I'm so psyched for this season, I have to temper expectations with a reality check. Decided to ponder what my BIGGEST concern is.

OL? McVay offense not being instantly fixed by Goff->Stafford? JJ more important than we thought for the D? Etc?

I landed on Kupp. Not his productivity, but his injuries as we reach the playoffs. It has cost us in the past, and I'm hopeful we lighten his load a tad and get reps for our Freshman/Sophomore WRs to reduce the risk (although his last injury was non-contact)...

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View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2943714-ranking-the-top-5-receiver-duos-in-the-nfl-entering-2021

Ranking the Top 5 Receiver Duos in the NFL Entering 2021​

MAURICE MOTONMAY 31, 2021286

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   Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
   When ranking wide receiver duos primed to dominate in 2021, we'll weigh performance over the last few seasons, efficiency (catch rates and averages) and each player's 2021 outlook.
   Quarterback play and a team's offensive system are also factors to consider. Rookies don't qualify because they have blank NFL resumes. And until Julio Jones is dealt, we'll consider him and Calvin Ridley a tandem.
   Think back to the most recent receiver tandems that dominated defenses: Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens, Randy Moss and Cris Carter, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Five of the six are Hall of Famers. The best duos in today's game have plenty of time left to build their resumes, starting in 2021.

Honorable Mention: Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams​

1 OF 6

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   Cooper Kupp (left) and Robert Woods (right)Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
   Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp don't have Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades to show for their production. However, both eclipsed 1,100 receiving yards for the 2019 season, one of three pairs to accomplished that feat.
   Between 2019 and 2020, the Los Angeles Rams' aerial attack took a step back, falling from fourth to 13th as quarterback Jared Goff struggled to stretch the field and threw 13 interceptions. The front office addressed the issue, trading him to the Detroit Lions and acquiring Matthew Stafford.
   In recent seasons, Stafford has cut down on his interception rate. He's also averaged at least 12 yards per completion the last two terms. Expect Woods and Kupp to see an uptick in yards per catch similar to their 2019 averages, 12.6 and 12.4, respectively.
   Cleveland Browns wideouts Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. missed the cut for an honorable mention because of the latter's recent injury and inefficiencies.
   In 2020, Beckham missed nine games with a torn ACL. While healthy, he's recorded a 55.1 percent catch rate with the Browns. Coming off a serious injury in a run-heavy offense that may limit receiving opportunities, the 28-year-old doesn't have a strong outlook for the 2021 campaign.

5. Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings​

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   Justin Jefferson (left) and Adam Thielen (right)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
   Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings traded Stefon Diggs and may have added another star on a much cheaper contract. In the first round of the 2020 draft, the front office selected Justin Jefferson, who had a legitimate case for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
   Jefferson caught 88 passes for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns with a 70.4 percent catch rate. He holds the all-time rookie record in receiving yards. Even more impressively, the LSU product posted those numbers in an offense that ranked 27th in pass attempts with an established two-time Pro Bowl wideout on the opposite side of the field.
   Jefferson's strong year propelled the Vikings' duo onto the receiver radar, though Adam Thielen had a solid bounce-back campaign after he missed six outings in 2019. The eighth-year veteran ranked third in touchdown receptions (14) in 2020.
   For the upcoming campaign, Jefferson and Thielen could clear the 1,100-yard mark. Quarterback Kirk Cousins may also have more incentive to show off his arm with a new offensive coordinator (Klint Kubiak) and rookie third-rounder Kellen Mond behind him on the depth chart.

4. Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys​

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   CeeDee Lamb (left) and Amari Cooper (right)Ron Jenkins/Associated Press
   You can interchange CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup with Amari Cooper, and that pair would still rank fourth on this list.
   Nevertheless, Lamb has a little more upside than Gallup with a healthy Dak Prescott.
   As a rookie, Lamb recorded 74 receptions for 935 yards and five touchdowns with Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert under center for a combined 11 contests. He also logged a 66.7 percent catch rate, significantly higher than Gallup's 56.2 percent catch rate.
   Lamb listed second on the team in receptions and yards as one of the league's top primary slot receivers. He should see an uptick in production with improved quarterback play.
   Last season, Cooper finished top 15 in catches (92) and receiving yards (1,114) with a 70.8 percent catch rate. He logged career highs in yards and touchdowns in his last full season with Prescott. Expect him to top those numbers in his third term with the two-time Pro Bowler signal-caller.
   While Justin Jefferson had a more productive rookie campaign than Lamb, the latter could close the gap with Prescott's return. They're possibly the top two receivers from the 2020 class, and Cooper tips the scale in this duo's favor over the Vikings' tandem. At 26 years old, he's going into the peak of his prime unlike Adam Thielen, who turns 31 years old in August.

3. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons​

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   Julio Jones (left) and Calvin Ridley (right)Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
   Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley may not go into the 2021 season as a pair, but they're one of the best duos right now. Despite the trade buzz around Jones, we cannot count out this duo until the Falcons make a move.
   In 2020, Jones battled a nagging hamstring injury, which forced him to miss seven games. Yet when healthy, he still hauled in passes at an impressive 75 percent catch rate while averaging a career-high 11.3 receiving yards per target.
   
   Meanwhile, Ridley led the Falcons in receptions (90), yards (1,374) and touchdowns (nine). At 26 years old, he's still an ascending playmaker.
   For most of his career, Jones has avoided significant injuries. He's only missed more than three games in a single season twice in a decade. At 32 years old, the two-time All-Pro has a good chance to bounce back in 2021.
   Despite the addition of rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, Matt Ryan has a rapport with his top two receivers who could rack up 1,200-plus yards apiece in the same offense.
   Jones and Ridley have recorded 1,300-plus receiving yards in a season, which is something the Dallas Cowboys wideouts haven't done yet, so the Falcons' tandem comes in third on this list.

2. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks​

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   DK Metcalf (left) and Tyler Lockett (right)Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
   The Seattle Seahawks' aerial attack jumped off to a quick start and fizzled late in the previous season. Yet DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and caught 10 touchdowns apiece, the only wide receiver pair to reach those numbers in 2020.
   As a late second-round pick from the 2019 draft, Metcalf looks like an absolute steal. He's a bigger version of Julio Jones in terms of his size (6'4", 235 lbs), speed and playmaking ability. The Pro Bowl wideout upped his receiving numbers between the 2019 and 2020 campaigns to finish seventh in yards (1,303) last season. As a big-play pass-catcher, he averages 15.6 yards per reception.
   Lockett has blossomed into a surehanded versatile receiver who's effective in the slot and on the outside with a penchant for scoring touchdowns.
   Typically, we think about big-bodied receivers as scoring machines in the red zone. At 5'10", 182 pounds, Lockett scored seven of his 10 touchdowns within six yards of the goal line in 2020. He can also burn defenses for chunk plays as well, logging three 40-plus-yard touchdown receptions over the last two seasons.
   In each of the last three seasons, Lockett has finished with a catch rate of at least 74.5 percent. He's one of the league's most trustworthy receivers in any down-and-distance situation.
   Metcalf and Lockett take the No. 2 spot over Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley because they're both coming off their best statistical seasons in multiple receiving categories.

1. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers​

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   Chris Godwin (left) and Mike Evans (right)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
   The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their dynamic duo together, franchise-tagging Chris Godwin. The wideouts' continuity with quarterback Tom Brady ultimately pushes this pair to the top.
   In the final quarter of the 2020 campaign, Brady started to click with his receivers. Through the last four contests, Mike Evans and Godwin combined for three 100-plus-yard performances. Although they found their groove against bottom-tier defenses in that stretch, the trio carried that momentum into the postseason.
   During the Buccaneers' playoff run, both Evans and Godwin recorded 100-yard performances against the Washington Football Team and the Green Bay Packers, respectively, two teams with top-10 pass defenses.
   If Brady and his starting wideouts pick up where they left off, this pair has the ability to rank near the top in every major receiving category. Evans has eclipsed 1,000 yards in all seven of his pro seasons. He ranked fourth in touchdowns (13) last year. Godwin had some drops during the 2020 playoffs but finished with a career-high 77.4 percent catch rate for the regular season.
   Godwin, 25, and Evans, 27, are both in the prime of their careers with four Pro Bowls between them. Within a stable offense that ranked sixth in pass attempts last year, the Buccaneers' duo has a higher ceiling in terms of production than a Seahawks tandem that will adjust to a new system under a first-time offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron.

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I am not sure if I agree about Sam, but we surely sucked until McVay.....Which was the worst one for you guys (from the video)?

I would say Johnny Manziel was pretty bad....

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NOT GREEDY OR UNREALISTIC

50 Touchdowns
5500 Yards
SUPERBOWL VICTORY

Seems Reasonable!!!

NGS' 10 most explosive runners of '20: QBs on top
https://www.nfl.com/news/next-gen-s...on-atop?campaign=nfl_app_mobile_share_article

Darrell Henderson comes in at #9

A friend of mine gave me this last night. She made this ish and it's badass!

My favorite rum is Papa's Pilar and she made this out of one of my used bottles. It even has an LED light you can switch on if you unscrew the top... so here's a pic unlit and a pic with the LED on.

Matt LaFleur and Robert Saleh on Reaching the Pinnacle of the Profession and Coaching for and Against Aaron Rodgers​

Sean and Peter are joined by Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh to talk about how they became friends, their personal philosophies as coaches, how to motivate veterans as a young coach, Saleh’s upcoming first year in New York, drafting Zach Wilson, LaFleur’s first year with Aaron Rodgers, the play calls they regret the most, going out to dinner in their respective cities, and getting pranked by Pete Carroll (6:08). We finish the show by answering a few listener emails and voicemails (56:07).

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Email Sean McVay and Peter Schrager your questions at flyingcoachpodcast@gmail.com.

Los Angeles Rams Top Offseason Position Battles To Watch​

Special Teams

The Rams special teams last season was a debacle. So this offseason the squad is going to get a lot of attention. Sean McVay and new coordinator Joe DeCamillis will spend a lot of time this offseason overhauling this group. So much time that they brought in extra legs in Brandon Wright and Corey Bojorquez so they could practice with actual punt return variations rather than practicing with the monotone jugs machine. But it isn’t just the starting return-men that they need to solidify. There will be positional battles at all spots on the special teams. Well, almost all.

Kicker Matt Gay and punter Johnny Hekker are safe in their jobs. The extra punters on the 90-player roster are there to punt all those extra punts required to determine who will be fielding punts. Having Matt Gay in position is easily the biggest upgrade from last season and will go a long way in correcting what was wrong with the Rams STs last season.

In terms of the returner search, the Rams have already added several options this offseason. But because of Tutu Atwell’s speed, it is easy to picture him as the front runner for the jobs. Atwell has little but impressive experience in the role in college. He returned four punts for 84 yards at Louisville. He is also very excited to get a chance to earn the job, telling Greg Beacham of the AP, “It’ll actually help me. It would be a great spot for the team. I’m just excited and ready to take over the job and do what I have to do.”

While Atwell is eager to take the job there will be a few other guys that will want a say in that. Both Nsimba Webster and Raymond Calais returned to the team. Webster saw most of the return duty and Calais fielded seven kickoffs last season. Both will need to show improvement this season if either wants the spot. Desean Jackson may see some action at the position, but his injury history may preclude him.

Jeremiah Haydel is a player to watch for on special teams. He was a primary kickoff returner for Texas State. While he isn’t particularly speedy, he has a good skill set that makes him a good option as a return specialist. In his senior season, he took both a punt and a kick-off for a touchdown.

Going with Atwell may make the most sense for the team at the end of the day. Atwell will see time as a receiver as well. Not having a roster spot dedicated to KR/PR would allow the Rams some wiggle room when trying to get down to 53.

What the Rams special teams woes really points out is that the team lacks depth. First-stringers rarely, if ever, see time on special teams for a few obvious reasons. So generally the STs unit is made up of guys lower on the depth chart. With the losses of several key starters and a lack of cap space, the Rams are moving several players up a notch in the chart. Players like David Long and Nick Scott who played a majority of the special teams snaps will likely make the move to playing more snaps on defense in 2021.

The Rams have added several DB’s to try to fill these holes. Undrafted free agent safeties Paris Ford, Troy Warner, and Jovan Grant will all compete for a roster spot that will fill that need. But there are also several returning safeties and linebackers that may find that their only option to make the team will be to lock up a role on special teams.

The Rams also haven’t settled on a long snapper and the position has been a bit of a carousel. They signed Colin Holba mid-season in 2020 seemingly as the heir apparent to Jake McQuaide, who was a free agent after the season. The Rams allowed McQuaide to walk, then cut Holba and signed Steve Wirtel, a former UDFA in his second year, and claimed Matt Orzech from Tennessee. Barring another move, the two will compete for the position. Orzech has the edge having played 136 snaps to Wirtel’s 0 snaps. This is a less than ideal place for the Rams to be in. Long Snapper is a position rarely thought about unless your team has a bad one. Like placekicker last season, this position battle may bleed into the regular season and then the battle will be with themselves.

Safeties

The Rams have a lot of safeties on their roster. 10 to be exact, which should make for a very interesting position battle to see who stays and who goes. Essentially one player is safe, Jordan Fuller. Fuller was a standout in his rookie season and will be the team’s defensive play-caller, replacing John Johnson III.

Taylor Rapp and Terrell Burgess are both coming off of injuries. Rapp had an impressive rookie season in 2019 when he came in for the injured Johnson, but in 2020 Rapp lost his starting job to Fuller and then went down with a season-ending knee injury in week nine.

Burgess broke his ankle in week seven which also ended his season. Before that, he had only played a handful of snaps on defense. Rapp is the front runner for starting safety alongside Fuller. Burgess will compete for a backup role along with Nick Scott. Their injuries will be something to watch. Both Rapp and Burgess are on track to play in week one, but lower body injuries can nag defensive backs.

So what of the remaining six safeties? They can’t keep them all, but the ones that impress on defense and on special teams will be the ones on the roster. That is essentially six players vying for two or three spots. Competing will be the three UDFA’s Paris Ford, Troy Warner, and Jovan Grant and second-year players JuJu Hughes and J.R. Reed, and third-year player Jake Gervase. None of which saw any time on defense and limited time on special teams.

Ford has incredible upside. He is undersized but is a good athlete that plays the position with a wild-eyed intensity, which can get the better of him on defense. As a special teamer, he would be less of a liability but would have to learn to play with discipline.

Grant is the polar opposite of Ford. He is big yet not a natural athlete. Drawing a further contrast to Ford, Grant has sound fundamentals and plays the game first between his ears. This sets him apart but may keep him from standing out on special teams. Grant also played at Merrimack College, so he will need to prove that he can translate his game against a higher level of competition.

Warner (whose brother is Fred Warner) is a good combination of Ford and Grant. He has a good football IQ, is a good athlete and he plays a physical brand of football. He also has an injury history that stunted his college career. He does seem to be fully recovered from the Lisfranc foot injury he suffered in 2017. His final season at BYU was by far his best. The greater concern about the injury is it set him back a year. He is actually older than Fuller, Burgess, and Hughes. Because he missed time due to an injury rather than spending an extra year developing, he doesn’t come in with more experience, just more wear and tear and more bad habits.

Of the three that were on the roster in 2020, Hughes is in the lead position to remain rostered. He put in good time on special teams and played well when on the field. Jake Gervase won’t likely make the cut, leaving Reed to compete with the rookies for the remaining open roster slot. Reed showed potential on special teams but got no time on defense.

