl. That all changes, and then some. With Trey Lance unleashed in Kyle Shanahan's offense, the Niners blast past the Bills in a shootout that leaves Buffalo once again a game shy in the Lombardi quest.

Adam Rank: 49ers over Browns: People seem to forget how good the 49ers were in 2019, when they were last fully operational. Now they are back to avenge their previous Lombardi loss. Tough for the Browns, whose first Super Bowl Sunday ends in defeat.

Gregg Rosenthal: 49ers over Ravens. Trey Lance becomes the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl title after Fred Warner tips Lamar Jackson's potential game-winning throw at the buzzer.

Marc Sessler: 49ers over Bills. Kyle Shanahan's season-long, on-field sea poem -- captained by electric rookie Trey Lance -- crescendos with a dominant offensive showing (250-plus ground yards) against a heartbroken Bills squad at uber-fancy SoFi.

Lance Zierlein: 49ers over Chiefs. Kyle Shanahan exacts revenge against the Chiefs in a Super Bowl and finally brings home the Lombardi with touchdowns from both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.

Gennaro Filice: Bills over 49ers: San Francisco comes on like a freight train in the back half of the season, with rookie Trey Lance supplanting Jimmy Garoppolo to make sweet music in Kyle Shanahan's orchestra. But the beat stops on Super Bowl Sunday, when the Josh Allen project realizes its full potential, giving the Bills their first Lombardi Trophy.

Adam Schein: Bills over Rams. Josh Allen and Sean McDermott lead Buffalo to its first-ever Lombardi Trophy, and Allen delivers on his promise from my SiriusXM Radio show to jump through a table lit on fire, mega Bills Mafia style.

Matt Smith: Bills over Packers. Josh Allen follows up an MVP campaign with a Super Bowl victory, while Aaron Rodgers and the Packers realize they're a perfect pair and decide to run it back (despite the loss) for years to come.

Brooke Cersosimo: Rams over Bills. Matthew Stafford deserves more recognition for what he's done in his career so far. In 2021, he provides his best campaign to date by earning the league MVP award before guiding the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI victory and being named game MVP. Long an afterthought in Detroit, Stafford's résumé is now under the lights and on the cusp of a Canton bid.

Marcas Grant: Rams over Chiefs. Matthew Stafford reaches football Valhalla in a high-scoring contest between two of the NFL's top offensive minds.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Rams over Chiefs. This game is all about points -- and not just on the offensive side of the ball. The Rams secure their second Lombardi Trophy after Aaron Donald achieves the trifecta, with a strip-sack fumble-return touchdown late in the fourth.

Ali Bhanpuri: Buccaneers over Browns. After a grueling, decades-long journey, the Browns finally reach the NFL’s mountaintop only to find the wily dragon waiting for them to be even more cunning and dangerous than ever before. Tom Brady crushes yet another young upstart’s football dream, becoming the first QB ever to go back-to-back with two different teams. Meanwhile, the Bucs become the all-time example of the age-old adage: If it ain’t broke …

Jeffri Chadiha: Buccaneers over Browns. The Browns finally reach the Super Bowl, but they can't handle a Tampa Bay team that is too talented and experienced. Tom Brady gets his eighth ring.

Dan Parr: Buccaneers over Chiefs. Repeating isn't easy. But neither is winning a title as a 43-year-old quarterback with a bad knee after an abbreviated offseason in your first year with a new team, and Brady just did that. Doing it all over again might be too tall an order -- the Chiefs should be better up front on offense than they were last season -- but I'm not going to pick against the G.O.A.T.

Tom Blair: Packers over Chiefs: Aaron Rodgers makes all the offseason drama worth it with his second ring. Patrick Mahomes begins to really pull for a youth movement in the NFC.

Nick Shook: Packers over Browns. Cleveland builds on last year's success and sprints to the Super Bowl, but can't outgun Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Joe Thomas: Browns over Buccaneers. In a shootout, Baker Mayfield hands the city of Cleveland its first Super Bowl victory behind a 250-yard, three-TD passing effort.

David Carr: Raiders over Rams. The Rams are so overcome with being the second team in as many years to play in a Super Bowl in their own stadium that they overlook the mighty Raiders. The Black Hole travels well and packs SoFi Stadium to help push Jon Gruden's group to a 35-24 win.

SI.com 2021 NFL Predictions: Super Bowl LVI, Playoff Picks, Award Winners and More




Which rookies will stand out? Who will take home the MVP award?

Which teams will meet in Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI? The MMQB staff makes predictions for 2021.

THE MMQB STAFF

The 2021 season has officially arrived. Will the Bucs repeat as Super Bowl champions? Will Aaron Rodgers put together another MVP season? Will Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs find a way to the Super Bowl for a third straight season? Will Matthew Stafford find success with his new team?

Check below for The MMQB's staff predictions for award winners, division winners and full playoff brackets, including Super Bowl LVI champions.

Albert Breer
Packers over Bills

Super Bowl LVI: Packers, 38; Bills, 35
SB MVP: Aaron Rodgers
MVP: Matthew Stafford
OPOY: Stefon Diggs
DPOY: Marlon Humphrey
OROY: Trevor Lawrence
DROY: Odafe Oweh
Comeback: Derwin James
Coach: Matt Rhule

Awards are largely tied to story lines—so I’m picking Matthew Stafford for MVP, because I think he’s going to be excellent, and because I think the difference he’ll make for the Rams will be noteworthy. That said, I believe Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen will be right there with him, and then will wind up playing each other for the whole thing in Stafford’s home stadium.

Rodgers has been in the championship round two years running and, for all the noise about his displeasure with the state of affairs in Green Bay, the roster he’s on is loaded. And I think we’re going to see Allen reach another level in 2021 and get the Bills all the way back to the big game.

