So I'm beginning to believe these are for training camp only, however, there may be some hidden messages.

Caution
If you feel like reading a article, from a writer who thinks the team who gave up 30 pts a game,ranked 29th
in the league last year is gonna be the #1 ranked for 2021 then this is the article for you.


Ranking every NFL defense from 1 to 32 going into the 2021 season​

Sheil Kapadia Aug 4, 2021
Defensive performance year over year can be volatile. The New England Patriots ranked first in defensive efficiency in 2019 but slid all the way down to 26 in 2020. The Washington Football Team was 27th in 2019 but moved all the way up to third last season.
So which defenses will have similar jumps or falls in 2021? Here’s a ranking that projects the best and worst defenses, from one to 32. Note that rankings from last season are from Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric.

1. Minnesota Vikings​

Last season: 18th

It’s pretty simple to explain away the Vikings’ struggles last season. They had the third-worst injury luck of any defense, according to Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Games Lost metric, and they had the most injured defensive line. The Vikings didn’t get a single snap from edge defender Danielle Hunter or defensive tackle Michael Pierce.

This year, not only are both players back, but Minnesota added Dalvin Tomlinson and Sheldon Richardson. With Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr still in the mix at linebacker, the Vikings project to have one of the league’s top front sevens. There are some questions on the back end, but the Vikings added veterans Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland and Mackensie Alexander to give themselves options at cornerback. Cameron Dantzler figures to improve in his second season.

On paper, it’s probably not the most talented group, but coach Mike Zimmer is one of the smartest defensive minds in the NFL. The Vikings finished first, third and fourth in defensive efficiency from 2017 to 2019. Barring another bout of terrible injury luck, they’re talented enough to get back into that range this season.

2. Denver Broncos​

Last season: 13th

They were slightly above average last year, and now the Broncos get to add Von Miller (injured last season), cornerback Kyle Fuller and first-round pick Patrick Surtain II. They signed Ronald Darby too, giving them the depth to play dime (six defensive backs) if they want to go that route.

Vic Fangio has established himself as one of the NFL’s best defensive coaches. He schemed things up last year, and the Broncos’ defense ranked third in TruMedia’s Expected Points Added (EPA) model when they blitzed. Fangio will disguise his looks to muddy the picture for opposing quarterbacks, and he knows how to game plan against different types of offenses.

The Broncos are well-coached and talented. That mix should produce one of the league’s top defenses.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers​

Last season: 5th

We probably don’t need a whole lot of analysis here. They were a top-five defense last year and were able to retain all of their starters. The Bucs also added a nice pass-rush option with first-round pick Joe Tryon, who offers big upside and should fill a rotational role immediately.

Todd Bowles mixed up coverages and blitzed at the fifth-highest rate of any defensive coordinator. He does a brilliant job of scheming to the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel.

One factor to keep an eye on here: depth. The Bucs had the second-best injury luck of any defense last year. But overall, they’re set up to once again be one of the league’s top units.

4. Washington Football Team​

Last season: 3rd

This group is led by a front that includes Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat. Washington finished third in ESPN’s pass rush win rate last year.

They used a first-round pick on talented linebacker Jamin Davis and replaced Ronald Darby with a superior player in cornerback William Jackson III. At safety, Landon Collins is back after missing nine games due to an Achilles injury.

Defensive performance doesn’t always carry over year to year, but Washington has veteran coaches in Jack Del Rio and Ron Rivera, along with young, talented players. It would be no surprise to seem them again deliver a top-five unit.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers​

Last season: 1st

They still have two of the league’s best defensive players in edge defender T.J. Watt and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. But Pittsburgh lost three players — Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson — who each logged at least 400 snaps last season.

Defensive coordinator Keith Butler blitzed at the third-highest rate in 2020, and the Steelers’ front was ferocious, finishing first in pass rush win rate. Watt led the NFL with 15 sacks and 41 QB hits. Stephon Tuitt was highly disruptive with 11 sacks and 25 QB hits. Cam Heyward (four sacks and 19 QB hits) was still a factor. And the Steelers added veteran Melvin Ingram in the offseason to pair with Alex Highsmith.

