The 2021 draft may very well stand out to be a one of a kind.

It is hard enough to evaluate and draft players... Plop a pandemic into that and it certainly won’t make it easier.

In 2020 we had reasonably “fresh data” or data very comparable to previous years. The pandemic hurt things, but a lot of work was done for a normal draft. Most things didn’t get disrupted until Feb 2020. Just 2 months prior to draft day.

2021 is now two years into the disruption. Travel. Games impacted. Workouts. Medicals.

Some prospect agents might use this to their advantage to feed disinformation, to help their clients.

How does a team navigate this? Who has the best plan?

I saw this comment from Jason La Canfora to be interesting from a totally unrelated article. It speaks to this.

Link to Article

“Especially with no combine and no private visits and workouts this year, it's more difficult than ever to get an early bead on some things. This year's pre-draft run-up is even more bizarre than last year's on many levels and everything is lagging; medicals, metrics on many key prospects, and certainly the flow of information”

^ What does that mean? How does that impact things?

Me... trade down. Load up on picks.

It will be more lottery than ever.

NFC West 2021 free agency grades: Rams get high mark for adding Matthew Stafford, Cardinals take playoff step
Here's a look at how the NFC West fared in free agency

By Jeff Kerr

Mar 28, 2021 at 3:26 pm ET6 min read




Getty Images



The first wave of free agency has officially come and gone as the NFC West experienced a changing of the tides. Arguably the best division in football, the NFC West got better as each team is currently engaged in a chess match for division supremacy.
The Seattle Seahawks currently hold the division crown and managed to hang onto Russell Wilson -- for now -- while the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams got significantly better. Let's not leave the San Francisco 49ers out of the mix either, as they pulled off the blockbuster trade heading into the 2021 NFL Draft -- moving up nine spots from No. 12 to No. 3 and positioned themselves to select a franchise quarterback.
Los Angeles appears to be the early favorite to win the division for the first time since 2018, while Arizona continues to be one of the rising teams in the league. Seattle will always have a title shot with Wilson at quarterback and San Francisco has a talented roster that will be healthy heading into 2021. Don't count any team out in this division.
How did each of the NFC West teams fare after the first wave of free agency? We break it down in our grades below:

Los Angeles Rams

• Key additions/re-signings: QB Matthew Stafford, WR DeSean Jackson, DL Leonard Floyd
• Key departures: QB Jared Goff, S John Johnson, CB Troy Hill, DL Samson Ebukam, TE Gerald Everett, RB Malcolm Brown

The Rams couldn't do much in free agency as they battled to get under the salary cap, but significantly upgrading at quarterback gives general manager Les Snead a high mark. Adding Matthew Stafford to an already talented roster may be enough to put the Rams atop the division and back to Super Bowl contention. The pressure is on head coach Sean McVay to show what kind of offensive guru he actually is with one of the game's top 10 quarterbacks in his prime.
DeSean Jackson was the only major free agent signing, as he provides a valuable asset as a deep-ball receiver for Stafford -- which he always had in Detroit. Retaining Floyd was critical for the Los Angeles pass rush, especially since it was inevitable Johnson and Hill were going to depart in free agency.
Los Angeles still has a talented roster, but the lack of first-round picks over the next several years could prevent the Rams from being the best in the NFC. That unit is good enough to become the early favorites in the NFC West, thanks to the acquisition of Stafford.

Grade: A-
Arizona Cardinals

• Key additions/re-signings: DE J.J. Watt, WR A.J. Green, C Rodney Hudson, CB Malcolm Butler, K Matt Prater, G Brian Winters
• Key departures: CB Patrick Peterson, RB Kenyan Drake, LB Haason Reddick, TE Dan Arnold

The Cardinals made a big splash early in free agency by landing J.J. Watt, adding even more strength to a pass rush that has Chandler Jones returning and Jordan Phillips on the interior. Arizona still needs help at cornerback, but was able to add Malcolm Butler on a one-year deal after losing Patrick Peterson to Minnesota (the Cardinals need more man corners in defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's system).
While the defense still could use a few more additions, the offense received a boost with the signing of A.J. Green as the No. 2/No. 3 wide receiver for Kyler Murray. If Larry Fitzgerald decides to return, a wide receiver group of DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Green, and Fitzgerald is arguably the best quartet in the division.
The Cardinals also decided Chase Edmonds on his rookie contract was a better option than re-signing Drake, which will turn out to be correct. Time to see what Edmonds can provide as a featured back. Getting Hudson and Winters on the offensive line immediately makes the unit better -- and should keep Murray upright throughout the season.

The Cardinals are on the door of making a postseason return.
Grade: B+
Seattle Seahawks

• Key additions/re-signings: DE Carlos Dunlap, RB Chris Carson, G Gabe Jackson, DE Kerry Hyder Jr., TE Gerald Everett, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, C Ethan Pocic, T Cedric Ogbuehi, G Jordan Simmons
• Key departures: CB Shaquill Griffin, TE Jacob Hollister, RB Carlos Hyde, WR David Moore, WR Phillip Dorsett

Seattle still has Russell Wilson on its roster, making this free agent season good thus far. Here's the underlying issue -- did the Seahawks do enough to keep Wilson satisfied?
Wilson wants help on the offensive line, and Gabe Jackson immediately improves the interior. Losing Mike Iupati to retirement hurt and Seattle appears content on running it back with Pocic at center, Duane Brown at left tackle, Damien Lewis at left guard and Brandon Shell at right tackle. Seattle has depth by keeping Ogbuehi and Simmons -- but more upgrades are needed in order to protect Wilson.
Losing Griffin was a major blow to the secondary, and Seattle is hoping Witherspoon can fill the void. Retaining Dunlap and adding Hyder significantly boosts a pass rush that finished seventh in the NFL with 46 sacks last season and third in pressures with 182. Keeping Carson also makes the run game formidable, as he's the clear No. 1 running back until Rashaad Penny can showcase the form he had two years ago.

Seattle needs more depth at wide receiver, which can be addressed in the draft. Freddie Swain could also take the next step in his development, but Seattle needs to do more on offense to keep Wilson happy.
Grade: B-
San Francisco 49ers

• Key additions/re-signings: T Trent Williams, FB Kyle Juszczyk, C Alex Mack, OLB Samson Ebukam, DT D.J. Jones, S Jaquiski Tartt, CB K'Waun Williams
• Key departures: DE Kerry Hyder, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, RB Tevin Coleman, WR Kendrick Bourne, DE Solomon Thomas

The biggest move of the 49ers offseason was keeping Trent Williams in the fold at left tackle, which would have been a major loss if he was going to depart to the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did San Francisco keep Williams, but the 49ers offensive line got better with the addition of Mack at center. Mack isn't the Pro Bowl player he once was with the Atlanta Falcons, but he's still one of the top 10 centers in the league.
Getting Samson Ebukam is a more than adequate replacement for Hyder as the 49ers pass rush is getting Nick Bosa back from injury -- along with Arik Armstead and Dee Ford on the unit. The 49ers were decimated by injury last season, so they didn't have to do much on the defensive side of the ball in free agency. The inevitable loss of Richard Sherman in the secondary will hurt, even if Sherman will be 33 this year. Retaining Tartt was a strong move with Sherman likely departing.

Keeping Juszczyk is crucial toward the zone-run scheme, which will be piloted by Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson going forward. Losing Coleman was necessary at this stage in free agency.
The 49ers didn't have to do much to improve their roster and made the biggest splash in the division by moving up nine spots in the draft. San Francisco is going to select its next franchise quarterback, giving up a lot of draft compensation (2022 and 2023 first-round picks to start) in order to compete in this division for the next decade. The 49ers have a talented roster, but they'll need to get this quarterback right in order for this offseason to be successful.
Grade: B-

I'm back in the car market, and I'm fairly know what I need. I just saw a new Bronco on the highway a couple days ago, didn't know they were out already.

I know some of you will say "its not the old Bronco!" well yeah. Seems like the trend is to bring back old names into the 21st century. J/w if anyone has experience or is more of a car expert.

Sometimes, a cover is an artistic reimagining of the original song. In other cases, it is a mere cash grab re-release of a familiar favorite.

Here are three that I feel are even better than the original:

1. Wild Horses - The Sundays (originally by The Rolling Stones)
Great, classic tune by the Stones, but this remake is sublime. Harriet Wheeler's vocals (she is really one of the great singers of the late-80s/early-90s) are angelic, and the rearrangement of the song enhances its emotional impact. Bonus points for the use of this cover as an anthem of Buffy and Angel's tragic, doomed love story on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (yeah, I went there... deduct a man card from my stack if you must, but you know I'm right!).

2. Land of Confusion - Disturbed (originally by Genesis)
When Genesis recorded this song, it was a light, political pop song, with a quirky video featuring the Spitting Image puppets. Disturbed turned it into a hard rocking, kick-ass, blitzkrieg, with a video featuring animation by Todd McFarlane (best known for Spawn). Some may cite Disturbed's cover of Simon and Garfunkel's The Sounds of Silence on this list (I'd still vote for the original), but this one is a clear improvement.

3. Bang a Gong - The Power Station (originally by T.Rex)
I love the understated original, but this remake is such an icon of 1980s excess and joy. Robert Palmer's vocals, the Taylor (Duran Duran) brothers wailing on the guitar and bass, and Tony Thompson obliterating the drums. I defy you to listen to this version and not "air guitar" or "air drum" while doing so.

Agree, or blasphemy?

Any you'd nominate?

Pretend you are living life high on the hog in Canada like CGI. It's 2am and the titty bar kicked you out and now you are drunk and hungry as hell. Which restaurant will you choose? Will it be a drivethru or the sit-down restaurant with one waitress that hates yur drunk asses?

On his 85th birthday, 23 tales of the true John Madden

1. During the 2006 Super Bowl weekend, Madden was waiting to hear whether he'd gotten into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He'd always insisted that he be considered as a coach rather than a revolutionary broadcaster, endorsement groundbreaker or esports icon. He was a coach, period, and would get in -- or not -- based on the strength of his 1976 Super Bowl win, his 75.9 win percentage -- still highest of any coach with at least 100 victories -- and the 12 Hall of Fame players he'd coached.

But he'd been eligible for 22 years already with no luck, and since all Hall of Fame inductees get a heads-up phone call before the announcement goes public, Madden began watching that year's official announcement by telling friends in the room, "Maybe next year."

And then, as the names and photos of the six new inductees flashed across the screen, the room saw the one they'd been hoping for: John Madden. The room exploded in shocked jubilation. Madden had never been much of a touchy-feely guy, so he tried just giving out handshakes.

But there is an image of that moment hanging in Madden's agent's office, and in that blurry photo, you can just barely make out the old Raiders coach smiling and enduring the rarest of Madden sights: a hug or two.

2. In 1968, Frank Cooney, a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, approached the Raiders' 32-year-old linebackers coach. Other staffers had been buzzing about how the former Cal Poly lineman had been forced to limp away from the game in his early 20s but was on the road to being a fantastic coach. "He's really good at explaining things," one coach told Cooney.

Cooney, always in search of a good quote, asked Madden, entering his second season in Oakland, if they could talk. "Only off the record," Madden said. He didn't want to distract from the message of the head coach, John Rauch. Cooney agreed and was struck by the conversation that ensued. Madden was as sharp as advertised. He noticed little things about players and big things about the game. Most of what he said soared way above his specific coaching obligations -- the eight or so linebackers on the Oakland roster -- and was more about philosophy of roster construction, playcalling, driving guys to get better. "He had halogens -- there were lights on inside his head," Cooney says now.

Cooney can remember thinking Madden could be head-coach material. Someday -- probably many years down the line. Who'd hire a head coach in his early 30s, right?

Six months later, Madden, 32, was named the Raiders' head coach.

3. In 1977, Madden walked up to his fifth-round draft pick, All-American safety Lester Hayes, and told him he would be playing cornerback as a pro. Hayes had begrudgingly switched from linebacker to safety at Texas A&M. The last thing he wanted was to get further away from hitting people. Now Madden was asking -- no, telling -- him to play corner. "I started bawling like a newborn baby," Hayes says.

Hayes sobbed and begged Madden, right there on the practice field, to reconsider. He didn't eat lunch or dinner that day, then came back for evening practice still pleading with his coach.

Madden was firm but gentle. He told Hayes he was a former Texas prep sprint champion and that would translate better to playing one-on-one with wideouts. He promised Hayes he'd still have plenty of opportunities to try to decleat ball carriers from his new position.

"There was something in his eyes that made me trust him," Hayes says. "John has that ability to see something in people that they didn't know existed. Thank God he saw it in me."

Hayes won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1980 and was on the league's all-decade team for the '80s. As a cornerback.

4. By 1976, after losing three straight AFC title games, the pressure started to weigh on Madden. He'd begun to put considerable weight onto his 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame, and players noticed how many bottles of Maalox that Madden was guzzling every week.

But then he broke through: The Raiders beat the Steelers, and they were going to the Super Bowl. His players loved him, though they often made fun of him behind his back for his pregame pep talks -- word salads that, when carefully dissected, didn't actually make sense. So there was great anticipation for what Madden might say before this most important game. He talked for two minutes. At one point, he said, "Don't worry about the horse being blind, just load the wagons," which still causes perplexed side-eyes from his old Raiders.

But his closing line was clear enough: "Gentlemen, this is going to be the single biggest event in any of your lives -- as long as you win. Go get 'em."