Tight Ends

T.J. Hockenson was one of Matthew Stafford’s favorite targets in 2020. He threw to him 101 times for 723 yards and six touchdowns. Tyler Higbee was the fourth most targeted receiver on the Rams last season, but when you combine Hibgee’s targets with Gerald Everett’s it is only one less than Stafford’s targets to his top two tight ends in 2020. But Everett was lost in free agency, so the battle for his role will be hotly contested.

Higbee ended his 2019 campaign on a hot streak, which didn’t continue into 2020. But none of the Rams pass catchers had a career year last season. So the introduction of Stafford will shed light on Higbee’s ceiling in Sean McVay’s offense.

The good news for whoever pairs up with Higbee is that McVay has embraced throwing to tight ends. In his first two seasons, he averaged around six targets per game. While he has averaged nine per game in the last two seasons. McVay also increased his usage of two TE sets from 22% in 2019 to 30% last season. That trend ought to continue, considering how much investment the team has made at the position.

Higbee’s position is solid. The Rams have typically kept three TEs, so that leaves four players to battle for the remaining two spots.

The Rams front office has been high on Brycen Hopkins this offseason. He has been touted as making a big jump and is ready to see the field. Last season, he was mostly a healthy scratch after being drafted 136th overall. He is nearly a physical carbon copy of Everett. 6’3” 245, with a similar skill set and athletic ability, and both bring versatility to the position. Hopkins has also shown the potential to be a slightly more dynamic offensive weapon.

If he has made the reported leap, he could fill the hole left by Everett, but would certainly have a spot on special teams if more development is required.

Drafting Jacob Harris could be proof that the Rams are ready to move on from Kendall Blanton and Johnny Mundt. Blanton only got on the field for four special teams plays. Mundt has become a fixture on the special teams but hasn’t contributed much on offense, outside of blocking duties. Harris can and will beat both out based solely on his ability to play on special teams and the Rams may get a twofer with Harris.

Harris has some freakish athletic ability. He posted a 40.5” vertical leap at his pro day. Only four tight ends have bested that number since 1987. He also ran a 4.43 40 at his pro day. Even when adjusted, he is in the 99th percentile of tight ends. How about the long jump? Well, only one other tight end jumped further. AND! He posted a 6.51 time, the best three-cone time of any tight end.

This athleticism alone must make Sean McVay’s eyes pop out of his skull. Many have pointed to Tutu Atwell and Desean Jackson as players that will vertically stretch the field. But Harris could be the answer when you add 40 additional inches to a 6’5” frame compounded by that kind of speed.

Despite all this raw talent, Harris was the eighth TE drafted. Kyle Pitts was fourth overall. Pitts statistically had a much better season than Harris, but Harris tested off the charts. There are a few reasons for this. 1) There seems to be a debate if he is a WR or a TE. Most outlets call him a receiver, but the Rams have him listed as a tight end. 2) He didn’t start playing football till his senior year of high school, so his game is unrefined. He has issues with both his handwork and his footwork. He also doesn’t seem to know he is a freak athlete yet.

George Kittle suffered from a similar blindspot until a coach told him not to let one guy tackle him and now he is one of the best tight ends in the game. Harris needs the same revelation to take the next step, but if he does, he could be the steal of the draft and could even battle Higbee and Hopkins for playing time. But if he doesn’t develop those baseline skills he could be riding the Brycen Hopkins red-shirt plan. If so, Mundt will retain his third spot on the depth chart.

Inside Linebackers

Some position battles within the depth chart seem like an embarrassment of riches. Not so with the inside linebackers. Micah Kiser and Kenny Young played below average and Troy Reeder was surprising but isn’t the answer to the problem.

The good news for the Rams is that they are getting Travin Howard back from injury. They also added Ernest Jones, and Christian Rozeboom has been getting praise from the coaching staff for taking big steps toward making the team.

The Rams have high hopes for Howard’s return, so he will likely see a good chunk of playing time. They haven’t had enough draft capital to burn their second pick of the draft, so Jones will likely have a spot. Rozeboom will take a backup spot if the praise is true.

This leaves Kiser, Young, and Reeder to battle for the last position. Reeder’s performance last season and consistency over his two seasons lead one to believe he will win the position battle.

It won’t be the most interesting position battle, but certainly, one that Rams fans will be interested in given how poorly they performed last season.

Hey Whiners - Seachickens Dead Birdss!!! See this?
Get used to it, cause Your Gonna be seeing A Lot of it!

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Whit - "...if you have good grip and a stable base, you can manhandle anyone. This applies to all aspects of life."

Travin Howard feels fully healthy after missing 2020 season with knee injury​

Inside linebacker is a position the Los Angeles Rams must still sort out before the season begins. They have plenty of options, but not a single player right now is a lock to start in Week 1.

Travin Howard was slated to start next to Micah Kiser last year, but near the end of camp, he suffered a torn meniscus. The injury cost him his entire 2020 season, forcing him to miss every game.

Howard was re-signed as an exclusive rights free agent this offseason and now has another chance to start at inside linebacker. Fortunately, he’s feeling good at this point in OTAs and doesn’t appear to be limited.

“It feels like I ain’t been out there in so long, it’s been a whole year, but rehab is going real well,” he said on the “Rams Revealed” podcast. “I’ve been here the whole time. The training staff has been taking real good care of me and I’m back full strength and I’m ready to go.”

One great sign for Howard is that he’s not even wearing a brace on his knee. He’s had a sleeve on it in OTAs, but a brace hasn’t been needed. And after calling himself fast, he said there are no lingering effects from the injury slowing him down.

“Nah, I’m not wearing a brace,” he said. “I’ve got a sleeve on, but that’s as much as I’ve got right now. But I feel real confident, real comfortable and I’m ready to go.”

Howard recounted what happened during that practice when he injured his knee. At first, he didntt hink it was anything too serious, feeling a little pop. He actually stayed on the field and played the next four plays before going to see head trainer Reggie Scott and finding out the bad news.

He even broke down in tears afterwards because of how devastating it was right before the season began.

“That day, it was pretty tough. I didn’t really know what it was at first because my knee, it was a step I always do. It was a regular step. I was running straight and my knee popped,” he said. “I didn’t think it was that bad, I thought it was a little nick. I shook it off and actually played the next period, like four plays and I really couldn’t move like that. Then I went to Reggie, he checked me out. He told me a meniscus. I’m familiar with the meniscus. Like, my brother tore his meniscus back in high school. I’ve been playing football a long time, I know guys that have torn their meniscus and they were back in like six weeks, so I’m thinking it’s going to be a six-week process, I’m going to miss a couple games and get right back in and come in full-swing. But Reggie told me it was a complete tear and I was out for the whole season and that was a heartbreak. I ain’t going to lie, I went to my car and I broke down crying.”

Among those who helped Howard through the rehab process were Joe Noteboom, Brian Allen and Rob Havenstein, all of whom suffered knee injuries of their own at one point or another. Howard’s recovery has gone well and it’s great to see him on the field for the team’s early practices, but the real competition will come in camp.

Howard said he doesn’t know exactly what his role will be or who the Rams plan to start at linebacker, but he’s taking it a day at a time. If he impresses in camp and the preseason, don’t be surprised to see him starting alongside Kiser, Ernest Jones, Troy Reeder or Kenny Young.

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you've probably seen them all but what the heck.


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What Kind of Impact Will Rookie Tight End Jacob Harris Have For The Rams?​

The 2021 draft was an interesting play for Les Snead and the Rams, who brought in a receiver in the second round and tight end out of UCF Jacob Harris in the fourth.

With Tyler Higbee now leading the tight end position for the Los Angeles Rams, rookie Jacob Harris walks in with impressive speed to add versatility to the position after losing a key component in the offseason.