Jenny Vrentas
Rams over Chiefs

Super Bowl LVI: Rams, 34; Chiefs, 27
SB MVP: Matthew Stafford
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Alvin Kamara
DPOY: Myles Garrett
OROY: Mac Jones
DROY: Patrick Surtain II
Comeback: Christian McCaffrey
Coach: Bill Belichick

Mac Jones’s winning the Patriots QB job has me optimistic for the real start of the post–Tom Brady era in New England. With a quarterback trained by Bill Belichick’s best friend in coaching, the Patriots can return to the top of the AFC East. But there’s another resurgent team ready to steal the show—the Matthew Stafford–led Rams.

After 12 years stuck in Detroit, Stafford is finally on a team where his 4,000- (or 5,000!)-yard passing seasons should not go to waste, and Sean McVay now has the QB he needs to capitalize on the Rams’ always-all-in roster-building approach. The Bucs were the first team in 55 Super Bowls to play for a Lombardi Trophy on their home turf last year, and I’ll boldly pick L.A. to follow suit this year, in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

Conor Orr
Packers over Browns

Super Bowl LVI: Packers, 36; Browns, 24
SB MVP: Aaron Rodgers
MVP: Aaron Rodgers
OPOY: Derrick Henry
DPOY: Myles Garrett
OROY: Trey Lance
DROY: Patrick Surtain II
Comeback: Matthew Stafford
Coach: Bill Belichick

This will be a fun season, as it’ll feature a return of the Patriots to the playoffs and, with it, a renewed appreciation for Bill Belichick as a head coach. Despite being the greatest coach in modern history, he has been awarded Coach of the Year only three times. His reputation took an absurd, momentary dip in the wake of the Tom Brady divorce and New England's first missed playoff appearance in more than a decade. But the reenergized, Mac Jones–led offense will forge a new energy in Foxboro.

Meanwhile, a pedestrian offense in Jacksonville will help Trey Lance edge out Trevor Lawrence for Rookie of the Year, despite a solid performance from the No. 1 pick. Lance’s season-long situational usage, which will eventually lead to starters' snaps before the trade deadline, will be electrifying in spurts, leading to significant optimism for the 49ers in 2022. At the top of the award category, it’s quite boring but also underlines just how phenomenal of an era we’re in. Rodgers will become the first repeat MVP since Peyton Manning in ‘08, and Henry will continue to alter what we expect out of a heavy-usage running back.

Michael Rosenberg
Chiefs over Rams

Super Bowl LVI: Chiefs, 40; Rams, 37
SB MVP: Patrick Mahomes
MVP: Matthew Stafford
OPOY: Aaron Rodgers
DPOY: Myles Garrett
OROY: Mac Jones
DROY: Patrick Surtain II
Comeback: Dak Prescott
Coach: Joe Judge

What do you call a man who picked two NFC East teams to make the playoffs? Bold! Unafraid! An idiot! Fair enough. But the NFC is bottom-heavy—the best team I left out of the tournament is the Saints, whose quarterback is Jameis Winston. While he might turn his career around, I can live with that omission.

As you can see, I am a believer in Bill Belichick (always), Patrick Mahomes (always and forever) and the Joe Judge–Daniel Jones combination (for at least another 15 minutes). But my big takeaway from making these predictions was that the most obvious pick to win their division is the Packers, which reinforces just how absurd it is that they ever thought it was time to move on from Aaron Rodgers.

Greg Bishop
49ers over Chiefs

Super Bowl LVI: 49ers, 31; Chiefs, 20
SB MVP: George Kittle
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Aaron Rodgers
DPOY: Aaron Donald
OROY: Trey Lance
DROY: Micah Parsons
Comeback: Dak Prescott
Coach: Kyle Shanahan

My baseline feeling is I could have filled this out five times and come to five wildly different conclusions. I could see around six teams being capable of winning the whole thing, and their chances will depend largely on health and injury rates, not to mention COVID-19.

I really like the Bills in the AFC, especially on offense, and I buy the Browns hype, even if it feels like this is a movie we’ve seen before. But given how the Chiefs reconfigured on the offensive line this offseason, I don’t want to bet against Patrick Mahomes. So while I think all three of those teams are capable of winning the Super Bowl, he alone—and how the Chiefs helped him this offseason—tipped my pick toward Kansas City. Out on a limb, I know.

In the NFC, I felt even more conflicted. I like the whole NFC West; I feel like they could all be in the playoff mix. I think Matthew Stafford tips the Rams in the right direction, back toward the Super Bowl. But I’d give a slight edge in overall roster strength to San Francisco, and, if we’re splitting hairs, I’d give the same slight edge to Kyle Shanahan over Sean McVay. But because L.A. has the established quarterback and San Francisco appears headed to platoon city, I like the Rams to win the division and the 49ers to gain momentum, then beat the Rams in the playoffs, in a matchup of young offensive savants.

In that scenario, a Kansas City–San Francisco rematch in the Super Bowl, I like the 49ers, their depth and what Shanahan learned from the loss two years ago. I know, I know. I’m not taking my own advice. I’m betting against Mahomes and one less-celebrated quarterback or two of them. But there’s just so much to like about the Niners, if they can sort out their quarterback situation.

Trey Lance becomes a star; Brandon Aiyuk a top-10 wideout; George Kittle a Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Shanahan affirms his “genius” by utilizing two quarterbacks throughout the season, switching and swapping more than ever previously seen. And San Francisco fully returns to its glory days with the most complete roster in pro football—and a healthy one devoid of so many injuries that cost them a year ago.

Andrew Brandt
Packers over Chiefs

Super Bowl LVI: Packers, 35; Chiefs, 23
SB MVP: Aaron Rodgers
MVP: Aaron Rodgers
OPOY: Dalvin Cook
DPOY: T.J. Watt
OROY: Zach Wilson
DROY: Micah Parsons
Comeback: Dak Prescott
Coach: Brandon Staley

As usual, I am showing my Packers bias, but I am more confident in picking them this year than I have been in a while. They were a couple of plays from the Super Bowl in their second straight NFC championship game last year, and I believe the third time’s the charm. Aaron Rodgers can easily compartmentalize his issues with the front office; he is a pro and will play his usual MVP-caliber football. As for the Bucs, “run it back” sounds great but usually doesn’t work out.