There was a stampede into the tunnel, and the Vikings had no chance. Oakland 32, Minnesota 14.

5. Right before his first broadcast ever, Madden was perplexed at a production meeting when the crew laid out the schedule leading up to the game. "When do we go to watch the teams practice?" he asked.

Producers explained that TV broadcast teams don't really go to practice.

"Why not?" Madden asked. "I'm going to be talking about these guys for three hours this weekend. I want to see them up close."

Again, they explained, that really wasn't how things worked in the relationship between NFL teams and production crews. They told him they could get him film from TV games of the teams from earlier in the season. Madden insisted that wasn't good enough.

Well, Madden was told, usually we sit down with PR people from both teams to get a download of both teams. That ought to work, right?

"Nope," Madden said. "I'll talk to the coaches."

From that day forward, Madden's broadcast teams went to practice, spoke directly with players and coaches, and were given the same film that coaching staffs used. Within six months, it had become standard practice for TV crews.

6. In the mid-1990s, Fox was in the middle of a pre-production meeting. Madden was on the telestrator showing the crew how he planned to break down a particular play before kickoff. He drew all over the field, mapping out what individual guys had to do on the play, and he slapped on a line where the first down was located.

"Why can't we just keep a first-down line on the screen the whole game?" he asked.

Everybody shrugged their shoulders. Somebody said it'd be too distracting. Somebody else said the technology wouldn't allow it. "You're wrong -- we should do it," Madden said, shaking his head.

He let it hang in the air, and producers in the room started to wonder whether maybe Madden was right. "The yellow line is a direct descendant of that moment," says Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks, a longtime Madden crew producer who was in the room that day.

7.1. Back in 1984, Trip Hawkins had an idea for a football video game. The founder of EA Sports requested an audience with John Madden, and got a strange reply: Yes, you can meet with John from Dec. 16-18, but it will be on an Amtrak train for three days. You will meet him in Denver and ride west.

Because of his infamous refusal to fly, Madden was traveling to his next assignment by train. "It was never the actual plane that was the problem for John," longtime producer Bob Stenner says. "It was his claustrophobia."

Hawkins was in. He and some developers boarded the train and met Madden in the dining car. Madden had a giant cigar in his mouth, and it stayed there for the next three days as they held what would become the most important video game meeting ever held. Madden never lit the cigar -- he loved cigars, but not smoking them -- so as the hours went on, the wet cigar began to disintegrate, one sloppy piece at a time. "It was like his own little pacifier," Hawkins says now.

Hawkins warned him that the technology just wasn't there yet for 11-on-11 football. "We can probably only get 7-on-7 to fit on screen," Hawkins said.

Madden loved the idea of the football game, but he hated the idea of 7-on-7. "That's not real football," he said, waving a dismissive mitt through the air as a chunk of cigar flew off.

Hawkins warned that it could take years to build a game that squeezed 22 players on one screen.

"Then it will take years," Madden said.

It took two years.

7.2. In 1983, EA Sports paid Dr. J and Larry Bird $25,000 apiece, plus 2.5% of sales, to put together their first basketball game. A year later, Madden asked for $100,000 and 5% of sales. He got it. "No Madden meant no game," Hawkins says now.

Madden Football has sold north of 130 million copies since its release in 1988.

8.1. Right after the EA team met Madden for the first time, they all went back to their train cars in disbelief at Madden's prolific deployment of swear words. "I'm not exaggerating, I think every third word out of his mouth is an F-bomb," Hawkins says. "He is incredibly profane. That's one of the signatures of how smart John is. To have the self-discipline to never do that on the air, it's remarkable. He knows how to switch over to a completely different vocabulary."

8.2. One time, the Fox production team was struggling during a game. Graphics were late. Camera angles were off. He was catching confusion in his ear. Madden hit the cough button and said, "You f---ers are missing a good game out here."

9. Before one game in the mid-1980s, Madden had his first pregame session with a makeup artist. He was told it would help reduce glare for the camera, that it was necessary. As the makeup artist worked on him, Madden said, "You really think it's gonna make me look better? This is like putting frosting on s---."

10. Madden loved to ask his crew about their own athletic exploits. One day, he peppered Stenner with questions about his baseball career. Stenner had been pretty good, and he was especially proud of the way he could read fly balls off the bat and immediately get to the right spot. "Sort of like how DiMaggio used to get back," Stenner said. He realized the mistake he had made and tried to keep going.

"Wait -- did you just compare yourself to Joe DiMaggio?" Madden asked.

"Oh no, of course not, that'd be ridiculous," Stenner said.

It's been more than three decades, and to this day, when Stenner walks into a room, Madden says, "Hey, look everybody, it's DiMaggio."

11. Right before Super Bowl XXI in 1987 between the Broncos and Giants, producer Michael Frank was in charge of getting tape of both teams, so he got the broadcasts of both conference title games. Big mistake. Madden was furious -- he wanted only the coaches' film.

Somebody got ahold of the NFC title game tape, so they just needed the AFC tape. Frank was handed the unenviable task of going to the Giants' team hotel to get a copy of the tape New York coaches were using to scout the Broncos. When he got there, he was ushered into a conference room. After a few minutes, he heard footsteps and in walked ... Giants coach Bill Parcells. "You really screwed up, huh?" Parcells said.

Frank said yes, that he just needed a copy of the coaches' film of the Broncos. Parcells sighed. "We only have one copy," he said and just stared at Frank for a very awkward five seconds.

"You know what?" Parcells finally said. "I'd do anything for John. Take this."

Parcells had gone 12-19-1 in his first two years in New York, and anxious Giants fans had started to call for his head. Madden spoke up consistently to say that Parcells was going to be a really good coach, that he needed time. Parcells thought it made a huge difference in keeping the temperature of his seat at a reasonable level.

So he handed Frank the film and made him vow to protect it with his life. But on his way back to the production team's hotel, Frank started to suspect Madden had called Parcells and put him up to it. "I think maybe he was just giving me a hard time," Frank says.

12.1 In the mid-1980s, Madden was constantly getting assignments for NFC East games, so he decided to get an apartment in New York City. He settled on The Dakota in Manhattan, and he bought Gilda Radner's old apartment in the complex, which had become infamous after John Lennon was shot there years earlier.

Within a few years, without even trying, Madden became the complex's mascot. The Madden Cruiser would pull up out front, and singer Roberta Flack would hustle out to get onboard for a few minutes. Sometimes Madden would hang out in the courtyard and go through notes, and on more than one occasion, Fox crew members would show up to meet with Madden and he'd be sitting with a friend and her son.

The woman would always say hello and excuse herself, and then Yoko Ono would take Sean Lennon back to their apartment so Madden could get to work.

12.2. One morning, Madden and his agent, Sandy Montag, were having breakfast in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. As they ate, a man rolled up to their table. He had a thick British accent, and mentioned to Madden that in the U.K., they usually were limited to one NFL broadcast per week, and it rotated between the networks. "I only watch the games you do, John," the man said.

Madden, used to fans approaching him in public, thanked him and waved goodbye. "That guy had big glasses and a big attitude," Madden remarked after he was out of earshot. Montag had a funny look on his face.

"That was Elton John," he said.

13. In the mid-1980s, CBS foisted a ridiculous one-week grind upon Madden: a Sunday game in Atlanta, a show in Las Vegas midweek, then back to D.C. for a Washington game on Sunday.

But no matter how hard the network tried, it couldn't cobble together a train and car schedule for Madden. So it pulled some strings and got him set up to borrow Dolly Parton's tour bus for a week.

He loved it. CBS loved that he loved it. The idea for the Madden Cruiser was born.

14. Early in the 1994 season, Madden became obsessed with the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Everybody who boarded the bus was asked their opinion of the case, and Madden had just had an early cellphone installed on the Cruiser. He'd call L.A. friends like Wayne Gretzky or Fred Dryer just to see what they thought of the trial.

At some point, Madden got introduced to Vincent Bugliosi, who famously prosecuted Charles Manson. Madden immediately added Bugliosi to his frequent caller list, and would dial up the bombastic ex-prosecutor every day and put him on speakerphone. "John treated that trial like a football game," Stenner says.

Madden would pepper Bugliosi about game plans from both Marcia Clark and Johnnie Cochran and what actually unfolded in the courtroom. Madden was especially fired up about why Judge Lance Ito would have allowed Simpson to try on the glove while wearing another glove. "Of course it didn't fit -- he had two gloves on!" Madden said.

Bugliosi always played along. He realized what his role was: to be John Madden's legal John Madden.

15. On Sept. 11, 2001, Peggy Fleming was giving a speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, when news broke of a terrorist attack. The Olympic figure skating legend finished talking at the breast cancer awareness fundraiser and went back to her hotel. She connected with her agent at IMG, who told her there was no way she was going to be able to get home to California anytime soon.

She didn't think she could handle the cross-country drive by herself in a rental car. So for five days, she stayed in a hotel in Wilkes-Barre. Then her agent called her with a surprise: John Madden, another client at the agency, was on his way to California from New York in his Cruiser. He'd offered to pick her up.

On Sept. 17, the Cruiser pulled in. Fleming was there with her luggage, and jokingly stuck her thumb up, like a hitchhiker. The doors flew open, and Madden swung his head out. "Get in!" he yelled.

She hopped on and spent the next 52 hours watching coverage of the terrorist attacks and talking about winning a gold medal, surviving breast cancer, their families, everything. Fleming and Madden were both particularly struck by the visible signs of a unified country -- flags on cars, farmers painting their barns red, white and blue, the national anthem playing at gas stations along the way. "It was such a scary, uncertain time," she says now. "We didn't know what the future held. But I had my big new buddy, John Madden, and it felt so safe on that bus."

Fleming was blown away by the efficiency of the Madden Cruiser operation. Two drivers alternated for the entire trip with only occasional stops to eat or stretch their legs. They put up a curtain at night and made up the fold-out couch in the middle of the bus for Fleming, then Madden would say goodnight and head for his bedroom in the back.

"I want to earn my way on the trip," she told Madden at one point, and she meant it. So Madden told her she could come on his weekly radio show from the Cruiser, and that he was going to get out in Nebraska and scrub the giant Cruiser windows, and she was welcome to help out. So she did both.

When they got to Omaha, Madden and Fleming grabbed a bite to eat and hit some local shops. Fleming mentioned that she wasn't loving the current state of her hair and wished she had something to cover it up. Madden said, "Peggy, let me buy you a hat." So she picked out a black felt cowboy hat, Madden insisted on paying for it, and she wore it the rest of the way.

A few days later, the bus pulled up in Pleasanton, and Fleming's husband was there waiting for her. They hung out for an hour or two, but soon it was time to go. Madden shook hands with Fleming and she headed home to Los Gatos. She still puts on the cowboy hat from time to time, a reminder of an unlikely new friend. "He'll always be my buddy," she says.

16. In 1981, Madden and his co-host Pat Summerall began a run of 22 straight Thanksgiving football games. As a token of appreciation to the production crews, the network began putting together an annual banquet a day or two before the game, just to say thanks.

Everybody enjoyed the concept, and the first few were as good as advertised. But Madden himself was nagged by one thing: What about the refs? Members of the officiating crew also were sacrificing time away from their families to put on a football game. So early on in the run, he went to CBS with a request: Could they attend the feast? And from that day on, the refs ate, too.

17.1. In the fall of 1997, Madden and Summerall were coming to town for a Saints broadcast. A New Orleans radio personality mentioned that somebody ought to introduce Madden to the turducken, a Louisiana-invented meat monstrosity of duck and chicken stuffed into a turkey.

Word filtered back to Madden, and sure enough, local restaurateur Glenn Mistich got a call. Madden wanted to try the turducken. At the time, Mistich was selling about 200 turduckens a year, almost all of which were purchased by locals around Thanksgiving. He jumped at the chance to expose one of the nation's foremost TV foodies to the turducken.

He went to the Superdome before the Saints game that Sunday with a beautiful turducken -- all three birds deboned, with sausage and cornbread dressing and a gravy made from the meat juices.

Just one problem: Mistich forgot to bring any plates or silverware. Somebody in the booth rounded up a couple of paper plates, but they couldn't find any forks or knives. So Madden simply reached into the turducken and tore off a piece, then ate it with his hands.

He loved it. And as he was raving to Mistich about the turducken, Saints owner Tom Benson popped into the booth to say hello. Benson stuck out his hand, and Madden had to make a quick decision what to do with his turducken fingers. He quickly licked them and shook Benson's hand. "That's the last time Tom Benson ever spoke to me," Madden once said.

17.2. Over the next few years, the turducken became the official All-Madden team food and was featured prominently every Thanksgiving by Madden and Summerall. Within a few years, Mistich had gone from selling 200 turduckens per year to shipping 6,000 annually all over the world. "I had to hire people just to deal with turducken orders," Mistich says now.

Then, a few years ago, out of the blue, boxes of chocolate began arriving to his house every December. The note always reads, "Thanks for thinking of us all these years. John Madden."

"John Madden changed my life, and my family's lives, forever," Mistich says. "And he's sending me chocolates?"

18. When Summerall died in 2013, Madden gave a eulogy for his friend. They'd been partners for 22 years, and Madden always tells anybody who will listen that without Pat Summerall, there is no John Madden. That day, Madden told the crowd that one criterion for greatness is, Can the history of what you did be written without mentioning your name?

His voice cracked when he ran through the list of histories that cannot possibly be written without mentioning his friend, Pat -- the history of college football, the NFL, the NFL on television, all the shows that he teed up during his broadcasts. "Even 'Murder, She Wrote,'" he said.