Harris’ likelihood as an X-factor for this offense in just his rookie year is a long shot. McVay and the coaching staff are more likely to lean into rookie Tutu Atwell’s inclusion in the offense. With a shell of DeSean Jackson left and 29-year-old Robert Woods on his slight decline, Atwell will be primed to be a primary target for Stafford and the Rams going forward. With sophomore receiver Van Jefferson also a concurrent development at receiver to add in this arsenal.

Jacob Harris walks in at a VERY light frame for an NFL tight end, weighing 218 pounds which puts him in the Julio Jones, Davante Adams spectrum of bulk. For reference, Everett and Higbee are both in the 240s.

While Harris’ weight leaves some qualities to be desired, the tight end has amassed a reputation for displaying freakish athletic talent. Some fans wonder if the tight end physical attributes would allow him to split off as a receiver after flashing a 4.39 40-time and 40.5-inch vertical.

The team previously utilized a tandem of Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee to make for one of the best duos in football. After losing Everett to the Seattle Seahawks, Higbee will take on the bulk of receiving for McVay’s 12 personnel, two-tight end packages.

In the two last two seasons with the Rams, Higbee has amassed 1,255 yards and eight touchdowns. According to PFF, Higbee was the 18th best player for the position. With Stafford’s addition to the offense after two lukewarm years from Goff, Higbee’s potential as a low end-TE1 is only getting higher.

What Harris presents in terms of potential for the Rams offense is a prospect. Or project, as many analysts dub players with a surplus in either physical or mental attributes, an uneven teetering rather than balance. Harris presents upside due to his physical abilities, but his limitations with dropping catches and no potential for blocking leave him as a darkhorse for the Rams’ offense should he see time on the field over Johnny Mundt or Brycen Hopkins.

The good news remains that the locker room will welcome a physical beast of a player, with a good determination to start winning now — pretty on point with the Rams’ mission this upcoming season.

Surprise, surprise... The Whiners own media is reporting that there are massive problems with Trey Lance.

And as we know, you can't teach footwork, confidence and mechanics to a QB past the age of 12. I mean you can refine them, but not to an NFL caliber elite level.

The real question is WHEN does Shanny's ego destroy the Whiners? No first round picks and a bust QB sure is a good start.

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I want to apologize for my lack of input and posting recently (and for some time) I have been dealing with medical issues.

I had cervical surgery this week, they took out three discs and replaced them with filler matter then put three cadaver bones back in for my spinal column Around them. Then they fused my cervical with a metal plate.

I have just been out of it for a while Now….

looking forward to participating more down the line.

Go Rams!

This will be short, but interested in others thoughts.

There is absolutely nothing ok with fans attacking players (spitting, throwing items, racial slurs, or any other negative behaviors).

I will use Russell Westbrook as my example. I am not a fan of his, but IMO I think his frustration with fan behavior and player security is on point. I doubt many of these idiots would feel 1 ounce of courage without security and physical barriers there to protect them.

The way things are going (fans rushing golfers, issues at basketball games, and aggressive parents & fans at amateur sports) we are heading towards another Malice At The Palace IMO.

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Rams’ plan at center is no longer a guarded secret​

THOUSAND OAKS — After the Rams made Matthew Stafford their new quarterback, the big question was who will snap him the ball.

A clear favorite for the role has emerged. It’s Austin Corbett, who has played left and right guard for the Rams but began his NFL career as a center with the Browns.

Corbett practiced at center with the first unit on Thursday, while Bobby Evans stepped into Corbett’s right guard spot, during the first session open to the media in the organized-team-activities phase of the Rams’ spring workouts.

Coach Sean McVay said Brian Allen and Coleman Shelton will compete for the job but the 6-foot-4, 306-pound Corbett, 25, is showing the athletic and mental skills needed to play center.

“Austin is somebody that we’re excited to see how he handles some of the things that really require some extra communication. He’s done a good job with that,” McVay said at California Lutheran University. “I think he and Matthew have established a nice rapport together.”

The plan at center was a mystery after 2020 starter Austin Blythe signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Rams drafted no offensive linemen.

But it appears McVay and new offensive line coach Kevin Carberry had Corbett in mind all along, a move that would give the Rams a different starting center in Week 1 for the fourth consecutive season, following John Sullivan, Allen and Blythe.

Sliding Corbett over from guard fits with McVay’s emphasis for versatile linemen and General Manager Les Snead’s insistence on the center being familiar with the offense.

Evans, 24, who is 6-4 and 312 pounds, is a beneficiary of how the Rams cross-train linemen for different positions. He saw most of his action in his first two years filling in for Rob Havenstein at right tackle late in 2019.

“I think the overall athleticism that Bobby has enables him to be able to play outside (at tackle) with his length and his size, but then he’s got the quickness when things happen a little bit faster on the interior parts of the line, (and he’s) a really smart player,” McVay said.

If Corbett and Evans hold those spots and David Edwards remains at left guard, a trio of 24- and 25-year-olds would play between tackles Andrew Whitworth, 39, and Havenstein, 29.

“I feel good about where we’re at right now, and it’s a never-ending process,” McVay said of the line.

BACK TO IRVINE

McVay confirmed that the Rams will hold training camp at UC Irvine this summer, returning to where they trained for four years before the COVID-19 pandemic kept NFL teams at their in-season facilities in 2020.

That’s not a surprise, with limits on sports attendance being lifted. In Irvine, more than 10,000 fans at a time have been able to watch practices.

Rookies and quarterbacks will report to training camp on July 25, other veterans on July 27, McVay said.

SCRIMMAGES PLANNED

The Rams are scheduling combined practices with the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys during training camp.

McVay likes to give his starters live action in those controlled scrimmages instead of preseason games, and Stafford said that was his own approach with the Detroit Lions.

“It lets guys that maybe won’t play in a (preseason) game go out and get a bunch of live reps against a team without the risk of a huge injury,” Stafford said Monday.

THUMBS UP

Two months after thumb ligament surgery, Stafford looked sharp throwing downfield passes in Thursday’s drills

McVay said he likes the players’ intensity in practice more than 100 days before the team’s Sept. 12 regular-season opener vs. the Chicago Bears.
“I like the urgency that’s been set by our veterans, and then the rookies saying, ‘Hey, that’s what the expectations are,’ ” McVay said.

HEAD COUNT

Several Rams skipped Thursday’s practice, the last workout of the first of two weeks of OTAs preceding a three-day mandatory minicamp next month. Players not there included defensive tackle Aaron Donald, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, tight end Tyler Higbee and wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Outside linebacker Terrell Lewis and wide receiver Robert Woods were there but didn’t practice.

McVay reported no serious injuries and said veterans who have taken days off from the voluntary sessions have been in touch about their plans.

“They’ve handled it the right way,” McVay said.

3 reasons why the Seattle Seahawks should be concerned heading into the 2021 NFL season​

The NFL offseason has not been uneventful in the Pacific Northwest with drama raging between the Seattle Seahawks and star quarterback Russell Wilson.

This was brought to a climax earlier in the spring when Wilson took to the media to criticize the organization. Specifically, he’s not happy about the lack of pass protection front of him. Other rumors suggest that a rift exists between the Super Bowl quarterback and longtime head coach Pete Carroll.

While Carroll has attempted to downplay these issues, Wilson was not in attendance for voluntary offseason workouts in Seattle this week. In fact, only 35 players — primarily rookies — were in attendance.

“I support these guys. I support the decision that they’ve made,” Carroll told reporters on Thursday. This comes as other teams have seen near full attendance despite the NFLPA pushing back against in-person OTA’s amid the still-ongoing pandemic.