Cornerback is a concern. Joe Haden is 32, and though the Steelers were able to bring Cam Sutton back, they need someone else to step up when they’re in their sub packages. Pittsburgh could regress on the back end, but the overall blend of scheme and talent should still deliver a strong defense.


Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

6. Baltimore Ravens​

Last season: 9th

The Ravens’ philosophy under defensive coordinator Don Martindale has been consistent: play man coverage and send pressure. Baltimore blitzed at the highest rate (45.5 percent) in the league last year, but the numbers suggest Martindale might not need to be quite so aggressive. Only three teams saw a bigger dip in performance (EPA per play) when comparing plays when they blitzed to the ones when they rushed four or fewer.

The Ravens lost edge defenders Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency but were patient and eventually landed veteran Justin Houston. The team also spent a first-round pick on high-upside pass rusher Odafe Oweh. They’ll count on second-year player Patrick Queen to make a leap at linebacker after a shaky first season.

Baltimore has one of the league’s best cornerback groups with Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters and Tavon Young. Martindale’s defenses have finished in the top 10 for three consecutive seasons, and there’s enough talent for the Ravens to be good once again.

7. Buffalo Bills​

Last season: 12th

There’s reason to believe the Bills can take a step forward from where they were last year. Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier have a knack for maximizing the talent available to them. Last year, linebacker Matt Milano played just 31 percent of the snaps because of injury, and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei opted out. Both players are back in 2021. Buffalo has spent four first- or second-round picks on defensive linemen in the past three years. Between Ed Oliver, A.J. Epenesa, Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham, they’ve given themselves options up front. And Buffalo finished second in pass rush win rate last season.

From a scheme perspective, the Bills are going to be zone-heavy and play a lot of Cover-3 (a three-deep zone with four underneath defenders) and Cover-4 (a four-deep zone with three underneath defenders). They need to figure out the corner spot opposite Tre’Davious White but have strong safeties in Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Among the 12 Bills defensive players who logged at least 400 snaps last year, 11 are back. Overall, this a well-coached group that has upside if some young players emerge.

8. New Orleans Saints​

Last season: 2nd

The Saints had one of the NFL’s top defenses last season, and they’ve finished in the top 10 for four consecutive years under coordinator Dennis Allen. In the post-Drew Brees era, the pressure will be on this group to do even more if New Orleans is going to get back to the playoffs.

New Orleans still has talented players in Cam Jordan, Demario Davis and Marshon Lattimore. But they face challenges, having lost six players who logged at least 300 snaps last season. The Saints ranked 22nd in pass rush win rate in 2020. They need Marcus Davenport or first-round pick Payton Turner to step up to field a formidable pass rush, especially now that defensive tackle David Onyemata will be suspended for the first six games.

On the back end, the Saints have a nice mix of hybrid defenders, but they still need to find someone to replace Janoris Jenkins and play outside corner. The Saints’ depth could be tested more this season. They had the third-healthiest defense a year ago and might not be so lucky in 2021. The most likely scenario is that the defense is good, but not quite as good as it was a year ago.

​

9. Los Angeles Rams​

Last season: 4th

By the end of the 2020 regular season, no defense was playing better than the Rams. But defensive coordinator Brandon Staley moved on to coach the Chargers, and Raheem Morris now replaces him. Luckily for the Rams, they still have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.

The Rams are replacing three players — safety John Johnson, corner Troy Hill and defensive tackle Michael Brockers — who logged 600-plus snaps last season. They brought back Leonard Floyd but don’t have a lot of depth at edge rusher.

Scheme-wise, the Rams were the most zone-heavy team in the league, according to Pro Football Focus and TruMedia. And they mixed in a lot of split-safety looks. Morris’ background suggests more single-high coverages, although he could take an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. The Rams have two superstars in Donald and Ramsey who are among the most impactful defensive players in the league. They also have strong complementary pieces. The defense might not
be quite as good as it was last year, but it should still be an above-average group.