About six minutes into the eulogy, Madden gestured toward the sky. "I know Pat's up there saying, 'Brevity, brevity, brevity,'" Madden said. "Well, I'm going to talk over you one more time."

He spoke for four more minutes.

19. When Stenner checked into his first hotel room as a member of the Madden production team, his head was spinning. He'd go on to become one of Madden's closest confidants, but at that time, he wasn't sure how to connect with his new boss.

He knew why they were camping out in Chicago -- Madden liked to park the Cruiser at a good Ritz-Carlton roughly halfway across the country as they awaited the next weekend's assignment. But he didn't know why the whole crew was required to stay on the 12th floor ... until he left his room and went to the elevator for the first time.

There sat Madden on the hotel couch, waving him over. "Bob! How's it going?" Stenner plopped down beside Madden, and they started talking, mostly about football. This went on for a good 20 minutes until somebody else from the crew got off the elevator. Madden said hello, and it was clear that Stenner could now leave, with the new guy replacing him on the couch.

Over the years, Stenner began to see that couch for what it was -- a comfortable place for Madden to park, a warm spot in what could sometimes be a lonely life of bus rides and broadcast booths. Madden needed that couch. "You were captives," Stenner says. "You had to stop and talk to him for a while, and everybody wanted to, anyway. He loved to just hang out and B.S."

20. At the annual NFL owners meetings once, Madden met up for a Mexican dinner with his old friend, Hall of Fame general manager Bobby Beathard. They cared deeply about each other ... but they also couldn't do anything without turning it into a skills competition.

On this night, Madden told the server they wanted to start with chips and salsa. "Make sure it's hot salsa," he said. She brought out the chips, and Beathard and Madden both chowed down. The salsa was hot, but they both kept remarking to each other, "They call that hot?"

Beathard asked for salsa that had a little more kick to it, and pretty soon another bowl arrived. Madden and Beathard kept mowing through it, and kept staring at each other. Both men's eyes were watering, and they were dabbing at their mouths with napkins and chugging water. "That was nothing," Madden said, barely able to choke out the words. Beathard looked like he might vomit but nodded along.

"Got anything that is hotter?" Madden asked.

The woman brought out a third bowl of salsa, and everybody at the table bowed out of the silly salsa challenge-except for Madden and Beathard. The two men finished the third bowl of salsa, both red-faced and panting. Call it a tie.

21. A common theme among Madden's friends is how good he has always been at reading people. "He's like Sherlock Holmes, the way he could look at somebody and perfectly dissect everything about them," says David Hill, who hired Madden at Fox.

One time, Madden leaned over and whispered into his producer Eric Shanks' ear. "Don't do business with that guy you were just talking to."

"Why?" asked Shanks, who invented the RedZone channel as an executive VP at DirecTV before becoming Fox Sports CEO in 2010.

"His shoelaces aren't tied right," Madden said. "He's not paying enough attention to something that could really trip him up. He cuts corners."

To this day, before Shanks makes a deal, he likes to take a quick look at the shoelaces first.

22. One day, Madden was on the phone at his house when Richie Zyontz, a Fox producer and close friend, walked in. A friend of Madden's wife, Virginia, had called and gotten Madden instead.

He waved hello to Zyontz, handed him the phone and headed for the bathroom. "I'll be right back," he said. "Her name is June. I think you'll like each other." Suddenly Zyontz was talking to a random woman he'd never met.

They hit it off, and when the season was over, he asked her to dinner.

Then they started dating.

Then they got engaged.

Then they got married. At John Madden's house. The best man? John Madden.

23. Last Christmas, Zyontz went to Madden's house. Thirty-nine years earlier, Madden had seen something in him, helping elevate him to a remarkable career and life. Zyontz will always love John Madden, even if they don't say those words out loud to each other.

On that day, Zyontz and Madden hung out, talked football, about their families, about the good old days. It was a sweet reunion, one that Zyontz wishes he could do once a week. But it's limited to about once a year these days, so it's always hard for Zyontz to leave. He doesn't want their time to end.

As he headed for the door this past Christmas, Zyontz felt a lot of emotions looking at Madden, who's just a step slower physically but as sharp as ever mentally. He stood up and said goodbye. Madden rose from his seat, too, and Zyontz reached out his arm.

Madden slowly closed the six feet between the two, and stretched out his hand. They shook hands, and Madden put his palm on Zyontz's shoulder, and Zyontz put his on Madden's shoulder. It wasn't a hug, but it was more than a handshake.

Aaron Donald's rookie highlights show how dominant he was from Day 1

Unlike most rookies, it didn’t take Aaron Donald long to get acclimated to the NFL. He came in as the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft and was absolutely dominant from Day 1. He had two tackles for loss in his NFL debut, a sack in his second game and hit the quarterback at least once in 11 of his first 16 games as a pro.

He went on to win AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 after recording nine sacks and 18 tackles for loss, wreaking havoc each and every week. To remind you just how good he was as a rookie, the NFL’s Throwback account on Twitter shared highlights from Donald’s first season.

It’s easy to see how he became as unstoppable as he is today, considering where he started from.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/nflthrowback/status/1381275851879157760?s=21

To all -

Over the next 7-days we will be applying software updates to RamsOnDemand and the introduction of exciting new features!

To take these features live, RamsOnDemand will be offline 1-2hrs and an announcement posted in advance when this will occur. Likely mid week, Wednesday/Thursday, but keep an eye on this sticky for final timeline.

So… what’s new?

The appearance of the site and general navigation will remain mostly unchanged. So, don’t worry about getting lost.

The biggest change will be the introduction of "thread types", which I’ll cover later. But, this one looks like a great addition to ROD.

In addition, there are improvements to the mobile experience, including an “app” for your phone desktop.

There are additional integrations making it easier to add gifs and audio.

The posting box (what you type in) has several enhancements making it easier to add your content.

We are also adding a new currency system (ROD credits and Sportsbook) offering additional uses and concepts there. Credits will be reset at this time and an announcement on the new system made later.

There are other smaller changes that will be expanded upon at launch.

But… the meat and potatoes is the new Thread Types. So let’s expand on that a little;

There will be 4 different thread types; Topics, Articles, Questions, and Polls.

Simply put; when you post "a new topic" you will be prompted to select your Thread Type.

Each type does something different.

Topics: This is what we have today. When you select "new post" you are posting a New Topic. So… things are unchanged when posting a topic.

Articles: This is new post type. When posting an article, this new post type will keep the article (or a link to it) at the top of every page. So if the topic gets long… you can still see the article at the top of your page, regardless if page 1 or page 50.

Questions: This looks like something we could have fun with. Depending how we set it up, we can set that if you post a Question Thread… members can vote up or vote down answers. This has some neat potential to explore.

Poll: Also similar to today, but a more tailored Poll Thread.

So, there you have it. Excited? We are! And… getting this done before the draft should give everything a good workout over draft weekend.

As we get closer, look for messages and screenshots to help explain any changes prior and at launch. Your patience is appreciated as settings are configured uniquely for RamsOnDemand and we figure our way through that.

In closing, a big thank you to our membership for ongoing support through donations. 100% of what we collect goes back to the site for server fees and software renewals. It is through the support of many, ROD remains up to date and ad-free. If you are able, please consider a sponsorship down the road. “Many hands make for small work.“

Let’s have some fun!

GO RAMS!

CGI and your Admin Team

Rams Draft 2021: Pre-draft meeting tracker and analysis

The LA Rams are not holding back on meeting with prospects before the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, right now it seems to be quite the contrary. It feels as though the LA Rams are particularly social this year, and have upped their number of pre-draft meetings in an effort to compensate on shortcomings of standardized data typically provided by the NFL Scouting Combine or a full season and schedule of NCAA College Football.

The fact is that the LA Rams official 2021 NFL Draft picks include one pick in rounds two, four, six, and seven, and two draft picks in round three. But I am curious as to how the current group of prospects who the Rams are meeting with is aligned with the Rams’ existing picks. Furthermore, how do the positions of these meetings align with the perceived needs for the team’s roster from the 2021 NFL Draft?

The truth is that any projection of prospects and which round those prospects may hear their name called is pretty tough to predict. Teams are not working off the same draft scripts as in years past. In this year, there are a number of critical factors that may heavily or be completely discarded by a teams scouting department. Such factors as the 2020 NCAA college football season. Some players opted out. Other players competed in a full season. How will 32 NFL teams resolve such different amounts of evidence?

How will teams resolve medical flags? Will teams weigh film/video as heavily this year, even though many players will rely upon 2019 game videos? How will teams weigh the semi-accurate data emerging from regional Pro Days across the country? Will teams weigh the Senior Bowl performance more heavily this year due to lack of other comparables? And through it all, the NFL teams are each scrambling to meet virtually with prospects to fill in the gaps of mindset and personality, key factors that determine a rookie’s ability to handle the stress and pressure of starting an NFL career.

Rams pre-draft meeting tracker update

The LA Rams continue to pile up pre-draft meetings as they sort through who will be the best fit and best boost to the roster throughout the 2021 NFL Draft. But even the choices of who the Rams are meeting with give us a very usable trail of bread crumbs to work with. Who the Rams meet with give some evidence as to which positions, and which traits the Rams are drawn to in this draft.

Which positions are atop the team’s list of To-Do’s based on the number of meetings? That’s a good question. But as we explore the answer to that question, keep in mind that the 2021 NFL Draft is so unpredictable that the Rams may simply be planning for any contingency. This may not be simply where do the Rams want to improve. Rather, this may be the construction of a safety net. That is, if the Rams are suddenly on the clock with no obvious choice, who can they select to add value to the team?

During the three days of the 2021 NFL Draft, telephones will no doubt be ringing off the hook But just because other teams wish to trade does not mean that they will offer adequate compensation to the Rams to do so. If another team proposes a trade during the draft for the Rams to slide back 20 spots, but only offer a valueless 2023 seventh-round draft pick as an incentive to do so, the Rams will likely decline pretty quickly.

But the Rams may move in the draft, or simply find themselves at a spot in the draft without any obvious prospect to select. When that happens, these pre-draft meetings will be pricelessly valuable. the Rams know where they expect to pick. But if the Rams suddenly find themselves picking in round five of the draft, what then? Well, one goal of the pre-draft meetings is to establish a priority list of prospects for each round and pick during the draft. So let’s investigate further.

What positions are the Rams looking at?

Let’s try to draw some general conclusions about the overall pre-draft meetings. From a 30,000 foot level, two common themes are evident. In skill positions, the LA Rams have placed a huge priority on speed. Raw and undeniable speed. For non-skill positions, the Rams are prioritizing versatility. From defensive backs to offensive linemen, the Rams have conducted meetings with players who check the boxes at multiple positions

So far, the distribution of 17 recorded pre-draft meetings looks like this:

Four (4) interviews were held with cornerbacks – The list includes UCF CB Tay Gowan, Oregon’s CB Thomas Graham, San Diego State’s CB Darren Hall, and Florida State’s CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Six (6) interviews were held with wide receivers – The list includes UCF’s 6-foot-5 WR/TE Jacob Harris, North Carolina WR Dazz Newsome, and previously included Western Michigan’s D’Wayne Eskridge, Auburn’s Anthony Schwartz, Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and now Auburn WR Eli Stove.

Two (2) interviews were held with defensive linemen – The list includes WVU DL Darius Stills and Iowa’s DL Chauncey Golston

Two (2) interviews were held with running backs – The list includes Louisville RB Javian Hawkins and UCLA RB Demetric Felton.

One (1) interview was held with an offensive center (two meetings were reported with the same prospect)- Winsconsin-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz

One (1) interview was held with an inside linebacker– Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga

One (1) interview was held with an outside linebacker – Washington’s OLB Joe Tryon

Whew, that’s a lot of pre-draft meetings. And the draft is still weeks away. But that really only indicates what position the Rams are looking at, Sure there is more to learn from their pre-draft meetings. What about which draft rounds seem to have the most interest from the Rams?

Which draft round has the most focus?

The LA Rams have been working the pre=draft meetings hard. Despite just six picks, the LA Rams must be fully prepared for a chaotic draft. Even then, this draft is still likely to surprise a few teams as it occurs.

So based on the NFL.com prospect rankings, where are the LA Rams focusing their meeting frequency? Well, that’s a curious matter. When you line up the number of picks, and the number for meetings, the Rams are most definitely skewing their meetings to align with the later rounds.

Round Two (one pick) (2 meetings)- Washington OLB Joe Tryon, Wisconsin-Whitewater OC Quinn Meinerz

Round Three (two picks) (1 meeting)- Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr.

Round Four (one pick) (3 meetings)- UCLA WR/RB Demetric Felton, Western Michigan WR D’Wayne Eskridge, Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz

Round Five (no picks) (2 meetings)- Louisville RB Javian Hawkins, San Diego State CB Darren Hall

Round Six (one pick) (2 meetings)- Oklahoma St LB Amen Ogbongbemiga, Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Round Seven (one pick) (4 meetings)- West Virginia DT Darius Stills, Iowa DT Chauncey Golston, North Carolina WR Dazz Newsome, Oregon CB Thomas Graham Jr.

UDFA/Priority signing (17 UDFA slots) (3 meetings)- Auburn WR/KR/PR Eli Stove, UCF’s WR Jacob Harris, UCF CB Tay Gowan,

From this overlay of where the picks fall versus where these players project to hear their names called, there are two logical solutions.