As for the Seattle Seahawks and the 2021 NFL season, there’s some major concern that this team is no longer a top-end title contender after losing in the NFC Wildcard round a season ago. The competitive nature of the NFC West adds a layer to this. Below, we look at three reasons why the Seahawks should be concerned.

Russell Wilson facing elite pass rusher after elite pass rusher

The Arizona Cardinals’ acquisition of future first ballot Hall of Famer J.J. Watt earlier in the offseason is just the latest example of NFC West teams stocking up on pass rushers. He joins Chandler Jones to form an elite pairing in the desert.

The San Francisco 49ers will return former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa to the mix after he suffered a torn ACL early in the 2020 campaign. Bosa is seen as a generational pass-rush talent and is said to be 100%. Meanwhile, fellow former Pro Bowler Dee Ford seems to be nearing 100% after two injury-plagued seasons to start his 49ers career.

In Los Angeles, Aaron Donald remains the top individual defensive player in the game. He’s earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and is coming off six consecutive All-Pro seasons. Combined, the five players mentioned here have earned 17 Pro Bowl appearance.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line has allowed Wilson to be sacked a league-high 146 times over the past three seasons. Their only plan to upgrade this offensive line was to add veteran guard Gabe Jackson in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. There’s still a ton of issues at the tackle position in Seattle right now. That’s not great news for Mr. Wilson.

Seattle Seahawks will face an absolutely stacked NFC West

In addition to the pass rushers mentioned above, this division might very well be the best in the NFL right now. The Rams added Pro Bowl quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions for a lesser signal caller in Jared Goff. Stafford immediately makes Los Angeles a legit conference title contender.

In San Francisco, the hope is that last year’s injury-plagued team will be 100% and ready to go in 2021. If completely healthy, the 49ers’ roster is championship caliber. Add in the selection of Trey Lance No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and an elite skill-position group, and Kyle Shanahan’s squad should be a force in 2021.

As for the Arizona Cardinals, all they did was add seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green to team up with the studly DeAndre Hopkins. The addition of slot receiver Rondale Moore in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft could make Arizona’s offense truly elite should quarterback Kyler Murray take that next step.

An argument could very well be made that the Seattle Seahawks are a step behind all three of these teams. How unproven players perform in 2021 will be telling.

The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of holes

Gone are the days of the “Legion of Boom” in the Pacific Northwest. There’s now some major issues on defense in Seattle. Primarily, this unit’s pass rush. Safety Jamal Adams led the team with 9.5 sacks a season ago. That’s never a good thing. Meanwhile, Seattle moved off its second-leading sack-getter in Jarran Reed during free agency.

Without much of a pass rush to speak of, the onus might fall on Seattle’s inexperienced secondary to step up. Unfortunately, the team also lost its top cornerbacks in Quinton Dunbar and Shaquill Griffin in free agency.

That’s going to be a major issues with the Seahawks forced to go up against the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp within the division.

We’re not ready to discount the Seattle Seahawks as a playoff contender. That would be utterly foolish with Russell Wilson sticking around for at least another season.

With that said, there’s a lot of questions in the Pacific Northwest following a drama-filled offseason between the star quarterback and his organization.

Brandon Staley built the NFL's most modern defense with the Rams. Will it work with the Chargers?​

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Steven Ruiz

May 27, 2021 9:57 am ET
If Brandon Staley wasn’t a name you were familiar with before he was named the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, you probably don’t spend a lot of time on the Internet. It’s rare for young defensive coordinators to make a name for themselves in the age of the Offensive Genius™ but Staley, in his first season as a pro play-caller, managed to become one of the central characters of the 2020 NFL season … for football nerds, at least.
There was a hefty amount of ink spilled on the young coordinator leading a Rams defense that finished first in just about every advanced metric out there. We wrote about Staley more than a few times last season. The Athletic’s Robert Mays talked to Staley and penned a piece on his overall defensive philosophy. And Pro Football Focus’ Seth Galina and Diante Lee each had in-depth breakdowns on his scheme. Again, there was no shortage of content focused on a guy who was coaching D-3 ball just a few years earlier.
I’d argue that we haven’t seen a defensive scheme get this much press since Pete Carroll’s Cover 3-based scheme was terrorizing the league early last decade. But that defense was lauded for its tactical simplicity and, mostly, for the players who made it famous. Staley’s defense, on the other hand, has been lauded more for its variety of fronts and coverages despite the fact that, like Seattle, there was no shortage of superstar talent on the roster.
There has been so much written on the scheme over the past eight months and yet there’s still plenty of ground to cover.
For the most part, the spotlight has been fixed on Staley’s early-down approach, which makes sense: That’s where the most interesting (or hotly debated, at least) philosophical questions are asked and answered. On third down, run-pass splits don’t matter. And numbers in the box and coverage shells are mostly serving a cosmetic purpose. But even if Staley’s third-down stuff doesn’t provide us with answers to the big-picture questions we have about the sport, it probably deserves more attention given 1) how good the Rams were on the all-important down and 2) what it can tell us about the 38-year-old’s future as an NFL head coach.
My guess is that as NFL defenses continue to evolve, they’ll all look similar to the one we saw the Rams run on early downs in 2020. It’s a copycat league and, based on what we’re seeing at the lower levels of the sport, it’s just the direction defenses are going in.
So if Staley is going to stand out and continue to cultivate this reputation as one of the league’s brightest young minds, it will be his passing-down calls that make it happen.

Before we get started: A brief review of Staley’s early down stuff​

If you somehow managed to miss out on all the Staley content that was produced during the 2020 season, I’d suggest going back and reading it all. But, in order to save you time, I’ll use the words of another up-and-comer in the coaching world, Southern Miss assistant coach Dante Bartee, who has become a bit of a cult figure in the coaching community. Here’s Bartee explaining his approach to defending run-pass options…
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“I want to dictate where the ball goes. I want to dictate if the quarterback is going to look to throw it or look to hand it off. If I show a 4-1 box [4 defensive lineman and one linebacker] — so a five-man box — what are they probably going to look to do? Hand the ball off. If I show a 4-2 box, what are they probably going to look to do? [Throw.] …
“Do they want to run it or do they want to throw it? What are they better at? What are you better at defending? If their running back is the best dude they got, make them throw the ball and then close the space off post-snap. Show everything as one-high then rotate to two-high.”

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Well, Bartee is a college coach, so his question is worth asking every week and the answer will change based on the opponent. That is not the case in the NFL, where essentially every team is most efficient when passing the ball. So, what did Staley do? He presented those light boxes at a league-high rate, per Next Gen Stats, and rotated from two-high pre-snap to one-high post-snap at the second-highest rate, per Pro Football Focus.
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Now, Bartee was talking about defending RPO’s, which aren’t as ubiquitous at the pro level, but Staley told Mays that during his days as a college defensive coordinator, the RPO was always his biggest concern and he brought that mentality with him as he climbed the ranks to the NFL. And given how much of a role play-action plays in the superior efficiency of the passing game — if you look at passes without run action (so no play-action or RPO), those plays yielded a negative EPA during the 2020 NFL season — it’s just as big of an issue. The run/pass dilemma is still there; the mechanisms are just a little different.
Obviously, the key to defending a play-action pass effectively is timely diagnosis. And Staley has structured his defense in a way to give his coverage players more time to read run or pass. As Staley explained to Mays, that starts up front, where the goal is to clog everything up inside and muddy the picture for the running back.

“By doing that, it’ll be really messy in the run game. You don’t want to create a system where runs hit you directly. You want those runs to have to slow down, and what that does is that it allows the second and third level to get there. So it really starts upfront with the way we teach our d line and our edge players.”