I expect dramatic improvement from the 49ers and Chargers, both of whom will be knocking on the door of the Super Bowl with young quarterbacks. Speaking of young quarterbacks, Zach Wilson will not be a winning quarterback this year on a bad team, but he will make enough wow plays to fill highlight reels and garner OROY votes. But it will be Trey Lance who will eventually be playing and winning. And I believe Brandon Staley will turn around the fortunes of the Chargers, a club that has perennially been a sore luck group.

Gary Gramling
Chiefs over Rams

Super Bowl LVI: Chiefs, 28; Rams, 27
SB MVP: Travis Kelce
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
OPOY: Travis Kelce
DPOY: Joey Bosa
OROY: Trevor Lawrence
DROY: Gregory Rousseau
Comeback: Dak Prescott
Coach: Brandon Staley

I’m doing what no one else in this industry has the courage to do: picking the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl and Patrick Mahomes to win MVP. I will now spend the coming months carefully distributing my weight across the limb onto which I have climbed. If you want a bolder prediction in the AFC, the Steelers will bounce back behind a defense complemented by a more aggressive offense. Ben Roethlisberger is no longer one of the best pure throwers in the game, but folks are acting like he’s 2015 Peyton Manning despite the fact that last year Roethlisberger showed he can still push the ball downfield when needed (and the “can’t throw the deep ball” narrative is awfully similar to one that surrounded Tom Brady circa Thanksgiving '20).

Newly promoted OC Matt Canada will simply have to be more willing to put his quarterback in harm’s way, which is what seemed to fuel Pittsburgh’s reluctance to open things up last season. In the NFC, the Packers are still great, Sean McVay expanding his offense with Matthew Stafford will make up for the defense’s mild regression in L.A. and the Bucs will be better than they were last regular season, especially with Brady’s basically taking command of the offense. You can pick any of those three teams—or the 49ers, after Trey Lance steps into the lineup and the offense shifts into hyperdrive—as NFC champs and I wouldn’t point and laugh at you.

Mitch Goldich
Chiefs over Bucs

Super Bowl LVI: Chiefs, 37; Buccaneers, 32
SB MVP: Patrick Mahomes
MVP: Josh Allen
OPOY: Patrick Mahomes
DPOY: Nick Bosa
OROY: Kyle Pitts
DROY: Kwity Paye
Comeback: Nick Bosa
Coach: Brandon Staley

First off, I need you to know that I can’t believe I’m being that guy. I’ve never been that guy, and I’ve always made fun of the people who do this. Picking a Super Bowl rematch is almost always foolish. And yet here I am, potentially for the first time in my life. (Truth be told I spent much of the summer thinking I’d pick the Rams to come out of the NFC, but then that pick became way too trendy.) While we’re telling truths, I don’t think I’ve ever even picked Tom Brady to reach the Super Bowl in the five years I’ve been making preseason predictions for SI/MMQB, which of course means I’ve been wrong more than I’d like to admit.

So count me in as the only MMQB staffer who thinks the defending Super Bowl champs, who got better as the season went along, who return every single key player from last year’s team, including Tom Freakin’ Brady, will find themselves back in the big game. But I also still love the Chiefs—their talent, their coaching and now their hunger to get back and prove they fixed what was wrong last year. Give me the same teams, but now both of them at full strength (hopefully, for the viewers’ sakes). And lots of points. My picks are otherwise pretty chalky, with lots of teams returning to their perches atop their respective divisions. But I guess if you’re already picking a Super Bowl rematch, go all in on the chalk.

1. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, two elite performers previously separated by 2,281 miles have just been suddenly thrown into the mix together. How can we have the slightest idea of what to expect?

2. Was Brian Allen elevated to starting center because he was that good, or because Bobby Evans (believed to be slated to take over the RG spot if Austin Corbett moved to center) was that bad?

3. Will Darrell Henderson stay healthy enough to be the RB1, or is it going to be Sony Michel's job?

4. Is Van Jefferson the biggest sleeper on the offense, or will it be one of the rookies?

5. How many deep completions before DJax is regarded as a FA steal?

6. Does Andrew Whitworth have 17+ upper-tier LT games left in him?

7. Could Aaron Donald become the first 4 time NFL Defensive Player of the Year recipient?

8. What will Leonard Floyd do for an encore?

9. Is David Long finally ready for a rotation spot?

10. Will A'Shawn Robinson and Bobby Brown make us forget Michael Brockers?

11. Is this still a Top 5 defense?

12. Is Matthew Stafford an MVP candidate?

13. Who is our kickoff returner?

14. Will Tutu Atwell make an impact as a rookie?

15. Who will emerge as Floyd's bookend... Lewis? Garrett? Someone else? Nobody?

16. Will the Rams get over their recent struggles against the 49ers, while continuing their success against the Seahawks and Cardinals?

17. Will the Rams have a home field advantage at SoFi?

18. Will AvengerRam freeze his Floridian tuchus off in late November at Lambeau?

19. Will the Rams play a home game in February?

20. Did I leave anything out?

Long time Viking back-up Bob Lee had an epic revenge game vs the Vikings when he stepped in for a struggling Vince Ferragamo. Vince could do nothing that day and Malavasi replaced him with the veteran in a must win game for both teams. And this is how it went....

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i've switched from YouTube TV & Hulu to FUBO TV and kept Express VPN. They got to be too much trouble snooping my IP address to sell I think.

I use the VPN connection to their main LA server when I set up the FUBO account. It logs your IP address when you set up. All I did was give them an LA City zip code. In my case, I used my family's zip in San Fernando. They apparently don't verify it. So when I log into Fubo I make sure I clean the cache and tracers and use the same VPN server and I have had no problems.