The first reason to explain the disparity is to conclude that the Rams draft board looks absolutely nothing like the NFL.com draft board. Perhaps they are working off a modified version of John Vogel’s 2021 LA Rams Draft board? But the other reason, while equally feasible, is much more intriguing. What if this pattern of meeting with Day Three projected prospects, over 82 percent of the meetings so far, is deliberate? The Rams picks are split 50/50. So why would the majority of meetings target prospects in rounds four or later?

Well, the answer to that is that the Rams expect to trade back. In fact, based on this evidence, it appears as though the Rams could abandon both third-round picks in an effort to salvo the draft with more than ten picks. That could be incredibly wise, as most draft analysts cite the overall depth of the 2021 NFL Draft as uncanny at cornerback, wide receiver, linebacker, offensive lineman, and edge rusher. Of course, the LA Rams

Los Angeles Rams 2020 Draft Class Graded In 2021

With less than a month to go until the NFL Draft, it is the perfect time to look at the last handful of Rams draft classes. This series looks at the last five years of drafts and assigns a grade on each pick based on how they turned out with one cumulative grade at the end. With 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 out of the way, it is time to look at the most recent draft class of 2020.

This draft was recent enough that the class is still in its honeymoon phase with many of the picks so these grades are more subject to change than previous classes. Like several seasons before it, the Rams did not have a first-round draft pick for 2020. The first pick of the Rams 2020 draft class came in the second round with Cam Akers.

Rams 2020 Draft Class Graded In 2021

Running Back, Cam Akers – Second Round, Pick 52 Overall

Cam Akers rushed 145 times for 625 yards, averaging 4.3 yards-per-carry, and scored two touchdowns. In addition, he caught 11 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. He played in 13 games and had five starts. Overall, Akers has done exactly what a team should ask for from their rookie running back. If Akers can improve next season, play in every game, and come close to tripling the number of games started, the Rams will have officially found their guy for the future.

Grade: B+

Wide Receiver, Van Jefferson – Second Round, Pick 57 Overall

Van Jefferson found the field 16 times this season and earned a 67.1 grade per PFF. He caught 19 of 31 targets for 220 yards and one touchdown in his rookie season. Overall, his rookie year was pretty slow but it wasn’t a disaster. It should also be noted that with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods soaking up the targets, Jefferson didn’t exactly need to be a pillar of the offense in his first season. That said, to make this a useful pick, he’ll need to be a bigger part of the offense next season. A good second season would see him earn over 400 yards and multiple touchdowns at the least.

Grade: C+

Defensive End, Terrell Lewis – Third Round, Pick 84 Overall

Terrell Lewis had eight games with no starts but he posted a 70.4 grade per PFF. He had two sacks, five tackles, and four quarterback hits. In the end, his rookie year turned out to be lukewarm but he should get a chance to salvage it next season. That said, he cannot be a third-round pick and have two years with the same level of statistics. In other words, he needs to play in 14 games or more and start a few games in 2021. In addition, he needs to have at least doubled his number of sacks and tackles next season.

Grade: C

Safety, Terrell Burgess – Third Round, Pick 104 Overall

Terrell Burgess finished his rookie season with a disappointing 47.7 grade per PFF. He got work in seven games with no starts. In that time, he had eight combined tackles. Put succinctly, Burgess needs to be better next season to stick with the team long-term. As a third-round pick, he is on the edge of being a reach or worse.

Grade: C-

Tight End, Brycen Hopkins – Fourth Round, Pick 136 Overall

Brycen Hopkins had five games of work in 2020 and never recorded a statistic. Hopkins is on pace to be a bust but he has a fighting chance of maybe, possibly, seeing the field more due to the exit of Gerald Everett. However, he will have to claw back into the picture. Based on what he’s done, he appears to be in a spot where every practice could be his last.

Grade: D-

Safety, Jordan Fuller – Sixth Round, Pick 199 Overall

At the conclusion of his rookie season, Jordan Fuller scored a grade of 63.6 per PFF. He started all of the twelve games he played in and had three picks and 60 combined tackles. As a reminder, this is a sixth-round pick and not a first or second-round pick. In other words, Fuller’s rookie season was quite impressive. However, 2021 will show if 2020 was a fluke. That said, if this is what the Rams can expect every season, he will turn out to be one of their best-value picks in the last several drafts.

Grade: A+

Linebacker, Clay Johnston – Seventh Round, Pick 234 Overall

Clay Johnston was a fan favorite after his video with the Rams after getting drafted went viral. With the lack of depth at the ILB position, he had a real shot to seize the opportunity and have a real impact on the defense. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t a fit with the Rams, and he was waived before the season even started. He signed with the Carolina Panthers shortly after. He may go on to have a great NFL career, but for the sake of this article, his time with the Rams is basically graded as non-existent.

Grade: F

Kicker, Sam Sloman – Seventh Round, Pick 248 Overall

Drafted to be the successor to Greg Zuerlein, Sam Sloman lasted only seven games with the Rams. In those games, he made eight of 11 field-goal attempts and 18 of 21 extra-point attempts. After getting booted, he went to the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans and played in their Week 17 game where he made every kick. Nevertheless, he was released around the end of the season and his career is now in limbo. With only 32 spots in the world for Sloman to see game action and a rough start to his career already in the books, Sloman’s chances seem to be pretty slim in the NFL.

Grade: D-

Offensive Line, Tremayne Anchrum – Seventh Round, Pick 250 Overall

Pro Football Reference has Tremayne Anchrum marked as getting 12 games on the game-day roster but only three snaps in every game combined per PFF, earning a 61.1 grade. In other words, he’s still waiting for his moment. In the end, he needs to find a way onto the field in 2021 to secure a role, assuming he survives training camp.

Grade: C-

Rams 2020 Draft Class Final Grade

Overall, this draft class still has a lot of potential. The best value thus far has been the selection of safety Jordan Fuller in the sixth round. Also, this draft gave the Rams running back Cam Akers and wide receiver Van Jefferson, both of whom could have a chance to be with the team for the long term. Additionally, this draft gave the Rams other pieces that could have breakout seasons in 2021.

With that said, it is also too early to anoint this class as a bonafide success due to its youth. However, it would not be surprising to see five players from this draft still playing for the Rams in a few years. Overall, the floor of this draft seems to be average (with the exception of Sam Sloman) and the sky remains the limit which is a great spot to be in with a one-year-old draft class.

Grade: B


Los Angeles Rams 2019 Draft Class Graded In 2021

With a month to go until the NFL Draft, now is a great time to look back. This series looks at the last five draft classes and assigns grades based on how each pick turned out with a final grade given at the end. With 2016, 2017, and 2018 now finished, it is time to look at the draft class of 2019. For the second year in a row, the Rams did not have a first-round draft pick. Thus the first look into the Rams 2019 draft class will come in the second round.

Safety Taylor Rapp – Round Two, Pick 61 Overall

Taylor Rapp earned a solid rookie grade of 63.3 by PFF in 2019. He started 10 games and played in 15 games that season. The next season, he earned a 67.5 overall PFF grade. In terms of grades, he showed reliability. However, he only had five starts and nine games of action. His 2020 season was hampered with an injury and was what hurt his availability. Overall, the young defender has had a good start to his career but he needs to stay healthy and continue to grow.

Grade: B

Running Back Darrell Henderson – Round Three, Pick 70 Overall

2019 saw Darrell Henderson’s first season. In that season, he had 39 carries for 147 yards and a 3.8 yard-per-carry average with no touchdowns. The next season, he had 138 carries for 624 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. At the end of the day, Henderson has been very encouraging in his young career. He has a good yard-per-carry average that coincides with his increase in production and usage. He has now played in 28 games in two seasons so he has been able to maintain availability, for the most part, as well.

Grade: B

Cornerback David Long – Round Three, Pick 79 Overall

In 2019, David Long played in eight games and earned a 67.4 PFF grade. In 2020, Long played in 16 games, started a game, and posted a 53.6 grade. Put simply, it is not good to play worse with more work. He has to pick it up next season if he wants a long-term future with this team.

Grade: C-

Offensive Tackle Bobby Evans – Round Three, Pick 97 Overall

In 2019, Bobby Evans earned a 49.4 PFF grade and played 472 snaps. In 2020, Evans only played one snap (in the regular season) and received a 60.0 grade per PFF. Basically, one needs to see production out of all third-round picks in their second year in order to have a chance of getting called a good pick. Evans is trending in the wrong direction, but is currently still a good depth piece.

Grade: C

Defensive Lineman Greg Gaines – Round Four, 134 Overall

PFF scored Greg Gaines as 74.4 in 2019. He had 10 solo tackles and one sack. PFF then scored him 65.0 in 2020. In that season, he recorded 14 solo tackles and two sacks. In his young career, he’s played in 26 of 32 games. In other words, he’s been available, has a decent PFF grade, and has growing stats year-to-year. His play slipped a little according to his grades but as a fourth-round pick, getting this much work is a decent result.

Grade: C+

Offensive Tackle David Edwards – Round Five, Pick 169 Overall

2019 saw David Edwards earn a 61.1 PFF grade during his 689 snaps of action. 2020 saw his play rise to a 70.3 PFF grade during 1,006 snaps of action. In total, he has allowed four sacks in around 1,700 snaps. This is coming from a fifth-round pick. He’s started out decently and is getting better with an increased workload. He had 10 starts in 2019 and 14 starts in 2020 and he’s seen work in all 32 games. Overall, he’s been one of the best value selections by the Rams in this series, and arguably one of the better ones in the NFL during that same period.

Grade: A

Safety Nick Scott – Round 7, Pick 243 Overall

In 2020, Nick Scott posted a 62.1 PFF grade in his 15 games of action. Compared to his 66.9 PFF grade in 2019 with 16 games of action, he’s stayed in the same ballpark but has eroded a little. That said, as a seventh-round pick, Scott has already risen above the majority of seventh-round picks in terms of resulting workload. He is also a staple on the special teams unit.

Grade: B-

Linebacker Dakota Allen – Round 7, Pick 251 Overall

Dakota Allen was drafted by the Rams and released before Week One on August 31, 2019. After that, he bounced around between the Rams and Raiders’ practice squads before going to the Jacksonville Jaguars in December of 2019. If the Rams were willing to lose him that quickly by putting him on the practice squad, it simply shows how bad of a pick it was, to begin with.

Grade: F

Rams 2019 Draft Class Graded In 2021 – Final Grades

Overall, it was a good bounceback draft from 2018, considering that there was no first-round draft pick once again. Arguably, the best value draft pick leading up to 2019, in terms of recent history, was David Edwards. The draft also saw other good values added as well. The only bonafide bust for the Rams was the drafting of Dakota Allen. That said, even he drew interest from other teams around the league.

Overall Grade: B+

Los Angeles Rams 2018 Draft Class Graded In 2021

With the NFL Draft less than six weeks away, it is a good time to look back. This series looks at the last handful of Rams draft classes and assigns grades to each player and class as a whole. With 2016 and 2017’s draft classes in the rear-view mirror, it is now time to look at the Rams 2018 draft class. In this year’s draft, there were no picks in the first two rounds. The first pick came in the third round and that is where to begin.

Rams 2018 Draft Class Graded In 2021

Offensive Tackle, Joe Noteboom – Round Three, Pick 89 Overall

While Joe Noteboom’s abilities on the field aren’t quite as noteworthy or explosive as the name implies, they are still quite competent. Per Pro Football Focus, in his 633 snaps played in 2020, he had three penalties and allowed two sacks. Two sacks in 633 snaps equates to about one every 316 snaps or four and a half games. That is pretty solid. His three penalties equal to about one every 211 snaps or one every three games which is also pretty respectable.

Looking back, the offensive tackle only played 79 snaps in 2018 and 376 snaps in 2019. PFF graded Noteboom as a rough 39.6 overall grade in that year and scored him as a 60.3 in 2020. Overall, Joe Noteboom has had growth but he needs to continue to get better in 2021. If he can have another jump in abilities, the Rams might have found a pillar on the offensive line. However, 2021 will be critical for him to solidify himself.

Grade: B-

Center, Brian Allen – Round Four, Pick 111 Overall

Brian Allen missed 2020 due to injury and barely saw the field in 2018. That leaves 2019 as the only data to look at. In that season, PFF graded him as a 58.6 overall which leaves a lot of room for growth, especially after a lost 2020 season. In 563 snaps in that season, Allen had five penalties and one sack allowed. The penalties average out to one every game and a half which is too common. On the other hand, one sack surrendered in a season is pretty good. At the end of the day, injury concerns abound but with a decent 2021, the Rams could feel that they found a long-term starter in Allen.

Grade: C+

Defensive End, John Franklin-Myers – Round Four, Pick 135 Overall

After being drafted, John Franklin-Myers played quietly in 2018. He ended the season with two sacks and 10 combined tackles. He never saw the field in 2019. In 2020, Franklin-Myers went to the New York Jets where he had a similar season to 2018 in which he earned three sacks and 19 combined tackles.

Looking back now, the defensive end was drafted, played a bit, didn’t impress, struggled to stay healthy in 2019, and went to the Jets almost as soon as he was acquired.

Grade: D-

Inside Linebacker, Micah Kiser – Round Five, Pick 147 Overall

Micah Kiser had four tackles in 2018, was hurt in 2019, and returned to step into a starter role for 2020. He ended up playing in nine games. In those nine games, he earned 77 combined tackles, had three passes defended, one quarterback hit, and no tackles for loss. Kiser wasn’t a game-changer and has struggled to stay healthy in his young NFL career. The Rams need a better solution at inside linebacker but Kiser did fill a spot on the roster for a while as a fifth-round pick which isn’t as egregious as if it was a first or second-round selection.