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As PFF’s Lee put it, “Staley gets run fits akin to what you’d expect out of base fronts by having his deep safety come off the roof and into the box.” The Rams were getting the best of both worlds. The run was being defended effectively while the secondary was provided ample time to diagnose what the offense was doing. The run-pass conflict was still there; the decisions just didn’t have to be made in a split second.
This probably sounds like a common sense thing to do but it’s not really a commonly used approach to structuring defense at the NFL level. It’s really just Staley and his former boss Vic Fangio playing defense like this right now, but I would expect that to change in the very near future. Maybe as soon as the 2021 season.

Why it’s going to be everywhere soon​

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The last defensive scheme to proliferate the league was Seattle’s single-high defense that had every team looking for its own Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. That proved easier said than done and the teams that hired Carroll assistants away to build a Legion of Boom of their own largely failed. The most successful replica came in San Francisco in 2019 when the 49ers were loaded with talent at all three levels. It turns out that Seattle’s success last decade was largely due to talent.
Staley’s scheme may be more adaptable. Not because the Rams defense he coached wasn’t immensely talented. Donald and Ramsey might be the two best defensive players in the league right now. But the early-down stuff we’ve talked about wasn’t really dependent on their extraordinary gifts. On first and second down, Ramsey was playing a deep quarter most of the time. Donald was lined up like a run-stuffing defensive end in an old 3-4 defense. Having great players in those spots is obviously a good thing, but the list of players who can adequately fill those roles is long.
There were, of course, other good players on the defense. But players like Michael Brockers and Troy Hill are available every offseason. In fact, the Rams literally made both players available this offseason. If NFL defenses around the league want to replicate the stuff Staley was doing on first and second down that inspired all of those articles about him, they don’t necessarily need a world-devouring 3-technique or lockdown corner in order to do so.
Third down — the Rams led the league in third-down success rate — was a different story …

Third down is where Staley utilized Donald and Ramsey​

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately for those defenses trying to capture Staley’s magic, having Donald and Ramsey at his disposal on third down was a massive advantage. And those two were probably the biggest reason the Rams were so damn good on third down last season.
The Rams mostly played some form of zone coverage behind a four-man rush on first and second down, but on third down, Staley got aggressive. The Rams rushed five or more at a top-10 rate and played significantly more man coverage with only one safety back deep.
Of course, it’s a lot easier to play man coverage without safety help on the outside when you have Ramsey locking down the opponent’s best receiver on key downs. Most defensive coordinators do not have the luxury of saying, You’ve got D.K. Metcalf or DeAndre Hopkins one-on-one and not being laughed at.
And the attention paid to Donald by the protection unit really did make things easier for his pass rush mates. It also allowed Staley to get more creative with his pressure designs. Donald is a defensive tackle who moves like a running back, allowing Staley to line him up on one side of the offensive line only to stunt two or three gaps over and still affect the quarterback before he gets rid of the ball.
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This unbalanced front — referred to as a “Load” front — was one of L.A’s go-to looks on passing downs.

Donald was typically lined up just outside of the offensive tackle to the side with three rushers, which really limits an offense’s protection options.
One of the Rams’ more effective pressures had Donald just run directly into the center and set a pick for the interior rusher who was looping in behind him.
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The Rams also used a lot of “5-0” looks which forced the offense to check into a man protection more often than not.

Donald would line up as a 3-technique and just do typical Aaron Donald things, collapsing the pocket and forcing the quarterback to move away from him and right into the waiting arms of a linebacker who looped around to the edge opposite of Donald.
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It’s a clever little design but it’s not nearly as effective without the “Aaron Donald is unblockable” thing going on. Having good players makes coaching a lot easier.

But it wasn’t just those two powering the Rams’ dominant third-down defense​

Having said that, it was still very apparent on tape how well-coached the Rams defense was in 2020. It was as if the entire coverage unit was operating with one collective brain. Or maybe they were just really good at communicating. But either way, it was downright beautiful to watch them pass off routes to one another.
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Donald and Ramsey were the marquee names on the roster but the generically named John Johnson, now a member of the Cleveland Browns, may have been the most important player on the field. For most defenses, it’s a linebacker wearing the green dot, signifying the in-helmet radio device connected to the coach’s headset, but Johnson, a safety/dime linebacker, was that player for the Rams.

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Beyond that responsibility, Johnson was really at the heart of everything that made the 2020 Rams defense so interesting. He was typically that safety adding to the box late to defend the run. And he was the safety looking to cut off crossing routes, which might be the key to pass defense in today’s NFL.
If I had to pick out one coverage to represent the Rams’ defense philosophy, it would be what’s known as “Cover 8” in Fangio’s terminology, which I assume Staley also uses. Cover 8 is a hybrid coverage where the defense plays Cover 2 to the strong side of the formation and Cover 4 to the weak side. You might know it as “Cover 6” or “Quarter-Quarter-Half.”

(Note: I’m not 100% sure about the rules for this coverage. This is my best guess based on film.)
It was in this coverage that Johnson really shined. He’d typically line up on the weak side with Ramsey, who’d be locked in on the No. 1 receiver as long as he didn’t run a shallow route. While it may have looked as if Johnson was there to help Ramsey in coverage, he actually had his eyes on the other side of the formation, looking to cut off any vertical or crossing routes.
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Against sets with two receivers to both sides, Johnson would initially have his eyes on the No. 2 receiver to his side and if that receiver stayed shallow, he’d look to the other side to defend any crossers.
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In his chat with Mays, Staley talked about creating “overlap” in his defense, and you can see an example of that here. The receiver running the crosser has to run through the linebacker, whose job is to make him “run the hump” as he delivers him to Johnson.

There’s a somewhat similar relationship between the slot defender and the safety opposite of Johnson, with the slot defender delivering the No. 2 receiver to the safety, who would pick that receiver up if he ran deep. The Rams safety to the Cover 2 side wasn’t really concerned with getting out to the sideline because teams rarely throw vertical routes to the No. 1 receiver in trips. According to Sports Info Solutions, only 277 throws were targeted at the No. 1 receiver in trips when he ran a deep perimeter route (more than 15 air yards). So it happened about once a game. It’s just a very hard throw to make.
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We mentioned earlier that the Rams were getting the best of both the 1-high and 2-high worlds in the run game, and the same is true here. The middle of the field is cut off but the seams are not left vulnerable as they are in true 1-high coverage.
Staley’s defensive philosophy is very much based on the idea of creating as many 2-on-1s as possible. And he does that by conceding unattractive real estate to the offense so he can load up in the areas the offense does want to attack. He is not alone in that pursuit, but his playbook is so deep, he can adjust week to week to take on whatever challenges the next opponent might present. Those adjustments are made based on the talent he has at his disposal, as well, so some adjustments will be required as he applies this scheme to the Chargers roster.

Staley created a uniquely modern NFL defense​

We’ve seen quite the evolution on the defensive side over the last few years as teams have found ways to better defend spread offenses, and it’s quite clear that Saley is following that evolution closely.
From his usage of fronts meant to reduce numbers in the run box to better defend the pass, to his various coverage concepts designed to take away the routes that modern passing attacks lean on most heavily, to his usage of protection-dictating fronts to make pressuring the quarterback a little bit easier on his pass rushers, Staley seems to have created the NFL’s most modern defense.
That was the case in 2020, at least. Will we see something similar now that Staley is taking on a new challenge as head coach of the Chargers?

What it might look like with the Chargers​

Unfortunately, Staley can’t bring Donald and Ramsey along with him, which will certainly make his job more difficult. But it’s not as if the Chargers are devoid of blue chip talent. Joey Bosa may not be Donald but he’s an elite edge rusher and if you’re looking for how he might be used, you can just re-visit the film of the 2018 Bears defense that was led by Khalil Mack.
And Staley will not have to find a replacement for his new John Johnson with all-world talent Derwin James already on the roster. I’m just assuming James will play the same role Johnson did, but based on what Staley had to say about his new safety on Cris Collinsworth’s podcast, he might have a more expanded role.