So now I get all the local LA channels + the NFL Network to watch all the games. I can watch them live or set it to record both Rams and Chargers as default teams. Weekly I can watch or record any game broadcast in LA. My GF's brother is a big Dodger fan and he's stoked that I can record all the Dodger games and he can watch them over the weekend. He normally comes over to watch the Ram games with me. He used to coach youth football in Whittier so he's very knowledgeable.

Anyway, I thought I would update any out-of-state Ram fans on how I watch games.

We are back for another season the most beloved game on the internet. The Bears come to SoFi to take on the Rams in the season opener. With fans in the stands, will the Rams have the home field advantage, or will the Bears have the Justin Fields advantage?

Be the first person to correctly predict the final score and win $10,000 ROD sportsbook credits. If there is no exact score winner, the first person who comes closest the predicting the final score will win $5,000 ROD sportsbook credits.

Remember, he first person to post a score claims that score, any duplicates don't count, so get your abacuses out and get to guessin.

Raheem Morris’s Career Rebuild Is Almost Complete​

The life of a coach is tumultuous by nature. The old adage is that coaches get hired in order to get fired and with very few exceptions (Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher) every coach gets fired no matter how good they’ve been. Even Tom Landry got fired from the Dallas Cowboys (Hank Hill just poured a little Alamo out in memoriam).

Raheem Morris has had his own version of a tumultuous journey by being a hot young coordinator who perhaps was named a head coach too soon. He’s been trying to rebuild his standing and get another shot at the big job, but first, he has to lead last year’s number one ranked defense and take them to the next level. No pressure.

Raheem Morris turned 45 on September 3rd and he’s already lived a coaching life. After playing safety at Hofstra University he stayed on as a graduate assistant and then moved upstate to Ivy League serving as Cornell’s DB coach as well as a special team assistant. After having an internship with the Jets he began his first tour in Tampa Bay.

From 2002-2005 Raheem Morris was an assistant coach and part of the staff that won a Super Bowl. After three years in Tampa Bay as an assistant under Monte Kiffin and secondary coach Mike Tomlin, Morris became the defensive coordinator at Kansas State where he immediately turned that defense around to the point where they were able to upset the #4 Longhorns. Before he could build on that early success, Gruden hired him back to be the defensive backs coach and it’s from there that Raheem Morris’s star began to rise.

Raheem Morris’s impact on the Bucs, like Kansas State, was immediate. Under his watch, the secondary greatly improved to the point where the Bucs had the top-ranked passing defense in his first season. In 2008, Monte Kiffin left the Bucs to go coach the Tennessee (and very soon after, USC) defense under his son Lane and that meant Morris would be promoted to defensive coordinator. Before he could prove his skills as a coordinator, Jon Gruden was fired after failing to win a playoff game since winning the Super Bowl, and they quickly named Raheem Morris to be the head coach. The Bucs were making the bet that Morris would be ready for the job as Mike Tomlin proved to be when he spent one season as the Vikings defensive coordinator before being the third head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Unfortunately for Morris, the Bucs job was more of a fixer-upper than the Steelers were so he didn’t get the immediate success Tomlin did. The Bucs went 0-7 to start the ’08 season, but after taking over the defensive playcalling duties wound up with a 3-13 record. Not great. But a year later the Bucs went 10-6 starting mostly rookies and just missed out on the playoffs. Sadly, Morris couldn’t translate that success in year three as they finished 4-12. In fact, his time got so dark Bill Simmons invented a gambling stat called WARM (Wins Above Raheem Morris) to determine the quality of NFL coaches. Morris’s last season was acrimonious with Josh aka “JAAAASSSSSSSH” Freeman throwing 22 picks which were triple his number the season prior. The defense fell to 30th in the league in yards and statistically the worst everywhere else. There were reasons for that, namely, the vaunted defense of old got old and the Bucs did a very poor job drafting (Gerald McCoy being the exception).

Raheem quickly found a job being the defensive backs coach for Washington for two seasons which didn’t amount to much but it did reunite him with Sean McVay who was a Bucs offensive assistant in 2008, and in Washington was the offensive coordinator. After the 2014 season, Raheem Morris became an assistant head coach in Atlanta which reunited him with Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur who Morris worked with while in Washington. His time in Atlanta was of course eventful. He not only was an assistant head coach but worked as a receivers coach and passing game coordinator. He experienced the infamous 28-3 game, the subsequent Super Bowl hangover, and eventually became the defensive coordinator and interim head coach again. Morris took an 0-5 team and got them to four wins which was an achievement considering that like in Tampa Bay, management did a very poor job of drafting/signing defensive talent. Last year’s Falcons were bad and while he didn’t make people proud he made them feel less shame.

Brandon Staley left big shoes to fill after just one season. It was all but inevitable that he’d get a head coaching job and it felt like the plane had just touched down from Green Bay when he got the Chargers job. Many thought it would be an internal guy like Aubrey Pleasant (now with the Lions) or Joe Barry (now with the Packers), but instead, Sean McVay went with his old friend Raheem Morris. Morris is a similar hire to Wade Phillips in that both have been head coaches at one point. McVay wanted someone who could run that side of the ball while McVay integrated Matthew Stafford in his restrictor-plate free offense.

Morris wisely decided he wasn’t going to rock the boat much and is keeping a lot of Staley’s scheme while adding a few touches of his own. This is the most talent he’s ever had on defense and if he was ever going to prove his mettle as a defensive mind this is the time. There’s naturally going to be a drop-off from last year even if Staley hadn’t moved to the other side of SoFi, but Morris can’t allow there to be much of a dip and has little margin of error given the expectations.