Grade: C

Defensive End, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – Round Five, Pick 16 Overall

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo didn’t play in 2018. However, he saw the field in 10 games in each of the following two seasons. In those 20 total games, he scored 2.5 sacks and 19 combined tackles with no starts. Overall, he has become a quiet bench player which is about what the realistic expectation for a late pick is but Okoronkwo has been the bare minimum.

Grade: C-

Running Back, John Kelly – Round Six, Pick 176 Overall

John Kelly didn’t see the field last season. He’s been on the roster bubble and will now be fighting to make the 2021 Browns roster. In 2018, Kelly had 27 touches for 74 yards which averages out to 2.7 yards per carry. In 2019, the running back had only three carries for nine yards. Put simply, Kelly was a bit of a disappointing development in the story of the Rams’ running back room.

Grade: D

Offensive Tackle, Jamil Demby – Round Six, Pick 192 Overall

In his rookie year, Jamil Demby played in six games with one start. Since then, he’s bounced to the Detriot Lions and back to the Los Angeles Rams. Basically, Demby is a fringe practice squad player hanging onto his career by his fingernails.

Grade: D-

Defensive Tackle, Sebastian Joseph-Day – Round Six, Pick 195 Overall

Sebastian Joseph-Day has played in 31 of the 32 games from 2019 through 2020. In that span, the defensive tackle racked up 99 combined tackles. In his first year in the NFL, Joseph-Day was a no-show but being able to be a sixth-round pick and then playing in nearly every game after his rookie year is a really good value.

Grade: A

Defensive End, Trevon Young – Round Six, Pick 205 Overall

In his first year, Trevon Young saw the field in two games and racked up stats. His only big accomplishment was that recovered a fumble once and hasn’t seen the field since. Put succinctly, Young didn’t have much of an impact on the Rams.

Grade: F

Outside Linebacker, Travin Howard – Round Seven, Pick 231 Overall

Travin Howard didn’t play in his rookie season but stepped on the field in 2019 where he played in all 16 games. In those games, he racked up 22 combined tackles which is a little more than one tackle per game. He missed 2020 with a meniscus tear. He was slated to start before the injury, which shows tremendous value for a former 7th round pick. Will he have the opportunity again this season once healthy? If so, this grade may jump much higher, but for now, he is still fairly unknown.

Grade: C-

Defensive End, Justin Lawler – Round Seven, Pick 244 Overall

Justin Lawler saw the field in only 2018 and combined for six tackles. However, Lawler had snaps in all 16 games played that season, per Pro Football Focus. Since that season, he started having injury issues and is currently incognito at the moment. When looking at how badly a seventh-round pick can go, getting a year of action out of one seems like an accomplishment.

Grade: C

Rams 2018 Draft Class Graded In 2021: Final Grades

Looking back from 2021, the Rams 2018 draft class did not turn out the greatest. Far and away, the best selection was Sebastian Joseph-Day who planted himself as a starter on the defensive line. Brian Allen has a real chance to bounce back to being a building block as well, and Joe Noteboom has been a solid depth piece. Outside of those three players, everyone else has either faded into the background or disappeared completely. Of course, this is a really likely outcome when a team doesn’t have a first or second-round pick. On the other hand, one cannot look at a bad draft and call it good because of the lack of top picks.

Grade: D+

Los Angeles Rams 2017 Draft Class Graded In 2021

With the NFL Draft on the horizon, it’s a great time to look back. This series looks at the last handful of Rams draft classes and assigns grades to each player and the class as a whole. With 2016 now out of the way, the focus now will be on the Rams 2017 Draft class. This was the first class that would be led by Head Coach Sean McVay. Was it a banger or a whimper?

Rams 2017 Draft Class Graded In 2021

Tight End Gerald Everett – Round Two, Pick 44 Overall

Gerald Everett started slow and has been picking up speed like a full bus going uphill. His worst season was in 2017 where he had 16 catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns. His best season was arguably two years later in 2019 when he had 37 catches for 408 yards and two touchdowns. Granted, he’s essentially been a co-starter with tight end Tyler Higbee for his entire career.

As another factor, the offense has always had established weapons at other positions so they’ve never really needed a Gronkowski-level performance from their tight ends. That said, when a team uses their top pick on a player, that player needs to do more than Everett has. Also, when George Kittle is on the board and the team picks Gerald Everett, one can only wonder what could have happened if the Rams had picked Kittle instead. Everett is expected to hit free agency in 2021.

Grade: C-

Wide Receiver Cooper Kupp – Round Three, Pick 69 Overall

Cooper Kupp set most fans’ minds at ease in his rookie season when he set the rookie reception record in 2017. Since then, he has gone on to be a top receiver in a recently stacked roster at the position. Overall, he’s earned about 1,000 yards in three of his four seasons with the team.

Kupp, unfortunately, tore his ACL and ended his 2018 season early but was able to bounce back for his best season yet the following year. In 2019, he caught 94 balls for 1,161 yards and 10 touchdowns. Overall, when it comes to third-round selections, one cannot do much better than Cooper Kupp.

Grade: A

Safety John Johnson III – Round Three, Pick 91 Overall

Put succinctly, John Johnson has been a very solid starter for the Rams and had a breakout 2018 season. In that 2018 season, Johnson had 85 solo tackles and four interceptions. The stats placed him tied for fourth overall in the league in those categories. per Pro Football Focus.

However, most recently, Johnson allowed 51 receptions on 69 targets in 2020. His arguably worst season, statistically, has come at the worst time as he’s set to hit the market for 2021.

Grade: B

Wide Receiver Josh Reynolds – Round Four, Pick 117 Overall

Josh Reynolds has been with the Rams every year since being drafted. He’s basically alternated good (for his draft rank) and quiet seasons. In 2017, Reynolds had 11 catches for 104 yards. In 2018, he had 29 catches for 402 yards and five touchdowns. In 2019, he posted 21 catches for 326 yards and one touchdown, Most recently, in 2020, he posted 52 catches for 618 yards and two touchdowns. If Reynolds hits the market for 2021, he could draw interest from many teams.

Grade: B+

Outside Linebacker Samson Ebukam – Round Four, 125 Overall

Samson Ebukam has played his entire career with the Rams thus far. In those seasons, he started 14 games twice, two games in one season, and five in another. Ebukam wasn’t the star of the show on defense in the vast majority of the games he played in except for a game in 2018 when he showed up big against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. In that game, Ebukam became the first player since 1982, when sacks started to be tracked, to have a sack, an interception, and two touchdowns in a game, per ESPN. At the end of the day, one great game doesn’t make a career but it definitely helps.

Grade: C+

Defensive Tackle Tanzel Smart – Round Six, 189 Overall

Tanzel Smart played with the Rams until 2019 and played with the New York Jets in 2020. He started four games for the Rams in that time and only earned three combined tackles in 2020 with the Jets. Needless to say, he didn’t see the field much. Basically, he only helped fill a roster spot for the Rams for three years. In the sixth round, however, that is above average. That said, when looking at other names drafted in the same round after Smart, Safety Xavier Woods would have been the better choice, who ended up going to the Cowboys.

Grade: D

Fullback Sam Rogers – Round Six, Pick 206 Overall

Sam Rogers was a practice squad player who had a very short NFL tenure. He was waived by the Rams in 2017 and then went to the Bills where they waived him in 2018. After that, he disappeared from the league. Put simply, Rogers was a flat-out bust. The Rams could have selected wide receiver David Moore with the pick, who ultimately ended up going to Seattle.

Grade: F

Ejuan Price Defensive End – Round Seven, Pick 234 Overall

Ejuan Price played in just one game for the Rams in 2017 and never saw the field again. Almost anyone else would have been a better choice. Trading the pick would have been better than how it turned out.

Grade: F

Los Angeles Rams 2017 Draft Class Graded In 2021: Final Grade

In the end, the first draft class of the Sean McVay era had two immediate busts and everyone else stuck around for several years or more. The class gave the Rams wide receivers Cooper Kupp and John Johnson as the cream of the crop in addition to a few usable players but no gems late in the draft. At the end of the day, knowing what the Rams know about these players now, three or four of the eight picks would be returned for in-store credit.

Overall Grade: C



Los Angeles Rams 2016 Draft Class Graded In 2021

With the NFL Draft now on the horizon, it’s a good time to review the past handful of draft classes. This series will look at each one of the last five drafts and review what the picks have been doing and how well they worked out for the Rams. Each player and draft class will be graded. This is a series where each article will focus on one year, starting back in 2016 and ending in 2020. Without further ado, here’s a look at the last draft class of the Jeff Fisher era: the class of 2016.

Los Angeles Rams 2016 Draft Class Graded In 2021

Quarterback Jared Goff – Round One, First Pick Overall

The Los Angeles Rams bet the farm on Jared Goff. Did they win? Goff had three seasons with playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance in his time with the Rams which is strong for a young quarterback. However, he was traded for Matthew Stafford just weeks after his playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers.

If Jared Goff had won the Super Bowl in 2018, he would be looked at as a bargain at first overall. However, the Super Bowl loss changed the trajectory of his career and eventually became the underlying catalyst for his exit. Looking back, it has become clear that Jared Goff was largely carried by Head Coach Sean McVay’s offense, Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley’s defense, and multiple star-studded rosters.

That said, many teams would give their next several first and second-round picks to have a five-year run like the Rams have had with Goff at the helm. In the end, Goff’s biggest accomplishment was helping end more than a decade of mediocrity for the Rams. On the other hand, how good could a quarterback pick actually be if he ends up on another team five years later?

Grade: B

Tight End Tyler Higbee – Round Four, Pick 110 Overall

Five years later, this fourth-round pick is still with the team. Arguably the best value pick for the 2016 draft, Tyler Higbee was a co-starter with Gerald Everett over the last two seasons. Higbee’s best season thus far came in 2019 when he caught 69 balls for 734 yards and three touchdowns.

Currently, the Tight End is halfway through a four-year deal but now he has entered a time when the Rams can cut him and save money according to Sportrac. Will the Rams take a tight end if an opportunity presented itself? They would need to guarantee a star with their selection in order to upgrade the talent over what Higbee can do.

Grade: B+

Wide Receiver Pharoh Cooper – Round Four, Pick 117 Overall

Five years later, Pharoh Cooper has been on four different teams. He played for the Rams from 2016 until 2018 and made the Pro Bowl in his last season with the Rams. Interestingly, Cooper never recorded a single in-game stat outside of special teams in his 2018 Pro Bowl season.

After his time with the Rams, Cooper bounced to the Arizona Cardinals from 2018 until 2019, spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals in that same year, and played for the Carolina Panthers in 2020. After his recent history, the question for Cooper is where his next pit stop will be.

In the end, Cooper was a good short-term value but a bad long-term value pick for the Rams.

Grade: C+

Tight End Temarrick Hemingway – Round Six, Pick 177 Overall

Like Cooper, Temarrick Hemingway has played for four teams in the last five years. He played for the Rams in 2016, skipped football in 2017, and played for the Denver Broncos in 2018, the Carolina Panthers in 2019, and the Washington Football Team in 2020. In total, Hemingway has played in 21 games and recorded one catch for 10 yards. Needless to say, one catch for 10 yards in five years is not going to be seen as a high value.

The Rams moved on from Hemingway almost immediately as well as every other team he has played for. Put simply, this was nearly as bad of a pick as it could get without getting into never-seeing-the-field territory.

Grade: F

Middle Linebacker Josh Forrest – Round Six – Pick 190 Overall

Josh Forrest spent one year with the Rams in which he had four starts and 10 games played. He ended his season with no sacks, one fumble recovery, and nine tackles. After leaving the Rams, Forrest went to Seattle to play for the Seahawks in 2017. He played in two games and subsequentially disappeared from the NFL. In simple terms, Forrest’s career was short-lived.

Grade: F

Wide Receiver Mike Thomas – Round Six, Pick 206 Overall

Mike Thomas played for the Rams for four years, from 2016-2019. He has logged 40 games of experience with one start but never caught a touchdown with the Rams. His best season was when he recorded five catches for 93 yards back in 2017.

Later, he ended up going to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 where he had 13 catches for 132 yards.

Overall, Thomas is a little better than his stats with the Rams indicate as the wide receiver room was simply too stacked with talent to have any real use for him. Also, getting four years of use out of a sixth-round pick is a decent value even if he didn’t exactly light the field on fire.

Grade: C

Rams 2016 Draft Class Final Grade

Jared Goff and Tyler Higbee were the biggest hits from the Rams 2016 draft class. Pharoh Cooper was also a nice flash in the pan but ultimately fell off. If the Rams were to get another blind shot at the draft having known about each player what they know now, they’d ask to reselect at least two or three choices from this draft.

Overall Grade: C+

What might Rams RB Cam Akers ceiling be in 2021?

Now that LA Rams‘ RB Cam Akers is firmly ensconced as the team’s lead back, he is projected to be the team’s 2021 featured back. No, that’s not the word on the street, that’s supported by the weighty endorsement of his head coach Sean McVay to fulfill that role this upcoming season. So let’s get right to it, is it fair to ask what his ceiling might be?

He’s also playing on a consistent playoff-contending team behind a good run-blocking offensive line, to boot. So he’s got that going for him.