10. San Francisco 49ers​

Last season: 6th

The 49ers had the worst injury luck of any defense last year, but Robert Saleh did an incredible job of maximizing the talent at his disposal. Nick Bosa returns from an ACL injury that limited him to 65 snaps in 2020. Linebacker Fred Warner is a star. And the 49ers are counting on second-year player Javon Kinlaw to be a big factor alongside Arik Armstead.

The secondary is where things get shaky. Jason Verrett was terrific last year, but he appeared in just six games from 2016 to 2019. San Francisco doesn’t have much depth at corner and could be in trouble if Verrett can’t stay on the field.

Kyle Shanahan has mentioned that new coordinator DeMeco Ryans might be a little bit more aggressive than Saleh was. But overall, Ryans would be wise to hold off on major scheme changes. The 49ers should have a formidable pass rush, but their corners have to prove themselves, and the coordinator change could be a factor.

22. Seattle Seahawks​

Last season: 16th

The Seahawks brought back Carlos Dunlap and signed Kerry Hyder. They still have Bobby Wagner at middle linebacker, Quandre Diggs at one safety spot, and they’ll hope to get Jamal Adams for the full season (he played 68 percent of the snaps last year).

But cornerback is a huge question mark. The Seahawks lost Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar in free agency. They signed Ahkello Witherspoon.

Pete Carroll is still going to employ a zone-heavy scheme that leans heavily on Cover-3. Seattle needs multiple corners to step up for this defense to perform better than it did a year ago.

25. Arizona Cardinals​

Last season: 10th

They made a splash in the offseason by signing J.J. Watt, but now Chandler Jones is reportedly unhappy with his contract. Given the Cardinals’ shaky cornerback situation, this defense might be in line for a serious step back.

Coordinator Vance Joseph did an outstanding job last year, but he relied on blitzing and man coverage. The Cardinals might not be strong enough at corner to use that same formula again. They signed Malcolm Butler, Robert Alford and Darqueze Dennard with hopes that one or two of them still have something left.

Watt played all 16 games last year but missed 32 games from 2016 to 2019. If Watt stays healthy and Jones remains on the team, the Cardinals, who also have Markus Golden, should be able to produce an above-average pass rush. But this is a boom-or-bust team and a boom-or-bust defense.

I'll start with this one.
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No beers today. Had a hard time getting in today. Kid Secutity guard wouldn’t let us go down one flight of stairs to the ADA access. Called a supervisor who then told me I couldn’t bring in my camera!!!

sam and I are getting pissed at this point. Sup asked rams staff about cameras, they said it was fine. No selfie sticks!
At least we got in and got a ride to the bleachers.

I think one aspect that is overlooked is that the Ram's have 2 "safeties" that have CB speed. Scott runs a 4.43 and Burgess runs a 4.46 and both are 5'11" which is the average height for a CB. The way Scott is coming on this year is going to allow Morris to use them in ways most teams can't use their safeties. The word is that Morris favors cover 2 & 3 concepts. The speed of Burgess and Scott will allow Morris to be aggressive in his cover 2 as both have sideline to sideline speed. This is why IMO the Rams weren't concerned about "needing" a SCB. They in essence have that with these two safeties. It's why I've always felt that Morris' pass defense package might include 4 safeties. Fuller and Rapp filling those underneath roles where teams normally use ILBs (SAM & MO) and still having 2 safeties with CB speed. This would mean the remaining ILB (Reeder with 4.64 speed) as the remaining ILB over the short middle also defending the A gaps against a draw.

If a team attempting to come from behind lines up in a 4 WR set, the Rams can counter with Ramsey (4.41), Williams (4.44), Scott (4.43), and Burgess (4.46), and no one is going to outrun this secondary. If you line up in a 4 WR set, you are banking on holding off Floyd, AD, Robinson, and Hollins long enough to get deep? LOL Good luck! Both Reeder and Jones have the speed to slide from side to side to take away rollouts and scrambles and can play delayed runs well.