Perhaps that’s why McVay went with his friend over his in-house guys. Yes, coaching, like being a doctor is all about who you know, but McVay knows Morris has seen a lot in his young coaching career. He’s seen the highs and experienced a lot of lows. If the Rams are to get over the hump they’ll need someone who has been there before and then some. Raheem Morris got too much too soon and was the equivalent of being the teen mayor who blew the town’s entire budget on Ice Town. He was the downside to taking a swing on a Mike Tomlin figure and spent the next decade trying to rebuild his brand. Now, his redemption arc is almost complete, all that’s left is to win a Super Bowl as a coordinator/assistant head coach. If the Rams do that then the only question left is who will run the defense in 2022?

Tom Brady explains why Jalen Ramsey’s number change could be a huge advantage​

What’s the big deal about players being able to change their uniform numbers this year? The NFL’s decision to let players choose a wide array of numbers, to be “5” or “9” or “15” if they want to do that, is either a cash grab or eliminating an archaic rule that didn’t really matter anyway, right?

It couldn’t actually impact what happens on the field, right?

Not according to the player who has more Super Bowl appearances than any single franchise in the NFL.

The league decided this year that players will be able to choose almost any number they want to. There are a few exceptions of course, but for the most part, the big difference is that we will see defensive players and running backs wearing single-digit, or low-digit numbers that tend to be reserved for quarterbacks, receivers, or other defensive players besides cornerbacks and linebackers.

Jalen Ramsey used to be #20.

This year, Jalen Ramsey is #5.

Darious Williams used to be #31.

This year, Darious Williams is #11.

So who cares?

Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB who faces Ramsey, Williams, and the LA Rams in Week 3. First, he needs to get through a Dallas Cowboys defense on Thursday that will feature linebacker Micah Parsons wearing #11 and cornerback Trevon Diggs wearing #7. Another linebacker, Jaylon Smith, will be wearing the same number as Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford: #9.

Brady, arguably the smartest quarterback in history, is already confused.

“So one guy has got a 6, one guy has 11, one guy has got a 9. And they change every play when you break your routes and get to your spot. It’s going to be a very challenging thing. It’s a good advantage for the defense, which that’s what it is.

“It would be like saying, ‘What if I let the offensive linemen wear 82 and No. 9?’ Brady continued. “They wouldn’t know who was eligible. Well that’s not fair. You’ll get your tail kicked. At least identify who the D-line, the linebackers and the safeties are. You’re going to have a lot of matchups where guys are blocking the wrong guys. I don’t know why that should be.”

Brady went on to say that he’s worried that his teammates won’t always know who to block and that will leave free lances for other defensive players to disrupt his intentions on that play, if not to destroy him entirely.

“The number rule is crazy,” Brady said. “Literally, guys changed their numbers today. I’m playing two guys who had different numbers in the preseason. So, yeah you’ve got to watch film and know who you’re studying but so do running backs. They’ve got to know who to block. So does the offensive line. So does the receivers who are adjusting their routes based on blitzes.

“There’s a reason why you do every single thing in football,” Brady said. “And you study hard so you can put yourself in a good position. Now you get to the game, and you’re going to be confused the whole time because you’re rotating what a D-lineman used to look like versus a linebacker or here is what a safety looks like. Very pointless.”

Perhaps there is no defensive player in football then who will have a greater advantage than Jalen Ramsey because of the number rule. Why?

Well, number one, Ramsey is an elite defensive player. We knew that already. He’s got football IQ that is unmatched and his physical gifts make him the ideal cornerback to cover everyone from a guy like Mike Evans at 6’5, 231 to a guy like Chris Godwin at 6’1, 209, and if absolutely necessary, a guy like Rob Gronkowski at 6’6, 268.

And number two, as we saw with Brandon Staley’s one year at the helm, Ramsey is capable of doing a lot more than just being an outside cornerback. As the “star” player on LA’s defense, Ramsey moves inside to nickel, he plays outside, and he’ll generally go wherever needed.

In other words, he’s Tom Brady’s nightmare.

Given the number change, Ramsey’s #5 will now be seen all over the defense, as well as Williams’ #11, and that means that those assignments will mean not overlooking two of the Rams’ best players on the field at any given time. A third defensive back, second-year safety Jordan Fuller, switched to #4.

Good luck, Tom. If you need help, just call this number:

5.

I really wanted to see the first regular season game at SoFi (with fans), and was so excited that it would also include the unveiling of Stafford at QB and have nationwide audience. The place should be jumping....

Alas, I cannot get down to LA as I'd planned.

I have placed my seats on StubHub (for outrageous $$ due to other listings), but would rather sell them at a fair price to my Rams brothers if possible.

Please message me if interested. They make it real easy to send tickets via the phone these days.

Mods: I apologize if there is a forum for this, I couldn't find it.

Go Rams!

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Let's do some magical thinking for a bit. What extreme action would you take before Super Bowl LVI, if it assured a Rams win? It has to be a sacrifice and so @Merlin streaking through a Walmart SuperCenter doesn't qualify, cuz he does that for fun. If you don't see an option that is EXTREME enough in the poll question, please pick Other and list it down below.

It’s been a very exciting US Open tennis tournament thus far. Lots of upsets throughout the tournament

This Opleka kid is a unique player. He’s close to 7 feet tall but plays a very competitive tennis game. He has a big time first serve regularly clocked over 130 mph.

Djokovic going for the grand slam this year and still has a great chance to do it.

The woman’s side has been super exciting to watch too. The 18 year old Leylah Fernandez upsetting Osaka. Then the young American Shelby “Captain” Rogers beating the #1 seed Barty.

Enjoying every minute of the US Open!

LA Rams: Iowa’s AJ Jackson draws Brandon Scherff’s former coach

by Bret Stuter 2 days ago Follow @milroyigglesfan

Six years ago, an Iowa Hawkeye offensive lineman faced the 2015 NFL Draft. His name was Brandon Scherff, and he was an offensive tackle who was projected as an NFL offensive guard. This year, a second Iowa Hawkeye offensive lineman faced the 2021 NFL Draft. His name was Alaric “AJ” Jackson, and he also was an offensive tackle. Both were 6-foot-5. Both tipped the scales around 320-pounds.