It seems fair to think Akers will most likely be used in a similar fashion to the way former Rams running back Todd Gurley was used back in 2017, or how the Baltimore Ravens used Mark Ingram in 2019 as the lone back, more times than not. Not just as a ground-and-pound, but as a dangerous target in the passing game as well.

Can you say workhorse?

And that’s a good thing, high praise intended. Because workhorses are reliable, dependable, durable beasts. A workhorse back is the kind of runner who only seems to get better as the game wears on, and the grass stains on their uniforms pile up.

They don’t really get going until they are slathered up, just like a workhorse.

The more touches, the better the flow.

Second half sensation

It was Akers who put together a solid second half of the season last year, coming on strong down the home stretch, which allowed him to wrest control of the backfield. His 625 rushing yards, were the sixth-most among NFL rookies. That strong performance convinced head coach McVay that Akers was his go-to guy to pound the rock then, and going forward now.

And when McVay’s game plan called for a heavy dose of ground-and-pound against a New England Patriots defense weakened by injuries, Akers responded with 194 total yards, a breakout game for him personally, but also a critical win enabling the Rams’ stretch run to the playoffs. It was a breakthrough victory for McVay and the Rams. A benchmark that proved that McVay can coach with the best of the NFL.

He followed that up by delivering 176 all-purpose yards and scoring a TD when the games mattered the most, in the team’s 30-20 wild-card playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Round two

He answered the bell just as a good workhorse does.

And Akers plays for a Rams squad that’s in the top tier of teams that run the ball. The team ranked seventh in rushing attempts per game last year, averaging just a smidgeon over 29 attempts per game. (The Baltimore Ravens, unsurprisingly, were first in that category, averaging just a tad under 35 attempts per game.) NFL Rushing Attempts 2020

Of course, the same Coach McVay talked about changing the format of the Rams offense this year, changing from a long-drive time of possession style offense to one of the quick-strike capabilities. But that will only serve to help Akers, as the defense will focus more on defending the pass. That means fewer bodies in the box and more room for Akers to run.

Is it so very unrealistic to think Akers could put up numbers this upcoming season that we’re in the ballpark of 1,500 total yards (rushing and passing) and 15 TDs?

That would be a very nice ceiling, indeed.

Just a random thread topic due to boredom....

Ever hear two people whose voices sound remarkably similar?

I saw this legal analyst on TV and thought, "That dude sounds like Adam Schefter!"
Maybe you think they sound similar, or maybe you don't... but here's two random short clips of Danny Cevallos and Adam Schefter.

EDIT: Now that I've heard them both carefully, I'd say the resemblance is pretty minor. It's more about delivery. They BOTH tend to STRESS certain WORDS when they TALK. But hey, I'll challenge y'all to find two unrelated random people whose voices sound the same...

Login to view embedded media View: https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=10153120347576509&_rdr


Login to view embedded media View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C28vPnf-Wrc

The NFL QB class is changing. (Ages listed at start of the 2021 season)

We saw this coming... 2021 is likely the final season for Roethlisberger.

Nearing the end; Brady 44, Roethlisberger 39, Matt Ryan 36, Aaron Rodgers 37

Retired this year; Brees 42, Rivers 39

These two groups will all make a run at the HOF. Matt Ryan probably the only outsider in these lists.

The new top of the mountain; Mahomes 26, Herbert 23, Josh Allen 25, L Jackson 24, Trevor Lawrence?

Crazy huh?

Died of a drug overdose. He has been in a coma for a few days now. The writing was on the wall for this.

He was fun to listen to in the late 90's and early 2000's.

In a world when so many people are helplessly dying due to this virus, and for you to give it away by taking shit like that. Just kills me.

At the end of the day it's sad that someone has died. But, what's worse is that his was 100% avoidable. May he RIP.

much to like here,

Harris ran the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds at 6-5 and 219 pounds. He has 33.5-inch arms, an 81.25-inch wingspan and did the three-cone drill in 6.51 seconds. His 40.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-1 broad jump are equally impressive, showing off his explosiveness.

He has just two years of production, however. He caught 49 passes for 987 yards and nine touchdowns at UCF in 2019 and 2020, which marked the first time he caught a pass in college. Harris obviously needs time to develop, being as inexperienced as he is, but his ceiling is high.

The Rams could use a jump-ball receiver on offense and with Harris’ size and leaping ability, he could be just what the doctor ordered.

Rams have invested heavily in data analytics each year

The LA Rams are one of the most tech-savvy teams in the NFL. They have embraced a wide range of technological advances and incorporated the new into their routine process. It paid off handsomely in 2020 when the NFL was turned upside down as the scouting process leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft for all intents and purposes came to a screeching halt.

Teams that relied heavily upon face-to-face meetings were left scrambling, while the LA Rams, a team that had already embraced and made use of virtual technology, found navigating among raw data and virtual meetings with potential players smooth sailing.

Of course, change is merely a change. It’s neither better nor worse, but rather just different. But those changes allowed the Rams to function normally, or as near to normal as possible, in the helter-skelter world threatened by the coronavirus pandemic. It was the sudden and rapid changes to the process that either became an advantage for NFL teams or a handicap from which they would not recover.

Rams and Zebras

You may recall that I cited a bevy of statistical data provided to me to aid in the direct comparison of Jared Goff with Matthew Stafford. That data was provided to me by Zebra Technology’s Christian Blatner. So what is Zebra Technology?

Well, per their investor’s newsletter, they are a big deal when it comes to the NFL and the LA Rams. You see, Zebra’s technology was installed at SoFi Stadium. Their tracking system uses a unique system of embedding RFID chips inside footballs and in players’ shoulder pads. With those chips in place, reception equipment can track real-time location data.

Those receivers can be installed both at the football field and training facility to capture and accumulate incredible amounts of the previously unavailable information. Metrics captured include: acceleration and deceleration, distance traveled (per play and aggregate), and orientation and proximity to the ball, among other data points.

Zebra and Rams running together through 2021

In September 2020, The LA Rams and Zebra technologies announced an ongoing relationship to coordinate their data capture and analytics through the 2021 NFL season.

“We are thrilled to continue our work with the Los Angeles Rams as one of our partner teams,” said John Pollard, Vice President of Zebra Sports Business Development, Zebra Technologies. “For us, the Rams are an exciting organization to be working with given its unique emphasis on advanced analytics and innovative use of our tracking technology. We are excited to provide the Rams organization with our services and information to help the team gain a performance edge on the field.”

The LA Rams are not the only NFL consumer of Zebra’s technology. Last year, Zebra extended its relationship as the NFL partner for the Official On-Field Player Tracking Provider through the 2021 season. What does that mean? Well, Zebra has worked with the NFL to implement a best-in-class player and ball tracking system. Using that ability to track the location and measure the velocity of the football and individual players, Zebra has helped the NFL to launch a new era of football data and analytics known as Next Gen Stats.

The LA Rams continue to push the envelope. Their partnership with Zebra Technologies is just one more example of how the organization is truly committed to success.

Here is my current draft board for the Rams.

I've left out players I feel are nearly certain to be selected in the top 40 picks and, therefore, will likely be out of the Rams' reach (and you won't find any QBs here!).

This is NOT the order I necessarily believe these players will be selected. Rather, this is my order of preference for the Rams.

1. Assante Samuel, Jr. CB, Florida State
2. Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida
3. Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State
4. Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
5. Joseph, Ossai, EDGE, Texas
6. Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
7. Levi Onwuzurike, DL, Washington
8. Elijah Molden, CB, Washington
9. Quinn Meinerz, C/OG, Wisconsin-Whitewater
10. Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
11. Josh Myers, C, Ohio State
12. Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami
13. Jevon Holland, S, Oregon
14. Joe Tryon, EDGE, Washington
15. Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame
16. Barron Browning, LB, Ohio State
17. Patrick Jones, EDGE, Pittsburgh
18. Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan
19. Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina
20. Richie Grant, S, Central Florida
21. Osa Odighizuwa, DL, UCLA
22. Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville
23. Tre Smith, OG, Tennessee
24. Victor Dimukeje, EDGE, Duke
25. D’Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan
26. Hamsah Nasirildeen, S, Florida State
27. Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa
28. Walker Little, OT, Stanford
29. Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama
30. Marvin Wilson, DL, Florida State
31. Darius Stills, DL, West Virginia
32. Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
33. Monti Rice, LB, Georgia
34. Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State
35. Demetric Felton, WR/RB, UCLA
36. Anthony Schwartz, WR, Auburn
37. Shakur Brown, CB, Michigan State
38. Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
39. Reed Blankenship, S, Middle Tennessee
40. Thomas Graham, Jr., CB, Oregon

Well it’s upon us. The Masters started today.

Ramblin on: 10 LA Rams news offseason observations

by Bret Stuter


The LA Rams had to find nearly $50 million in NFL salary-cap space before the start of the new season. That triggered a series of restructured contracts, and by doing so the team managed to squeeze under the $182.5 million ceiling. That set the stage for minimal expectations this offseason. The Rams organization was never going to ‘wow’ in the 2021 NFL Free Agency market, especially not after wowing the 2021 NFL headlines with one more blockbuster trade:

Which trade? This time the Rams packaged QB Jared Goff and a trio of picks for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. But in the process, the team triggered another huge poison pill of dead cap space that crippled the Rams’ chances to sign large contracts or numbers of free agents.

Do the Rams try to trigger dead cap space? They’ve been pretty successful at it if that was the goal. If not, well then they are pretty bad at this stuff. Per Spotrac.com, the LA Rams swallowed $39.3 million in dead cap space in 2021. That is coming off the $38.5 million in dead cap space in 2020. Hey, I get it. The Rams love to take chances. But at nearly $80 million in dead cap space over two seasons? It would make sense to make it a corporate goal to do better at that in the future.

1. The LA Rams did not have a lot of money to spend in 2021. In fact, the team was well over the salary cap ($40 million) and was the last team to officially make moves to squeeze under the cap. In fact, neither Spotrac nor OverTheCap.com reflects that the Rams are under the salary cap yet.

2. Did anyone else find it interesting just how many players were tapped to restructure their contracts? By the last count, it was five: Andrew Whitworth, Jalen Ramsey, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and of course Aaron Donald. I also found it interesting that Michael Brockers was traded. We noticed that the Rams were spending more on the defensive line than any other team. Suddenly the Rams were compelled to trade Michael Brockers, a veteran player of unquestioned integrity? Pretty convenient.

3. While so many are keen to point out who the LA Rams lost, did you notice who was re-signed? DB Darious Williams just made economic sense. But the teams brought back OLB Leonard Floyd on a four-year deal. Folks, this defense still has Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Jordan Fuller, Sebastian Joseph Day, They may not be ‘tops’ in the NFL, but they will still be a top-ten defense.

4. Is this the year for young players to make noise? The Rams have practically ended their off-season shopping spree. You know, signing WR DeSean Jackson. Now the Rams must hope that younger players step up on the defensive line, linebacker, edge rusher, secondary, offensive line, wide receiver, and tight end. In fact, the only position where the Rams won’t be looking for a youth movement is the quarterback position, where the team has gotten significantly older with Matthew Stafford.

5. While the Rams will be counting on youth to round out the roster, the team has solid veteran leadership in place at both offense and defense. Andrew Whitworth, Robert Woods, and Matthew Stafford on offense, while Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey will lead on defense.

6. I’m eager to see what the Rams special teams will do under their new coordinator Joe DeCamillis. I think placekicker Matt Gay is indeed the real deal. I’m concerned that punter Johnny Hekker has seen his best playing days, but perhaps DeCamillis can help rejuvenate the All-Pro punter. Can the Rams upgrade returns and coverage units this year? Please?

7. The fact that the LA Rams loaded up during the 2020 draft class depth at safety, defensive line, and wide receiver could pay dividends this year. With almost no time to learn the playbook a year ago, the Rams redshirted nearly a dozen players. They practiced, they were coached up, they worked out. Now, the question is, will they be ready to play? It would be nice if they were.

8. If you think that the Rams will send out the same ole offense in 2021, I think you will be drastically surprised. The Rams have a new quarterback, a new feature running back, a new tight end group, and a new secret weapon in WR DeSean Jackson. The team will be pass-heavy again but don’t be surprised if the team features RB Cam Akers in both the running and passing game.

9. Speaking of offense, I will be at the edge of my seat to see how the Rams handle the infamous zero coverage blitz in 2021. Right now, my first thought is to go empty backfield and score a quick TD with a go route from DeSean Jackson. That ought to make defenses think twice about throwing the kitchen sink at the Rams quarterback.


10. And one more thought about the LA Rams signing of DeSean Jackson. The Rams wanted to get more explosive on offense. Well, they just signed nitroglycerin. DJax has averaged 17.4 yards per catch over his entire career. Under McVay at Washington, that number jumps to 19.0 yards per catch. Jackson leads the NFL in yards per catch. He also leads all NFL players in 40-plus-yard receptions (63) since 2008, further solidifying his status as one of the most productive receivers in the league. The LA Rams wanted a weapon. They may have overshot the mark. But one great factoid: Because the Philadelphia Eagles released DJax, he will not offset any awarded compensatory picks. A nice bonus.

LA Rams have a good draft class to find a center

by Bret Stuter6 minutes ago



Oh yes, the NFL is ramping up for another NFL Draft. While the draft is filled with reasons for optimism, the 2021 NFL Draft brings with it a sense of concern for the LA Rams. You see, the team has an immovable set of needs for their roster heading into the draft, and they are unavoidable. Drafting for a need is never an ideal situation because the draft itself is so unpredictable.