With the personnel, Morris has, especially in his secondary cover 2 & 3 makes sense. It's why I think even if this defensive ranking dips a bit this might be an even better defense. Better in terms of being more balanced. The weakness of Staley's scheme is its reliance upon the offense forcing the opposition to play pass to catch up. A team with a balanced run-pass offense gives Staley's scheme problems. This is something I know McVay saw and why he spent draft capital on E. Brown, B. Brown, and E. Jones. When these guys develop it will give them a solid run defense rotation. They are being brought in specifically to counter Seattle and the Niner's run attack.

I think overall Morris probably will produce a more balanced defensive scheme. This is the strength of Tampa's defense who aren't the highest-ranked defense in terms of run & pass. But they are good enough to make both run and pass difficult.

I think the Rams have the personnel to dominate defensively both against the run and the pass. IMO Morris will employ more sub-packages, particularly against the run. Now with Stafford, the hope is that the Rams can force a shootout every week and that they have the talent on both sides to win those games.

That's why I think the evolution of Scott is going to pay huge dividends especially in combination with Burgess. When they are both on the field it's going to give the Rams essentially 4 CBs in their nickel enough to smother the passing game and force the QB to dump his passes early. These two guys give the Ram's nickel package true speed that will make throwing against it a risky proposition. Stafford's praise of Scott yesterday should not be discounted.

In case anyone is interested, Les Snead is a guest on The Daily Stoic podcast of Ryan Holiday (who is also author of the book, "The Obstacle is the Way", which is very popular in NFL circles).

A little combination of photos from the past couple of days.

Day 5/6 Camp Photos

We have the thread about movies that were supposed to be great but didn't do it for you. How about movies that didn't do much at the box office but you really liked.

I'll start with a movie I was told about when it was already on video. It was our family friend/Western Artist/Stuntman Walt LaRue's last movie as a stuntman. He told me that it was Hollywood's attempt to bring back the Western but they really screwed up on marketing. To this day it ranks as one of my favorite movies of all time and has one hell of a cast.

I give you:
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Just making it easier for you all to look at things. Make sure you scroll to the bottom, special surprise in store!

This was displayed today on the giant TV's located between the two fields. I didn't want it to get lost in all the posts from todays camp so I created this "special" post! (see what I did there?)
Let the speculating begin!

Title is self explanatory. You'd be sitting with my brother and me. Brother is a colts fan but he's a cool guy. We're both vaccinated and will probably be wearing masks at that point. Inbox me for details about the ticket

I'm looking to get a generator. Never had one before. I want one to keep things going in the event of an outage. Also, gas to power ratio. What say you?

Finally today the pads go on. Real hitting and no holding back. Looks like Stafford at least doesn't have a broken thumb or needs any surgery. Wolford will be with the ones and we get to see Perkins and Hodges for the first time in scrimmages.

Stafford's injury should have never happened. McVay broke one of his TC rules, that being ones go against the twos and vice versa just to avoid this kind of thing happening. Ones vs ones get after it a lot harder. I bet ones don't go against ones today.

Now that pads are on, can Corbett hold up and protect? Can Hopkins insert himself in the TE mix? Who will emerge as KR-PR?

Will be posting this evening.

Well Fuck.... hopefully it's not much

Rams' Matthew Stafford injures surgically repaired thumb at practice, team is 'hopeful' about status​

There's yet another NFL QB injury scare -- this time in LA​

[IMG alt=" Patrik Walker
"]https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2019/08/03/a2626c17-ee71-476a-87fe-3dc2d532f99a/thumbnail/80x80/76de2560ebdcf1a763a1da33692603ea/patrik-walker-700.png[/IMG]