One was projected to be drafted in round one. The second was projected to be drafted in round six. The first heard his name called out with the fourth pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. The second never would hear his name called out. But they would share one more thing in common. Both would join the NFL and be coached by offensive line coach Kevin Carberry.

Now, the NFL Draft profile for Brandon Scherff reads nothing like the NFL Draft profile for Alaric “AJ” Jackson, but there are certainly enough similarities to make for an interesting article. For starters, do you think that the two are completely unrelated? Or do you suspect that the success that Carberry had in coaching Brandon Scherff into a future Pro Bowler may have created a bit of bias in his stamp of approval for the Rams personnel office when signing undrafted Jackson in 2021?

After all, the Rams did not draft a single offensive lineman in 2021. But Jackson was one of the first undrafted rookies signed up and was one of the best-undrafted players from the class of 2021. But did the LA Rams was a roster spot? It certainly doesn’t appear that way. In fact, AJ Jackson made the LA Rams 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie. I’d say that he is already exceeding expectations.

Offensive line reinforcement

The Rams know that their offensive line will be squeezed by expiring contracts in 2022. Two of the teams starting five, both Brian Allen and Austin Corbett, will need contract extensions in 2022. If Andrew Whitworth retires, the team will need to replace or extend three starters. That does not include two keep backups, Joseph Noteboom and Coleman Shelton, who will both need new contracts as well. So the Rams have plenty of incentive to ensure that Jackson develops into an NFL-capable starter quickly.

But don’t fear that the team is somehow bending the curve. Both Tremayne Anchrum and AJ Jackson stood out in the joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys, as both tackles easily handled pressure from the Cowboys’ much-lauded pass rushers.

Lean mean fighting machine

Much like defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, AJ Jackson has switched his diet and dropped his weight from 321 pounds to a svelte 285 playing weight. Not only is that a healthier playing weight, but it gives Jackson more pop out of his three-point stance, more agility, and better footwork, and his endurance to play a long afternoon of football just skyrocketed.

That will all help his push to earn a starting roster spot down the road. Thankfully, he had the chance to bang bodies in the preseason, and he put on a pretty good display of what’s to come. He has always excelled at pass blocking, but the new-and-improved lighter form now allows him to get out in space to block at the secondary level as well.

Jackson didn’t arrive and get plopped in as an NFL starting offensive guard. Nor was he drafted with the fourth pick of the NFL Draft. But he has already exceeded expectations, he did make the 53-man roster, and he is one of the promising and rapidly developing young stars on the LA Rams team.

AJ Jackson is not a Pro Bowler. He’s not a starter. But don’t rule out either. You see, he’s a former offensive lineman from the University of Iowa and his offensive line coach is Kevin Carberry. The last time that occurred, great things happened. There’s no reason to expect otherwise just yet.

4 things to remember as Week 1 approaches​

The Los Angeles Rams open their season against the Chicago Bears, one week from Sunday night. There could be more anticipation than usual this year just because of the unusual two-week break from the final preseason game until the opener against the Bears, and now would be a good opportunity to talk about what to expect when the game finally gets here.

And what to prepare for.

I’ve covered a lot of Week 1s and this is what I’ve come to learn and how it will apply to the 2021 Rams.

1 - Week 1 isn’t as big of a deal as it will feel at the time

Is anything?

Anticipation and immediate reactions tend to carry a great deal of weight for our emotions. If Matthew Stafford throws an interception on his first pass attempt as a Ram, open your arms to welcome a flood of tweets about firing Les Snead and Sean McVay. Even though no different is it if Stafford throws an interception on his first attempt of his 201st and we should all expect him to make as many as 10 or more of those errors. It happens and we shouldn’t really care of it happens in Week 1 or in Week 10. It could happen in both.

The same holds true for a win or a loss. Even if LA should go 17-0, it may not turn out to be as good of a season as a team that goes 10-7, but then wins the Super Bowl.

The Rams beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of last season and started 4-1 with the lone loss coming in the final moments against a very good Buffalo Bills team. And yet, LA was only 6-5 in their remaining 11 games and any hopes of playoff wins beyond the wild card round were dim because of a sputtering offensive performance as the year went on.

On the other hand, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 7-5 after a Week 13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

So, who had the better season?

The Bucs that started 7-5 or the Chiefs team that was 16-2 entering the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay?

If you want to be semantic or pedantic or if you want to bring any of your ‘antics’ into the equation, then yes, Week 1 does “matter” to some degree. Every game matters. To that point, every play matters. Every decision in between games matters. And everything that’s happened up until kickoff matters.

But whether the Rams win or lose to the Bears in Week 1, not a single one of us could tell you on September 12th how or why it will matter as it pertains to LA’s future Super Bowl aspirations. That’s only something we can find out at the Super Bowl.

2 - The Rams should hope to see Justin Fields

Count Los Angeles in among those who would like to see the rookie Fields make his NFL debut next Sunday in SoFi Stadium. We know that most Chicago fans are not interested in even one week of the Andy Dalton era. We know that most media members want to witness the fruits of their draft grades. And we know that both NBC and the NFL are hoping for the fourth quarter ratings pump that would happen if Matt Nagy makes a change at quarterback.

But if the Bears are pulling Dalton — the QB who has been called Chicago’s starter throughout the entire offseason and leading into Week 1 — because of a bad performance, then surely the Rams are in a good position in the game at that point.

Then what happens next is that they are facing a quarterback who might be more talented than Dalton, who might be more athletic than Dalton, who might be able to create certain plays that Dalton can’t create, and who will have a lot less film to offer LA coaches/players leading into the game than the veteran will.