If James does spend more time as a slot corner, I’d expect Staley to get even more creative with his pressure designs. He was more than willing to send a slot corner after the quarterback a year ago, as Ramsey and Troy Hill, who shared time in the slot, combined for 38 pass-rush snaps, per Sports Info Solutions. The Browns were the only other team with two defensive backs ranking in the top-20 in pass-rush snaps. James, when healthy, has been the most disruptive defensive back in the league when rushing the passer.


Staley’s arrival should help unlock 2019 first-round pick DT Jerry Tillery in the same way it did for Leonard Floyd with the Rams. Tillery is bigger than Floyd, weighing nearly 50 more pounds than him, and plays a different position but he put up exceptional times in agility and speed drills at the combine, which will serve him well when running those stunts that serve as the foundation for Staley’s pass rush plans.
There isn’t a Jalen Ramsey on this roster, but the Chargers have some decent talent at the cornerback position. Michael Davis has earned a cult following on Football Twitter, Chris Harris might actually be healthy this year and the team drafted Assante Samuel Jr. in the second round. That should be good enough.
The big concern is defensive line depth. Outside of Donald, the Rams d-line didn’t feature a lot of household names but guys like Brockers and Sebastion Joseph-Day were doing a lot of dirty work to clog up rush lanes, which allowed Staley to live in a two-high safety world. In order to employ similar tactics, the Chargers will be leaning heavily on a 32-year-old Linval Joseph and the unproven Justin Jones.
The Chargers defense will not be as good as the Rams defense was last season. I can say that confidently. But I also feel confident saying that this defense will be prepared to take on whatever challenges a modern offense might present and that’s a pretty good start.

Ranking 2021 NFL divisions from first to last: NFC West loaded with playoff contenders, AFC South not so much​

Who doesn't love power rankings? Everyone loves power rankings. Right?

Fun fact: Did you know that Pete Prisco invented Power Rankings? Yup. Verified fact ... Well, at least he will speak, if prompted, in such a convincing way about being the first human to ever construct an NFL power ranking that you will come away believing him. And for Pete that is quite a feat, because most conversations with him leave you shaking your head and wondering what the hell he is yammering about.

But I digress. It's power ranking time. With a twist.

I'm not going to rank all 32 teams. Refuse to do it. Won't do it. Haven't done one in at least a half-decade, and perhaps longer. I am contractually obligated (sort of) to produce one mock draft a year and no one is demanding I do power rankings and so I continue to abstain.

I will, however, do divisional power rankings. That's more my speed. You can systematically tick off entire legions of fans at once, finding a way within a few paragraphs alone to get, say, Saints and Falcons fans to bond over their hatred of you and your crappy football opinions. It's proven to be a great way to bring people together -- even the Hatfields and McCoys! -- and in trying times likes these for our country, well, who wouldn't want to bond over their discontent with one hack's opinion of the division in which their favorite team plays?

What can I say? I'm a giver.

So here is my latest far-too-early attempt to bring together division rivals in my own unique away. From best to worst, your 2021 NFL Divisional Power Rankings! Hope I make you proud, Pete!

1. NFC West

I could make the case for all four of these teams reaching the postseason, if I wanted. Personally, I still have major reservations about the Cardinals' ability to compete at a high enough level defensively and I am waiting for that offense to truly evolve as well. Kyler Murray can only run around and make so many players. With the Rams making a major upgrade at quarterback, I am more bullish on them than I have been in years. The Seahawks are in the dance every year as long as Russ is there (and he still is!), and the 49ers are a trendy pick for a bounce-back season for good reason. The games between these teams will be wild. I really believe three of these teams have the chops to win the NFC West despite the challenges playing in it presents. Ultimately, injuries and travel could be what separates them. There is no truly weak link. Power division; power ratings.

2. AFC North

I am a Browns believer. Love the upgrades to the defense and the offense can beat you in a multitude of ways. If OBJ comes back and is a game-breaker, great. If not, they can still win the division. Myles Garrett will be Defensive MVP. For all the talk about how tough Baltimore's schedule is, I still see the Ravens winning around 11 games and I think they make some gains in the passing attack. The Steelers are in decline but Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season and they could still mess around and win 8 or 9 games. The Bengals were far more competitive with Joe Burrow under center -- and if they can keep him upright they will be pretty interesting to watch. I still seem them picking in the top 10 of the draft, but have the ability to knock off a quality team or two along the way. They have two teams who could make a legit Super Bowl case. That carries the day for the AFC North.

3. AFC West

The Chiefs are quite likely the best team in football with that rebuilt offensive line and with a generational QB just entering his prime. That alone is going to carry some weight in this exercise. I am buying the Chargers as a playoff team given Justin Herbert's remarkable rookie campaign and the moves they have made on the offensive line. Denver's defense is going to be a problem for other teams and Teddy Bridgewater will provide a baseline of professional quarterbacking long missing there. I see them as a potential wild card if Teddy protects the football as he has most of his career. The Raiders will be bad again because of that defense but at least can do some fun things on offense sometimes. And they play really well against the Chiefs, which has to count for something. (Notice a trend here with which conference is superior?)

4. NFC South

Tompa Bay, baby! Or is it Chompa Bay? Or Gronk's Creek? Whatever you want to call the Bucs, they have the Lombardi and the GOAT who is thirsty for his first repeat since 2004. They brought the entire band back together (backup singers, the dude who plays the triangle, two guys to man the cowbell -- everybody). But the rest of this division is in QB purgatory, at best, which is never where you want to be. The Saints are banking on Jameis Winston and just went all in from a cash-and-cap standpoint to try to win one more with Drew Brees. That generally comes with ramifications the following year. The Falcons' refusal to do a full-blown rebuild will haunt them in the standings for years to come and they still don't have a defense. I'm not buying Sam Darnold as the solution to the Panthers' QB issue, and that roster still has a long way to go on defense as well. I see one playoff team here -- but it is the reigning champs, which gets the division a little bump.

5. AFC East

I buy the Bills as a legit Super Bowl threat. Prisco's boy Josh Allen is the real deal. I was wrong about that. They will run the ball better and the defense is better on paper now than it was a year ago. They have established a winning pedigree. New England will bounce back after an offseason splurge that could still end up including Julio Jones. Miami doesn't excite me, and I sense some unrest there, but the Dolphins will be hanging around the wild card scene until the end. The Jets will be one of the three worst teams in football and I have major reservations about them playing a QB far too soon, but they have been awful for about five years running now, anyway. Still, I see two playoff teams here and the Dolphins won't be awful, which lands them middle of the pack.

6. NFC North

The Aaron Rodgers saga trumps anything else going on this division thus far in 2021. It wasn't very good with him; without him it will be like last year's NFC East (more on that in a minute). I don't see the Packers as a Super Bowl threat even if the powers that be can convince Rodgers to come back for one more year -- that dynamic rarely plays well in a lame-duck situation and this thing has gotten too personal to have a happy ending at this point. No one else in the division is special, and frankly the Bears and Lions will be picking in the top 10, I figure. Detroit is totally rebuilding and will push the Texans for the first overall pick, and everyone in the Bears' building is trying to save their jobs to put off another rebuild. Again, not a winning dynamic. The Vikings will be better, but they, too, may have a QB transition on the horizon and they hit the wall on their all-in spending spree to try to win with Kirk Cousins and jacked up the cap and don't have a stellar roster to say the least.

7. NFC East

It's called the NFC Least, far and wide, for good reason. Seven wins is all you needed to win it a year ago. It has no dominant team; no annual Super Bowl contender. All four teams are in various cycles of rebuilding or retooling, even if some of them won't really admit it. I like WFT to win it again based on its defense, but Washington doesn't have enough to go far in January. The Cowboys may get that final wild card spot in a watered-down conference, but Dak is coming off a major injury and will need time to readjust, and that defense still stinks. The Eagles will be better than a year ago, and could compete within the division but I don't buy them as a true postseason factor. The Giants, to me, will be back in the QB market come 2022 and could be one of the six worst teams in football.