By Patrik Walker

2 hrs ago2 min read




© Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Only one day after hearing news that the Indianapolis Colts might be without quarterback Carson Wentz for a significant amount of time due to a foot injury suffered in training camp, the Los Angeles Rams find themselves looking for answers regarding Matthew Stafford -- another high-profile QB who is looking for a fresh start in 2021. Stafford suffered an injury in practice when his surgically repaired thumb slammed into a defender's helmet, per the Los Angeles Times, and the team wasn't exactly forthcoming in detailing what the prognosis might be on a return to the field.
"We'll see," head coach Sean McVay said of the injury. "He's so tough as it is. Look at what he played through all last year to get the thumb cleaned up. He's a tough guy. We'll see what they say and take it one day at a time."
It'll be a familiar face in backup quarterback John Wolford taking over the QB1 snaps until further notice.
In early March, Stafford underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in the thumb in question, so it stands to reason the Rams would be nervous about seeing it make forceful contact with a helmet.
To McVay's point, though, Stafford played through the injury in 2020 and finished the year and his career with the Detroit Lions having thrown for 4,084 yards and 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions over a full 16-game slate -- missing zero games last season -- while also nursing a torn ligament in his elbow, an ankle sprain and a broken rib. That said, the Rams would prefer him completely healthy to start the 2021 season, and especially after having made a blockbuster trade to make him the face of the franchise, shipping away Jared Goff to Detroit as a part of the deal.

The Rams upgraded at quarterback but now have major questions at running back after Cam Akers' Achilles injury. Can Los Angeles still get it done in the rugged NFC West? Stay dialed-in on the CBS Sports app to get the latest news and analysis. If you already have the CBS Sports app, favorite the Rams so you're always in the know.
After all, they've already lost running back Cam Akers to a torn Achilles. And as for Stafford, McVay is regretful more wasn't done to protect the Rams starting QB in practice.
"It's one of those things where I'm saying to myself, I feel stupid that I didn't implement some of the things to prevent that," McVay said. "I've seen some teams around the league where they have those shells on the helmets, where you can soften the blow if you come down on top of it. It's one of those things where you hope you don't have to learn the hard way."

If he stays healthy that'd be great.


DeSean Jackson is entering his first season with the Los Angeles Rams at the age of 34, hoping to add some much-needed explosiveness and speed to an offense that was lacking big plays last season. Given his age and the Rams’ salary cap situation, Jackson only signed a one-year deal, but he feels he could play another half-decade in this offense.

He says his body feels great and he loves the fit in Sean McVay’s scheme, to the point where he believes he could play in this offense for another five years.

“Body’s feeling great,” he said Monday. “I feel Coach McVay, Coach Eric Yarber, Reggie (Scott) and the training staff, they’re doing a good job of keeping me fresh, but at the same time letting me get my work in. Basically, the best thing to do is get out here and just fly around so for where I’m at in year 14, I feel pretty good, man. Still going – I was just telling somebody else I could probably play another five years in this offense.”

Jackson has been prone to injuries throughout his career, especially in the last couple of years. He’s played just eight games in the last two seasons and hasn’t played a full 16-game schedule since 2013 when he was a Pro Bowler.

Wide receivers typically don’t play until they’re 40, but Jackson’s statement about playing another five years is just one example of how well the Rams take care of their players – as evidenced by their lack of major injuries over the years, specifically soft-tissue ones.

“I think they have a science to it. Just knowing how to get work in, how to take care of your players, your veteran players, not working them too hard, not overworking them,” Jackson said of why he feels he could play five years with the Rams. “When I speak on that just basically the workload. Being able to come to practice and being in training camp, but still get good work and not overworking you. So that’s what I talk about. I’ve been other places where you get ran in the ground. I’m not going to speak specifically on them, but they work you very hard. So, for here, I feel like the workload is great. I’m able to get good work in, but still feel not too overworked.”

It’s no surprise guys love playing for McVay in L.A., with this being one of the major reasons why.

thought I'd post here first cause of 3 pages on day 5 thread.

VetRamFan and bubbaramfan day 5 reports on page 3.