But he’s also just a rookie quarterback, the fourth one picked in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Few rookie quarterbacks have found success in the league, even if for one game, so if everybody is pulling to see Justin Fields next Sunday, perhaps the Rams should say, “If you can beat them, join them.”

3 - This is Matthew Stafford’s “most freshest start” to a season since 2009

There was some talk of LA looking at wide receiver Marvin Jones in the offseason, a former teammate/favorite of Stafford’s in Detroit, but that never happened. Then as it turned out, little about the Rams offense would change other than acquiring Stafford and most of that side of the ball will look the same as it has for the last four years.

During his 12-year tenure with the Lions, Stafford saw several changes at head coach and offensive coordinator, he played with dozens of different offensive linemen, running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers. Stafford is used to change, especially given that he was with an organization that was forced to rebuild several times since the rebuild that involved drafting Stafford in 2009.

But nothing is like the change that Stafford has experienced in 2021.

Not only did Stafford relocate and start anew with a franchise that offers a brand new $5 billion stadium and playoff trips in three of the last four seasons, but he’ll also have:

• A brand new starting five offensive line
• A new tight end
• A new set of wide receivers, including Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, DeSean Jackson, and Van Jefferson
• A new offensive coordinator in Sean McVay and Kevin O’Connell
• A new playbook
• A new parking space

In a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler mentioned that he believes he’s still physically capable of playing in the league at 38, but that he doesn’t have the energy anymore to do everything that’s a part of the job off of the field. That includes developing chemistry with his offensive line and receivers, perhaps one of the most underrated parts of the job. Stafford had a ton of people who he had to get to know this offseason.

(Cutler also first mentioned Stafford as a guy who can “sling it” when asked about the other QBs in the NFC North during his tenure with the Bears.)

Consider how much time that Carson Wentz has missed since joining the Indianapolis Colts, but Stafford returned to practice one day after injuring his thumb in training camp last month; an injury that was expected to sideline him for at least a few days.

Stafford has a lot to do, so patience is deserved, but that doesn’t mean that you have to hold off for an entire year; Tom Brady had a lot to do with the Bucs last year and we saw how that worked out.

4- Defensive performance, year-over-year, is volatile; and nobody should ever be expected to ‘repeat’ a number one ranking

One of the easiest ways to predict a team that will do “better” or “worse” than the season prior is to look for the best and the worst to begin with.

If you rank first in a category in 2020, you should not be expected to repeat first in 2021. That’s just rare. It doesn’t mean that you can’t be top-five. It doesn’t mean you’ll sink to the middle or the bottom. It’s just the law of expectations.

In his book “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” Daniel Kahneman explains what can go wrong when you praise somebody for doing their best; if a novice is throwing darts and hits a bullseye, that is good. But if you think that the bullseye is an indication that the novice will throw another bullseye on the next throw, that is an unfair expectation. They just did...THEIR BEST. They should in fact be expected to do worse on the next throw and therefore, you don’t admonish them for missing the bullseye any more than you would praise them for finally getting their first bullseye.

The LA Rams ranked first in defense in 2020 and then Brandon Staley left his job as defensive coordinator to take over the LA Chargers this season. If new DC Raheem Morris leads a team that is ranked eighth in defense in 2021, that doesn’t mean he’s a worse coordinator than Staley. We’ll never know how a Staley-led defense would have performed for the Rams in 2021. We’ll never know that.

A lower ranking for Morris should be expected and therefore, we shouldn’t really be upset if the Rams don’t rank first or near-first in defense in 2021. Could they be considerably worse? If that happens, then surely something did go wrong; Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey alone should keep LA from being considerably worse than first.

But a little worse is normal.

Chris Garrett will be ideal teammate for LA Rams Aaron Donald​

The fact of the matter is that LA Rams rookie outside linebacker Chris Garret was one of the most productive NCAA pass rushers in the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, his 36.5 quarterback sacks over 28 games and three college football seasons were one of the most dominating performances of this millennium. And yet, the 6-foot-4 245-pound dynamo was still on the draft board for the LA Rams with the 252nd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He may even have been undrafted had the Rams not called out his name.

So why did he fall so far, while dominating offensive lines his entire collegiate career? Well, it comes down to a matter of trust. After all, Chris Garrett is just the third player from Concordia to land a spot on an NFL team. The first was wide receiver Todd Black, who was a Chicago Bear in 1987. The second was defensive end Zach Moore, who played for four different teams in four NFL seasons from 2014-2018. In terms of finding NFL stars at Concordia-St. Paul? Perhaps there was good reason to be wary.

Production was too good?

Still, that production was perhaps another reason that caused pause from NFL teams. As the old adage goes: “If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.” While this is a good rule to instill in the minds of children who haven’t the experience to measure the unforeseen risks in their decisions, it may not be the best default when selecting potential players whose production is off the charts.

Garrett accounted for 166 tackles in 28 college games. That’s nearly six tackles per game, and even without the huge number of quarterback sacks, is eye-popping in its own right. But there’s more. He forced 15 fumbles, deflected nine passes, recovered four fumbles, and even blocked a kick. But the statistic that caught my eye is 48.5 tackles for a loss, and 273 yards lost from those tackles. (we’ll talk about them more later).

The challenge in taking those numbers at face value is that if you accept them as-is, then Garrett has the potential to be an elite NFL pass rusher. And yet, there he was, almost ignored from the draft class of 2021. What was missing?

The perfect partner for an All-Pro pass rusher

The LA Rams have sought the right partner to complement the dominating presence of All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald on the defensive line for years. In each season, the Rams have either uncovered a player who can apply significant pressure on the quarterback, or who can disrupt the running game.

Perhaps the best complementary player so far has been veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who has done an outstanding job of playing well at all aspects of the outside linebacker position.