8. AFC South

Not much to see here. Maybe Carson Wentz turns it around and the Colts are decent, and I do like them to win this division. But a juggernaut, they are not. The Titans' roster has taken some major hits and I see regression -- possibly major regression -- in their future. Too much brain drain from their coaching staff the past two years, also. The Jaguars' grand experiment with Urban Meyer is wrought with potential peril and repeated warning signs and, well, nothing the Jags have tried has worked under Shad Khan for very long, so skepticism is baked into that cake. And the Texans seem hell-bent on being the worst team in professional football -- perhaps by quite a margin -- for myriad reasons on field and off.

Rams’ young defensive players aren’t kidding around​

The speed of NFL players hasn’t overwhelmed him, he’s getting a grasp of the playbook, and he’s already at ease calling out instructions the way a middle linebacker should.

Only one thing has fazed Ernest Jones in the first week that rookies have practiced with veterans during the Rams’ spring training program.

Jones, the third-round draft pick from South Carolina, hasn’t found the courage to strike up a conversation with defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

“I didn’t want to fanboy him at first, so I’ve tried to stand back from AD,” Jones said Wednesday, laughing at himself. “I haven’t talked to him yet, but it’s coming. I want a one-on-one, full conversation with him.

“Last week, I was calling a play out, and he didn’t hear it. He asked me again, and I about froze up. I’m like, ‘This is Aaron Donald!’ “

The Rams’ five draft picks on defense had better get used to being on the field with their heroes.

Whether the Rams’ defense stays on top of the league could depend on how well young players perform alongside All-Pros like Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey and last year’s breakout star, edge rusher Leonard Floyd.

The departures of defensive lineman Michael Brockers, outside linebacker Samson Ebukam and cornerback Troy Hill leave opportunities for Jones, defensive tackle Bobby Brown III (a fourth-round pick), cornerback Robert Rochell (fourth), defensive end Earnest Brown IV (fifth) and outside linebacker Chris Garrett (seventh).

While the coaches don’t necessarily expect any of those five to play starting roles right away, they do need to replace John Johnson from among the safety trio of 2020 draft picks Jordan Fuller and Terrell Burgess and 2019 pick Taylor Rapp.

And they could use a healthy contribution from 2020 rookie Terrell Lewis at outside linebacker.

“I feel like it comes down to you making the coaches comfortable with you, making them trust you,” Jones said of how a young player earns a prominent role. “If (rookies) build that trust, I could definitely see where we could be on the field early on.”

Fuller, who started 12 regular-season games (making three interceptions) and both playoff games as a rookie, sounded eager to try to replace Johnson, who was the Rams’ defensive signal caller and captain of the defensive backs.

“I definitely take it on my shoulders. I know all of the DBs are trying to take that on,” Fuller said Tuesday of replacing Johnson. “He was a great leader, really smart, so that’s one of the reasons I want to work on my Football 101.”

Jones spoke in a video conference Wednesday after the third day of the Rams’ organized team activities in Thousand Oaks.

Known as a vocal leader and mentally prepared player at South Carolina, Jones, 21, said he wants to be the same in Los Angeles.

“That’s what I was kind of brought in here for, to be vocal and continue what I did in college,” he said. “The first few days, (I was) being a little cautious and nervous (about) speaking in front of (teammates). In just these last few days, I’ve become comfortable with them.

“Once you see something, you take control, you call it out. Not being nervous, you know, bashful.”

Someday he’ll tell that to Aaron Donald.

Rookie Tutu Atwell aims for speedy induction into Rams' talented receiving rotation​

Trading for Matthew Stafford qualified as only one piece of the puzzle.

Rams coach Sean McVay was not about to let the veteran quarterback arrive on the scene without adding a speedy receiver to exploit Stafford’s strong right arm and deep-ball capability.

So, the Rams added not one but two players that can stretch the field.

In March, they signed veteran DeSean Jackson. Then they used their first pick in the NFL draft to select Tutu Atwell in the second round.

Those receivers, along with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and second-year pro Van Jefferson, give McVay and Stafford multiple options.

Defenses beware, Woods said.

“We’re going to be coming at ‘em with a lot of speed, a lot of weapons in our rotation,” Woods said this week in a videoconference after an organized-team activity workout. “We’re just loaded at the receiver position. Throughout the game, you’ll be getting hit with a lot of different type of styles.”

Woods, an eight-year veteran, and Kupp, entering his fifth NFL season, established themselves as 1,000-yard receivers in previous seasons. Each received a lucrative contract extension in 2020.

But McVay and general manager Les Snead, who equipped previous offenses with deep-ball threats such as Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks, failed to provide the offense with that option last season. Quarterback Jared Goff’s longest completion was a 56-yard touchdown to Woods.

Seeking more explosive plays, the Rams in January traded Goff and two first-round draft picks to the Detroit Lions for Stafford. Then they found him more targets.

Jackson, 34, has been one of the NFL’s most dynamic deep threats for most of his 13-year career. Injuries limited him to eight games the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he will enter the 2021 season with 56 touchdowns and career average of 17.4 yards per catch.

Atwell, listed at 5-feet-9 and 165 pounds, caught 20 touchdown passes and averaged 16.6 yards per catch in three seasons at Louisville. After the Rams drafted him with the 57th overall pick, McVay described him as “a big-time gift.”

The Rams’ veteran receivers, Atwell said, are helping him acclimate. Jackson has told Atwell to be patient running routes — “It’s all about timing,” Atwell said — and he is confident that everything else will come in time.

“They set the tone,” Atwell said of the veterans, “and I follow.”

Woods only has been on the field with Atwell for a few days, but said the Florida native plays with “a ton of heart and speed” that will help the offense.

“You’ve got to play with swagger,” Woods said. “He has that attitude and knows how to do things with the ball in his hands.”

Atwell said he has never paid attention to those who questioned his size. Instead, he said he focused on doing whatever was necessary to play at the next level of competition.

“I just play with a lot of swag,” he said. “If you don’t have swag, the game won’t be fun, so you got to put your own little swag to it.”

Atwell does not consider himself a one-dimensional deep threat. He said that he was fully capable of catching balls over the middle.

“A big part of it, honestly, is having heart,” he said. “I feel like if you don’t have heart then you shouldn’t be playing football — and that’s one thing I got. So big hits, I’m going to get up. Any type of hit, I’m going to get back up.”

New special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis also is expected to give Atwell opportunities as a kick returner. Atwell returned only four kicks at Louisville — he averaged 21 yards per return — and said returning punts for the Rams “would be a big deal for me.”

But this week and next, Atwell and the other receivers mainly will concentrate on establishing rapport and timing with Stafford.

During workouts, Stafford has sought feedback from receivers about routes and where they like to catch the ball.

When they are studying film individually, Woods said he will record a clip and send it to Stafford with a message such as, “Hey, we haven’t run that concept, but if I get the ball here in this window, this is a great area for us to have being able to have yards after the catch.”

During meetings, Woods said he can whisper, “Hey, if you can throw this backside, I’ll be open for you.’ Just little things like that, communication, building trust so when you do have these looks in the game it’s like you already had a mental rep.”

The goal, Woods said, is to empower all Rams receivers to have confidence in being playmakers.

“As soon as you get in … if it’s your rotation, that you’re out there and you have the confidence that you’re the best on the field and you can make the same plays and dominate like you always have,” he said.

Alex Smith is a mans man and this interview was delight to watch.

Towards the end he talks about Mahomes and what he had seen in practice leading up to him being the eventual starter.

Simply a feel good interview on several levels.


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