Yet heading into the draft, there is little guesswork about the positions that the Rams should be focussed upon. While there are some positions that could use more talent, the Rams need depth at offensive center, outside linebacker, cornerback, offensive tackle, and linebacker. Beyond that, the team could benefit from adding talent at practically any and all positions.

But there is the rub.

If the Rams face a situation at the 57th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft of choosing between a talented rookie who they expected to be one of the Top-15 selected on draft day or a position of need that they suspected may fall as far as the third round, which rookie’s name will the team call-out at the podium? If the team elects to go the best player available route (BPA), they risk missing out on addressing a position of need in this draft. But if they go after the positional need, they risk overreaching at the selection and miss out on the chance to dramatically improve the talent level of the overall roster.

It’s the NFL Draft version of the Kobayashi Maru, the unwinnable scenario. That damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don’t challenge. There is no way to win in this one.


Internal options

So what do the LA Rams do? Well, that is likely the question that the front office is tackling right now. The data is in, the prospects are now being assembled in any number of ways to ensure that come the moment of truth when the LA Rams step up to the podium for the first time, they will have instant answers available to the team as to how they believe their choices can best help the Rams roster.

One such question is the availability of NFL caliber centers in this draft. While the team will benefit from the healthy return of 2019 starting center Brian Allen, and the competition of reserve Coleman Shelton, neither player saw action in 2020. Of course, we haven’t much intel from the thoughts of offensive line coach Kevin Carberry.

Will he try to coach up rostered players like Tremayne Anchrum for the role? Anchrum is so intelligent and well-spoken, and he has a nice bit of mauler in him as well. Is this the chance for Jamil Demby to step into a larger role on the offensive line? In the past, he was used as a utility lineman across all five offensive line positions. Or will the Rams revert Austin Corbett back to the center position, and try to insert a player into the right guard spot?

Even if the LA Rams do not draft a single offensive lineman, they still have multiple options for their 2021 starting offensive line. The team will welcome back offensive lineman Chandler Brewer, who rejoins the team after opting out for 2020. The team will also be reinforced by the inclusion of veteran Jamil Demby. Yes, the LA Rams did lose a center to free agency. But the Rams roster already boasts 11 players. That is enough for a starter and backup at all five offensive line positions, plus one.


Don’t mock me
Simulating the NFL Draft has become almost like a video game. There are a number of great online NFL Draft simulators, like that of the Draft Network, First Pick, PFF, and Pro Football Network, just to name a few. While each has various levels of features, trades, draft strategy logic to auto pick for other teams, they all converge on two positives for the LA Rams.

First, they all agree that five quarterbacks will come off the board in round one, some project as early as five of the first 15 players selected. The second consensus is that the LA Rams will have multiple offensive center prospects to sort through in round two.

Players like Creed Humphrey, Quinn Meinerz, Josh Meyers, Kendrick Green, Landon Dickerson all or some project to be available at the 57th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. (We’ve featured them in previous articles). By round three, the Rams will likely have fewer options for the center position. Creed Humphrey and Landon Dickerson are unanimously off the board by the 88th pick. Quinn Meinerz is more than likely gone. The Rams may still have a shot at drafting Kendrick Green or Josh Meyers. Michae Menet shows up for round three.

The 2021 NFL Draft will be pretty wild. Even knowing what we know now, there is plenty of opportunity for a significantly talented prospect to fall through the cracks. Even players like Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Morrissey, Texas A&M’s Ryan McCollum, Georgia’s Trey Hill, or Stanford’s Drew Dalman could fall out of the draft and be signed as an undrafted free agent.


This is a draft year unlike any other. Prospects enter the draft without a 2021 NFL Scouting Combine. They either have played no football, some football, a lot of football, or a full 2020 NCAA schedule of football. Teams are still limited to virtual meetings with prospects, and cannot meet with them directly. And yet, the draft will happen, and the LA Rams will emerge with answers for their offensive center position. Still, there are no guarantees that it will be the answer you want.

This one is tricky. Clearly a good QB. But Jackson has never passed for more than 3100 yards. Last season... 2,757 yards over 15 games with 26/9 TD/INT ratio.

You definitely sign him. But is $40MM/yr the new norm?

Lamar Jackson ProFootball Reference

When will Ravens' Lamar Jackson cash in? Tackling issues for next big QB contract

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- After Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott landed his record-setting four-year, $160 million deal in early March, the next quarterback up for a blockbuster extension became the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson.

Entering his fourth NFL season, Jackson is eligible for a new contract for the first time and has earned a raise from this year’s $1.771 million base salary, which ranks 24th among all quarterbacks.

Jackson is certainly the game's most electric player with the ball in his hand, a highlight waiting to happen every time he sprints in the open field. He has strides to make as a passer and in the postseason, but no one can dispute he's won more games (30) than any other quarterback since taking over as the Ravens' starter midway through the 2018 season and has spearheaded the highest scoring offense in the league over the past two years.

Just like Jackson’s skill set, the Ravens’ negotiations with the former NFL MVP are shaping up to become equally unique. His running style and lack of an agent represent new territory in the quarterback contract landscape.

Last month, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he had one-on-one conversations with Jackson about the framework of a long-term deal but indicated formal negotiations have yet to begin. Ravens coach John Harbaugh recently said he’s “totally certain” Jackson’s extension will happen this year or next.

To address all of the issues related to Jackson’s looming extension, NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner (a former league MVP), CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry (a former sports agent) and ESPN NFL front office insider Mike Tannenbaum (a former NFL general manager) tackled the frequently asked questions:

Should the Ravens have concerns about giving a potential record signing bonus to a quarterback who runs more than anyone else in NFL history?

Warner: The initial reaction is always going to be yes. Any time somebody puts themselves in harm’s way more than somebody else, there’s going to be more risks involved with signing that guy. The other part that I’ll say though is Lamar is so unique and so different that you can’t just say, 'Oh, he’s another running quarterback.' Because that’s not who Lamar is. Lamar is a difference-maker. He’s different when he runs and he avoids so many hits. But does he get hit more than most quarterbacks? Yeah, he sure does. He puts himself in those spots because of what they do offensively. You’re probably not going to give Lamar Jackson a 10-year contract like Patrick Mahomes because you don’t know what the wear and tear is.

Corry: As much as I’d want the cost certainty of a long-term deal Patrick Mahomes signed, I would be reluctant to go that route with Lamar just because we’ve seen over time that running quarterbacks don’t last if they continue to run, particularly at the rate Lamar has. What I expect to have happen with Lamar is he’s going to progress as a passer. As he gets in his late-20s, he’s not going to be running nearly as much as he used to and it’s going to be more of a traditional deal. It will be like the four-year extensions that Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson signed.

Tannebaum: Well, it’s a good problem to have because he is a dynamic player. There certainly would be a lot of teams that would like to have that problem. The ball’s going to be in his hands a lot more than others, so you are a little concerned. On the other side of it, one thing he does a good job of is he is really good at making people miss. When you think about the history of the game -- Tony Dorsett, Curtis Martin, those sort of runners -- they have sustainability because they don’t get hit and take the big shot.

Should Jackson wait for Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield to sign their extensions (so he can top theirs) or does that matter?

Warner: To me, as long as I’m paid in that category and if I want to be a Raven, then I sign the deal whenever they bring the deal to me. I don’t worry about 'Do I end up making $1 million more per year than Baker or Josh Allen?' That to me doesn’t factor in. All of these guys are going to be paid so well they’re never going to have to worry about anything in their lives again. Knowing Lamar, he’s such a humble guy, I think he’s going to be 'I want to play my whole career with the Ravens.' You’re giving me a top notch deal and I’m taking it and we’re going to play. I also believe that, if you want to win, sometimes you take a little bit less as long as you’re still in the category that you want to be in, and you say, "Hey, give me some more pieces around me, and let’s go win some championships."

Corry: There’s a unique dynamic in Lamar’s case, which doesn’t exist with any other quarterback that he doesn’t have a traditional agent. We’ve seen with guys have gotten deals done at a high level without an agent and using advisors, and they’ve done very well. But we’ve never had a deal which would be of this magnitude without an agent. So I don’t know whether that would force Lamar to err on the side of caution and try to wait for Josh Allen. But typically, you have some agents who take the position that I’m gonna let this guy solidify the marketplace even more and try to leapfrog him. And other [agents] figure if I can get the deal I want, I go from there. I really don’t know which way Lamar would go because of the unknown variable. I’m curious to see how that part plays out.

Tannebaum: If I’m him, I’m somewhat interested in those guys. But it’s different because of where he was picked [the last pick in the first round]. He doesn’t have truly transformational life-changing money [Jackson’s rookie deal was four years, $9.5 million]. Do you want to wait another six weeks and maybe get a little bit 2% or 3% more? Everyone’s going to be different, but I think where he was picked would lead me to think that those deals aren’t as relevant or impactful as getting his deal done.

How much of a hurdle is Jackson lack of an agent present for him and the Ravens?

Warner: I never explored that world [without an agent]. I never wanted to get into that world. I never wanted to be the guy that was in that room. What you realize is organizations, as much as they love you, they’re going to try to find those little holes that say, “You don’t do this as well or you don’t do that as well." You have to be able to understand it’s negotiations and no love lost when you come out of that room. That’s a hard thing to do. We pay 3% and say, 'Please, you take care of all of that junk.' My perspective was 'I’m going to make the money and you can have 3% because I want you to deal with this and I don’t even want to hear those things.'

Corry: It’s not like the rookie deal, which is slotted where you could have gotten the same deal as Tom Condon, Todd France or Drew Rosenhaus. This is a whole different dynamic, so it potentially could set up for the Ravens being able to take advantage of the situation. We saw Ronnie Stanley who had Roc Nation representing him. That deal came in under what I thought it would. Laremy Tunsil, who coincidentally didn’t have an agent but had advisors, re-set the tackle market at $22 million per year. I thought Stanley would at least be over $20 million but he came in under $20 million per year and then you saw David Bakhtiari leapfrog both of them. So the Ravens drove a hard bargain with an agent. Without an agent or an advisor, they could get a deal which is really advantageous potentially.

Tannebaum: Generally speaking, I didn’t like dealing with a player because candidly, nothing good came out of it. I like it from Lamar because he’s such an authentic person that it kind of fits him. But if I’m the Ravens, who is he dealing with? Is it a lawyer? Is it a family member? So that is a very weird and interesting dynamic. Agents play a meaningful role. You want that buffer. You just don’t want things to be taken out of context.

Where does Jackson’s contract ultimately fall? Will it get close to Mahomes’ NFL-record $45 million per season? Or will it drop closer to Watson ($39 million per year) or Prescott ($40 million)?

Warner: This business is so crazy. Sometimes it just becomes the next guy up gets the most money. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in our business, and Patrick deserves to be the highest paid quarterback. Does that mean that will always be the case? No. I think Lamar should probably slide in right by DeShaun, but not where Patrick is. But we’ve seen numerous times where the highest paid guy is not nearly the best player in the league at the position. So I don’t try to gauge those things.

Corry: I don’t think Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson are surpassing Patrick Mahomes. The two most relevant data points for both those guys are DeShaun Watson and Dak Prescott. I think the deal’s going to be in that range. Maybe they go a little above Dak Prescott. But the one thing I would be interested to see what happens with Lamar is these [other quarterbacks] have been giving up four more years. The Ravens have been wanting more than four new years. They got five new years with Ronnie Stanley, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to get five new years with Lamar. Personally, if I’m Lamar, I want to try to go three [years], since we now know the TV money is solidified and hopefully the cap’s going to start going up.

Tannebaum: I would say around $40 million is probably the range. There could be certainly more in terms of where the guarantees are, how the money becomes guaranteed, and again, we were talking earlier about Lamar not having an agent. The Ravens aren’t going to be unfair, but they’re also going to be handling what’s important to them. ... You have to choose carefully who you’re going to pay and why. He’s somebody you’re lucky to have and you’ve got to keep him and realize ‘Hey, we can’t keep Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue and that’s OK. You know why? Because they’re replaceable and Lamar isn’t.'

Yes, this'll be my final mock draft for now; I may end up doing one more, but only if something drastically changes before draft day (like a trade or major free agent signing). I'll be including some interesting UDFAs, and I'm probably going to make a couple of trades, as well (three, by my count), so...well, here it is:

TRADES:

Rob Havenstein to the Tennessee Titans for #85 overall.

(Tennessee swung and missed with Isaiah Wilson, and they'll desperately need an offensive tackle aside from Lewan, who suffered an ACL tear in the midpoint of last season. Havenstein can't replace Lewan, but given that the Titans need offensive tackle help, they'll probably give a third for a sure thing.)

#57 overall pick to the Cleveland Browns for #89, #91 overall, and #169 overall.

(Cleveland moves up to select a falling interior defensive lineman, while we trade back for more assets this year.)

#88 overall and #252 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers for #97 overall, #118 overall, and #241 overall.)

(Chargers trade up for a safety, and we trade down for an extra pick while swapping seventh rounders.)

Okay, now for the draft:

Draft:

#85 overall (Titans) - Josh Myers, OC, Ohio State. (6'5", 312 lbs.)

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(If Myers falls to this pick, we should sprint to the podium. He's, in my honest opinion, the best center in this class. He's not going to wow you, but he does everything well. Pass-protection, run-blocking, line-calls, working with a quarterback, snapping the ball...he's just a solid center who will be a cornerstone of an offensive line.)