Great choices ABC-7, a Rams castoff angry with the team and a well-known Pigeon fan:

If televised in Nor Cal, I will be watching it on mute.

Staring soon: Just ended.

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Just heard on am710 espn here in LA, Rams players will NOT be in pads today. That will happen tomorrow. They cite CBA rules that players must complete 5 days in shells first, or something to that effect.

I intend to be there though I'm disappointed to have to see no real hitting again even though they did mix it up pretty good on Saturday.

i hope this report is wrong, so we'll see.

Some amazing stuff in this article on McVay, Stafford, AD and the Rams. Some serious gold in here. Pretty encouraging stuff tbh after only 4 training camp practices. Can't remember being this excited this early in camp. I think we're going to have a magical year. If Cam didn't get hurt I think we were a lock for the NFC championship. This team is going to be that good. We might still be. Worth the read 100%.

It's at the 2:10 mark of the video.

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I was thinking of the girl who played Dennis Quaide's wife Laurie in "The Rookie." I couldn't find the scene where she said, "I'm a Texas woman....." But this one is really good too and it will make even @Juggs turn on the waterworks.... Name you hot movie Momma...

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Travin Howard: "Feels good to be playing football again"​

IRVINE, Calif. – In wake of the injuries at linebacker last season, Kenny Young at one point looked around and realized he and Troy Reeder were the position's only healthy options.

That meant a lot of reps in practice, and eventually games. Young joked on Tuesday that he asked Travin Howard if he could come back during the last quarter of the season so that workload could get scaled back.

Fortunately, those reps at 2021 Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union are more balanced, thanks to Howard being back at full strength.

"We chop it up, we spent some time in the offseason talking about what will goals look like for ourselves, and he's in the right spirit, in the right mind," Young said. "He's back healthy. And he loves he loves ball for sure."

Howard was in the mix competing for a starting linebacker spot last year before a preseason knee injury prematurely ended his season before it could even begin. Now healthy, he said it's great to be back and have the same opportunity ahead of him.

"I got my legs up under me, I'm running well," Howard told theRams.com after the team's third training camp practice. "Being with my brothers out here, it just feels good to play football again and just be out here. I feel like I missed a year. I missed out on a lot."

At the time Rams head coach Sean McVay announced the season-ending surgery required to fix Howard's torn meniscus, he said it was "unfortunate" given the hard work Howard put in to put himself in position to be an impact player for their defense. In 2019, Howard began the season as a special teams contributor before becoming a contributor on defense over the final quarter of the season. Appearing in all 16 games, he logged 22 total tackles and three pass breakups.

Fortunately, Howard had a strong support system in wake of his 2020 season going in a different direction than anticipated. He leaned on his mother, his father and his coaches at TCU, all of whom reminded him that injuries are part of the game and not to get too down on himself. Within his own position group, Kiser offered support. Howard also counted on offensive lineman Rob Havenstein, who had a locker next to him last year and has experience with the same knee injury.

"(Havenstein was) just telling me how the surgery went, how the recovery process went and how the rehab process went," Howard said. "He told me it'll be up and downs in the rehab process, and just stay in it. Don't get too down on myself and just stay positive."

Though Howard felt like he missed out on a lot, he has the benefit of returning to the same defensive system, with the Rams aiming to retain last year's scheme while Raheem Morris.

Whether it's a product of that familiarity or just being back at full strength, Howard has had a good training camp so far in the eyes of McVay.

"It's big time (having Howard back)," McVay said after Thursday's practice. "I've been really pleased with him. You felt so bad for him last year because he was doing so many good things. Really liked the look in his eye. He's out here, he's got a good bounce in his step. I think he's really done a nice job of continuing to progress."

There is so much available from twitter, instagram and other sites I'm begining to wonder if my pics are worth the effort. I'm not a pro photographer and I don't have pro equipment. I can't get the angles the pro's do as they have field access.

So, should I continue with the pics and try to recall camp notes for a report or just focus on note taking?