Still, it’s been an Aaron Donald dictated defense. Offenses have simply mastered their strategy of locating Donald and then directing the offensive play in another direction. While Floyd has helped the Rams defense to get to the quarterback if the offensive line remains too focused on Donald (He had seven sacks against Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, a team infamous for committing 2-4 offensive linemen to block Aaron Donald per play)

Turn the beat around

Even with just Chris Garrett on the football field, he flashes an amazingly fast bust off the edge. When he came in to face the Las Vegas Raiders with the Rams behind by the score of 7-0, the offense had not gotten on track, and the defense was trying to turn the momentum around. Chris Garrett did exactly that when he tipped a 1st-and-10 pass by Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman into the outstretched arms of teammate J.R. Reed. The Rams were able to convert that turnover into a touchdown.

While this was all preseason, this was Garrett’s first chance to compete against other players in the NFL. In just two series, he demonstrated the same explosiveness and game-changing ability that he showcased throughout his collegiate career. In essence, the NFL game of professional football is not bigger than Chris Garrett. It seems that Chris Garrett has grown to the level of the NFL game.

Why Garrett is more than meets the eye

Nobody argued that the collegiate performance of Chris Garrett was anything short of masterful. The pushback came in the form of two arguments. The first from those who believed that he faced far inferior competition in college than he will meet in the NFL. The second is from those who believe that he was too sold-out to get to the quarterback, and would be a huge liability to an NFL defense trying to set the edge or defend against the run.

But he made another eye-popping play, tackling one of the Las Vegas Raiders hottest running backs Trey Ragas for a six-yard loss on first down. Two plays later, Garrett and teammate Jonah Williams sacked Peterman for a five-yard loss. In the next play, Garrett broke up a pass to running back Ragas. On the very next play, Garrett sacked Peterman again, forcing a fumble. While the Raiders recovered the football, Garrett proved in two defensive series that he is more than meets the eye.

Picking up the pace

The latest fad for NFL offenses when matching up against the LA Rams is to dink and dunk the ball. Perhaps the best (or worst) example of that is the offensive game plan used by the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. They effectively ran the ball at the heart of the Rams defense and then used short high-percentage passing plays to keep the defense off-balance. But they have done so because the tremendous power of Aaron Donald, and his ability to pressure quarterbacks so quickly, has forced offenses to shorten the field.

But even All-Pro Aaron Donald has his limits. Facing multiple blockers and game plans that move the ball away from him have been effective. But now that the LA Rams have a bit of lightning-fast pressure coming from the other side of the football field? What if…?

Garrett proved in the preseason games just how effective he can play without Aaron Donald on the field. He tipped a pass to his teammate for the interception, got a tackle on a running back for a huge loss, got two quarterback sacks, and even forced a fumble. They were all back-to-back plays that occurred over the span of five minutes. If the LA Rams needed a faster pass rusher to flush out the quarterback like a bird dog flushes out ruffed grouse, then the Rams have their guy.

Garrett is not overly powerful. He is simply built to terrorize quarterbacks off the edge, and he will get the chance to do so this season. To this point in time, the Rams have sought players who would allow Aaron Donald to flush the quarterback out of the pocket and then make the sack. With Garrett, the Rams have a player who can flush the quarterback into Donald’s waiting arms. Donald will pick up the sack because Garrett has picked up the pace.

Super Bowl LVI, at Los Angeles, Feb. 13, 2022: L.A. Rams 33, Buffalo 24.


2. Bullish on the Rams. Let me give you an illustration about where the Rams have been, and where I think they’re going. The best iteration of the Sean McVay Rams came in the first 12 games of 2018. Remember the bombs-away Rams? With Goff proving (or so we thought) what a good deep-ball thrower he was, particularly on that Thursday night at the Coliseum when he strafed the Vikings? The Rams then, and the Rams since:

The first 12 games of 2018: Rams 11-1, averaging 34.9 points per game.

The 41 games since (including playoffs): Rams 24-17, averaging 23.9 points per game.

I think we’re going to see a Rams offense like that one in 2018. A couple of differences between then and now. That year, the Rams had the league’s 19th-rated defense. This year, the Rams are coming off a season when they had the top-rated defense in the league. Gone is coordinator Brandon Staley, who got the Chargers’ head job, but the three best defensive players are back: all-world Aaron Donald and one of the game’s best cornerback tandems, Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams. And the quarterback is new and improved over last year’s model.

Simply put, Matthew Stafford gives McVay, one of the smartest offensive brains in the game, the first chance in his five seasons as coach to have confidence in calling everything on his play sheet. Everything. Stafford has the arm to make every throw, and the brain to know when to make one throw versus another. One coach who has faced Safford multiple times told me on my camp tour he thinks the marriage between Stafford and McVay will work well. “Stafford with Sean is going to be fantastic,” this coach said. “Sean’s been waiting for a guy who can execute everything he wants to call.” As I wrote in my training camp report on the Rams a month ago, McVay saw Goff as a student, and he sees Stafford as a peer. In his four months inside the Rams’ building, Stafford has become almost an extension of the coaching staff, and he’s done it organically, without usurping anyone’s authority. He trades ideas with McVay about the pass game. When the Rams traded for running back Sony Michel, it was Stafford, on a day off, who took it on himself to mentor Michel personally with a deep-dive into the offense. Last week, the Rams had their players vote for two offensive, two defensive and one special-teams captains. There were two unanimous picks: Donald, of course. And Stafford. That’s the impact he’s made in his first four months on the team.

So it’s the honeymoon period. I like taking teams on the way up, such as Tampa Bay last year. The Rams are on the way up. Now, they’re top-heavy, and a couple of major non-quarterback injuries would hurt the Rams more than, say, the Bucs. They’re playing with fire at left tackle in a 17-game season, with Andrew Whitworth turning 40 in December. You don’t find many 40-year-old left tackles in football. In fact, I can’t think of a single one in recent history. Overall, they’re thin. The Rams will need some luck from the injury gods to be playing February football at home. But I’ll take my chances with them

The Hansen brothers before MmmBop


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