#89 overall (Browns) - Pete Werner, ILB, Ohio State. (6'2", 242 lbs.)

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(Werner may not go at this spot, as he's really put himself on the map with his Pro Day. But he's intelligent, athletic, and is just steady; you won't see him miss many tackles, and he's always in the right spot.)

#91 overall (Browns) - Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa. (6'9", 314 lbs.)

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(The crazy thing about Brown is not that he ran a fucking 4.84 with a 4.40 short shuttle and a sub-6.00 . It's not that he can pack on even more weight without losing that agility. It's that it all plays on tape. He's an athletic freak at right tackle, and in all honesty, I think he could easily be Whit's long-term replacement.)

#97 overall (Chargers) - Jordan Smith, OLB, UAB. (6'5", 255 lbs.)

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(Smith is an athletic pass-rushing freak of nature at edge. He'll fall because of his role in a credit card fraud scheme and because he's absolutely raw and probably needs to redshirt a year behind our other outside linebackers. But his talent is impossible to deny, as are his oodles of potential. Imagine him learning from Leonard Floyd.)

#103 overall (Holmes compensatory) - Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky. (6'1", 192 lbs.)

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(Joseph has maturity issues and is very inexperienced as a starter. That's why he'll fall here. But his talent is undeniable. He shut down his side of the field when Alabama came to town, and he loves the physicality when it comes to run support and press-man. I'd love to have him learn from Ramsey.)

#118 overall (Chargers) - Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas. (5'7", 176 lbs.)

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(Darden is undersized, yes, but he's my favorite player in this draft, the one I hope the Rams decide to draft. He is a jitterbug, someone who is insanely cat-quick, who has underrated deep speed, has a surprising catch radius for his size, and knows how to run every route. Darden is also a fantastic returner, so I think he could easily find a spot on this roster based on that alone.)

#141 overall (Littleton compensatory) - Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA. (6'2", 280 lbs.)

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(Odighizuwa is the younger brother of Owa, who was a third round pick of the Giants. I love this kid's hands, motor, quickness off the snap. No, he'll never be a great run defender at the point of attack, but I'd love to see him work with Donald.)

#169 overall (Browns) - Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia. (6'4", 246 lbs.)

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(McKitty is a very underrated tight end in this draft. He doesn't have a tool that stands out, but he's a solid receiver, a solid blocker, and should be a solid Everett replacement.)

#209 overall - Michael Strachan, WR, Charleston. (6'5", 225 lbs.)

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(Strachan just ran a 4.46 at his size, had nineteen touchdowns this year, and he's garnered interest from teams around the league. He's sushi-raw, needs work on routes, and basically needs time to grow. But he could end up becoming a top flight receiver in the NFL, I really believe that.)

#241 overall (Chargers) - Javian Hawkins, RB, Louisville. (5'9", 196 lbs.)

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(The Rams were looking at Hawkins, so I decided to look up what he's done. Well, the man nicknamed "Playstation" definitely lives up to the hype. He's insanely fast, having busted three runs of seventy yards or more in 2020. He also thrives at finding space when plays break down, and he has receiving and returning potential as well. However, he doesn't have the ability to break tackles, and his vision in the open field is surprisingly-lacking. But he could end up being a solid back in our stable.)

Undrafted Free Agency:

Forrest Merrill, DT, Arkansas State. (6'0", 322 lbs.)

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(Merrill is a load at the point of attack and is an awesome run stuffer. Pass rushing will never be his game, but he has a quicker step than one would expect. Could be a solid SJD replacement when/if he leaves via free agency.

Gerrid Doaks, RB, Cincinnati. (6'1", 225 lbs.)

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(Doaks has been in one of my mock drafts in the seventh round, but he could end up falling out of the draft because of a checkered injury history. However, he's a big back who could have three down potential with excellent speed for a man his size.)

Zech McPhearson, CB, Texas Tech. (5'11", 196 lbs.)

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(McPhearson is part of a family of athletes, is solid on special teams, and has potential beyond that, given his baseball background. While he's highly-intelligent, he's struggled with reading routes, and he lacks hops on 50-50 balls. Still, he's worth a flyer.)

Tyree Gillespie, S, Missouri. (6'0", 207 lbs.)

Joshuah Bledsoe, S, Missouri. (5'11", 201 lbs.)

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(Yes, I'm putting both Mizzou safeties here, because I can and will have a Mizzou player or two in my final mock - and given that Bolton is a fantasy at this point, I figure I have the right to add these two safeties. Bledsoe has better production; Gillespie has better measurables. But both could be solid interchangeable safeties in the NFL.)

Thomas Fletcher, LS, Alabama. (6'1", 235 lbs.)

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(Fletcher got the Patrick Mannelly award for best long-snapper in college football. That should be enough to solidify his spot.)

Roster: (Starters - bold; rookies - italics)

QB - Matt Stafford, John Wolford.

(No one should be surprised at this. Stafford at starter and Wolford as the backup should be obvious.)

RB - Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Javian Hawkins, Gerrid Doaks.

(Running back should absolutely be a strength. Akers and Henderson should receive the bulk of the carries, although I wouldn't be shocked if Doaks carved out a role as a goalline/short yardage back. Add in Hawkins at kick returner, and you should have a bunch of solid backs.)

WR - Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Desean Jackson, Jaelon Darden, Michael Strachan.

(Well, we won't be lacking for talent at receiver. Woods, Kupp, and Jefferson should see the lion's share, while Jackson comes in occasionally. Darden starts out as a punt returner before eventually taking Jackson's spot. Strachan takes a redshirt year.

TE - Tyler Higbee, Tre' McKitty, Johnny Mundt.

(No, the tight end room is probably not as dynamic as one would hope, but Higbee, McKitty, an d Mundt should suffice.)

OL - Andrew Whitworth, David Edwards, Austin Corbett, Bobby Evans, Joseph Noteboom, Chandler Brewer, Tremayne Anchrum, Josh Myers, Spencer Brown.

(The only surprise might be Noteboom starting, but I feel that Brown will have to prove himself before McVay trusts him, along with Myers. Evans, I think has a good chance at running with the right guard spot, while I think Corbett is intelligent enough to play center. Edwards is a solid guard, Anchrum should be what Barrett Jones was supposed to be as a super sub, and if Brewer opts back in, we have a nice swing tackle option.

DL - Aaron Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day, A'Shawn Robinson, Greg Gaines, Osa Odighizuwa, Forrest Merrill.

(AD is AD. Joseph-Day and Robinson get the other starting nods. Gaines provides a backup to SJD, Osa provides pass-rushing juice, and Merrill takes a redshirt year.)

LB - Leonard Floyd, Kenny Young, Pete Werner, Justin Hollins, Terrell Lewis, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Jordan Smith, Micah Kiser, Travin Howard, Christian Rozeboom.

(Pete Werner is the only starting rookie, aside from the long snapper, and he deserves the job. Kenny Young could be replaced by Howard if he ends up being a cap casualty - and if he is, Reeder has a spot on the roster. Floyd, Hollins, Lewis, and Okoronkwo should be a solid rotation of edge rushers, while Smith takes a redshirt year. Kiser, Howard (if he doesn't start) and Rozeboom should be solid on special teams.)

DB - Jalen Ramsey, Darious Williams, Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp, David Long, Kelvin Joseph, Zech McPhearson, Terrell Burgess, Tyree Gillespie, Joshuah Bledsoe.

(Ramsey and Williams are obvious starters, along with Fuller. I think Rapp bounces back with a healthy season, and Long realizes his potential at cornerback. Burgess remains an option as a big nickel. Joseph takes a redshirt year, unless - fate forbid - someone gets hurt. Gillespie and Bledsoe are solid special teams players...but if y'all feel like being spoilsports and say that they won't be UDFAs, make that J.R. Reed and Juju Hughes.)

ST - Matt Gay, Johnny Hekker, Thomas Fletcher.

(Only newcomer is Fletcher, who will fight for - and win - the long-snapping job. Gay and Hekker return.)

Thoughts, comments, critiques, all are welcome.

Why re-signing Darious Williams was critical for the LA Rams

The LA Rams discovered a few things about their defensive group in the 2020 NFL season that they didn’t know beforehand. First of all, the team reaffirmed that All-Pro Jalen Ramsey is indeed one of the best defensive backs in the NFL today. The team learned that All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald will need some help on the defensive front.

Some have already begun to despair. I’ve read comments about the LA Rams defense ‘not scaring anyone this year’. Well, that is just rehashed silliness from last year. As players migrate out to other teams via free agency, the Rams have kept a solid supply of talent in reserve to backfill the outbound players. Safety Terrell Burgess should be ready to start in 2021, as should NT A’Shawn Robinson.

But the LA Rams simply had nobody to take over the veteran role at outside linebacker who could help the 2021 defense any better than veteran Leonard Floyd. And the Rams had nobody who could pair up with Ramsey as well as defensive back Darious Williams. You see, Ramsey is so good at what he does, that he forces the quarterback to throw elsewhere. If the Rams do not have the right bookended defensive back

Seeing is believing

To make the point, check out this video profiler of just how good Darious Williams is as the other guy in this defensive, check out this video featuring a detailed analysis of Williams’ ability to cover. In the breakdown, it’s clear that Williams is playing an aggressive heads-up type of football. And that is vital because he is one of the smaller effective defensive backs in the league. So how does he compensate for the constant stream of facing bigger receivers?

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Darious Williams has mastered the ability to process what is going around him on the football field. He stays close enough to the receiver, waits for the receiver to break for the ball, and simply accelerates to the right position to come between the receiver and the quarterback to make the play. The accolades of Williams play in 2020 proved him to be as good as advertised.

He earned Pro Football Focus’s third-best grade of any defensive back in 2020. He has never surrendered more than 70 passing yards in a single game against him since he entered the NFL in 2018. He had the third-best (well worst for QBs) completing rate against him in 2020. And he and Jalen Ramsey are excellent compliments to one another in this defense.

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Ramsey makes Williams a better player. But it goes both ways in the Rams defense.

Room to grow

The LA Rams plans for cornerback certainly suffered a setback when reports surfaced about Tyrique McGhee’s second violation of the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances. That carries a penalty of a five-game suspension, and it just months after a similar violation suspended him for two months. Beyond McGhee, the Rams roster boasts just David Long Jr. and Dont’e Deayon.

That leaves the Rams short two players short at the position at a minimum, and the team could sign as many as five new cornerbacks between the draft and post-draft signing period to round out the 90 man roster. Thankfully, cornerbacks run deep in the 2021 NFL draft class, and the wild inconsistency of available data and NCAA football in 2020 greatly increases the odds of a diamond-in-the-rough DBs falling to the Rams either during the draft or out of the draft altogether.

The Rams entered the 2020 NFL Draft needing reinforcements for the safety position. The Rams have since added Jordan Fuller, Terrell Burgess, J.R. Reed, and Juju Hughes. Something very similar needs to occur for the Rams at cornerback this year.

The good news is that the Rams truly have two starters ready to go at cornerback and can theoretically include a standout rookie from training camp into the slot for 2021. Of course, the Rams will need a replacement for Williams in 2022, but one challenge at a time.

I have been playing guitar for about 15 years and I still play my original Alverez. I got it for $150 from a guy who never once played it and had it laying around for years as a gift from his parents. It's been great. Last year I came into a Washburn that I quickly sold.

But today....I finally purchased a new one. It's nothing too fancy. It has a nice low action to allow me to speed up my play a bit. It's plays closer to an electric in the way it feels. I played an older model at guitar center and it sounded great for the price. This one just came out and I pulled the trigger.

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Rams' compensation for free-agent losses won't be as great as first expected

Coming into this offseason, everyone knew the Los Angeles Rams would suffer some significant losses in free agency. It was going to be nearly impossible for them to keep all of their key free agents, given their cap situation.

The only notable unrestricted free agent they were able to keep was Leonard Floyd, who they gave a four-year deal worth $64 million. Austin Blythe, John Johnson, Troy Hill, Gerald Everett, Morgan Fox and Josh Reynolds all left to sign with other teams, opening up holes across the Rams’ roster.

The silver lining all fans looked toward was compensatory picks, but the return won’t be as impactful as first expected. There was hope that Johnson would net the Rams a third-round pick in 2022. Being a quality starting cornerback, it was believed that Hill could return a fourth- or fifth-rounder. Everett has potential and some thought he would sign a solid contract and get the Rams back a mid-round pick. Blythe was seen as a mid-tier center, certainly worth more than the bargain-bin contract he signed with the Chiefs.

Unfortunately, none of those players cashed in with huge deals, so the Rams won’t get much back for losing them. According to Over The Cap, only Johnson is projected to net Los Angeles better than a sixth-round compensatory pick.



Blythe’s contract is so cheap that he doesn’t even qualify for a compensatory pick, which is a huge disappointment for the Rams. Fortunately, they will get a 2022 third-rounder for losing Brad Holmes to the Lions, in addition to the third-round pick they received this year.

The maximum number of compensatory picks a team can receive for free-agent departures in one year is four, so based on the chart above, the Rams will be a fourth-rounder and three picks in the sixth.

But in terms of free-agent losses, the Rams’ projected compensation isn’t nearly as significant as initially expected before free agency began. It certainly won’t be as impactful as the third- and fourth-rounders they got this year for Dante Fowler and Cory Littleton leaving a year ago.