Posted by Josh Alper on March 12, 2021, 12:26 PM EST
Word of Tom Brady‘s extension broke on Friday morning and Brady made it official a short time later.

Brady posted a picture to Twitter of his contract signing. Brady is wearing a sweatshirt with the No. 7 on it and the caption to the photo references the goal for Brady and the Buccaneers in the 2021 season.


“In pursuit of 8 . . . LFG @Buccaneers we’re keeping the band together,” Brady wrote.


Brady’s extension runs through the 2022 season and reportedly includes three voidable years that help the Bucs lower his 2021 cap hit by $19 million. That makes it easier to keep the band together and the team has kept at least two other key players from the championship squad this week.


Wide receiver Chris Godwin got the franchise tag on Tuesday and linebacker Lavonte David signed a two-year extension, which leaves the likes of Shaq Barrett, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, and Leonard Fournette still unsigned for next season.

It doesn't exclusively have to be videos created in the 1980's, but that's when every group felt that playing on the radio wasn't good enough anymore. First music video ever broadcast over MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star." For me, it was ZZ Top's Eliminaror album videos, with "Gimme All Your Lovin," as being my favorite of several songs that I loved from that album. What are yours and why? I loved this video because of the phantom 30's coupe and three phantom chicks, rescuing a kid mechanic in a bad job.....The video was cool, the chicks were hot, surreal, and the music itself cemented me into being a ZZ Top fan from 1983 till now....

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Pre-Free Agency Position Overview: Safety

The calendar has turned to March, which means the start of the new league year – March 17, 1 p.m. pacific time – and free agency isn't far away.

Ahead of this pivotal time in the offseason, theRams.com will be breaking down the team's roster with an overview of the players currently under contract and those who are scheduled to become free agents.

The series continues with a look at the safeties:

Under contract

• Jordan Fuller: Sixth-round pick earned starting role as a rookie right away, tying with cornerback Troy Hill for second on the team in interceptions (three) while also making the fifth-most tackles (60) while playing in 12 of 16 regular season games (four missed were due to injury).
• Taylor Rapp: Logged 44 total tackles, three pass breakups, one interception and one forced fumble in nine games before sustaining a knee injury (Grade 2 MCL sprain) in Week 10 that landed him on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
• Terrell Burgess: Primarily a special teams contributor as a rookie who also saw some action on defense, the 2020 third-round pick made eight total tackles and one pass breakup before sustaining a season-ending ankle injury against the Bears in Week 7. According to a video posted to his Twitter account, he recently resumed running again.
• Nick Scott: A key member of the Rams special teams, especially in punt protection and coverage, made 17 total tackles while playing in 15 games – the only one he missed was due to being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list as part of contact tracing protocol.
• JuJu Hughes: Undrafted free agent signee out of Fresno State last year, began his rookie season on the team's practice squad before being elevated to the 53-man roster in early October, then signed to the active roster in mid-October to bolster depth at the position in wake of injuries. Ended up appearing in 12 games, making three total tackles.
• J.R. Reed: Undrafted free agent out of Georgia last year who was originally signed by the Jaguars last spring, waived by the Jaguars in early September, then signed to the Rams practice squad shortly thereafter. First elevated to the 53-man roster in late November before promoted to the active roster in early December, he appeared in seven games and made two total tackles.
• Jake Gervase (Reserve/Future): Joined the Rams' practice squad late in the 2020 season and was activated from it as a COVID-19 replacement for their Week 15 game against the Jets. He played 16 special teams snaps in the contest.

Scheduled to become a free agent

• John Johnson III (unrestricted – Free Agent Spotlight): On-field signal caller for the defense who led the team in tackles with 105 while starting in all 16 regular season games. Also made eight pass breakups and an interception.

What are you looking forward to this season with our new look Rams, and what concerns you? Everything else aside it is clear McVay has a vision for his offense that he feels Stafford can accomplish it on the field. Things are likely to change, new wrinkles added, so what do ya say?

For me: I am most looking forward to the spacing on the field I believe Stafford creates. He will certainly force opposing teams to play in coverage more which makes room for Cam. I also believe Stafford will put some fear in the defensive play callers for our opposition.... teams will no longer be able to mindlessly blitz us in obvious passing situations and hopefully not run that damn 0 blitz.

I’m most worried about too much of a good thing. We’ve seen flashes of McVay getting excited and pass happy now hopefully he can grow out of it but I don’t want to get down by 10 and completely abandon our running game and throw the ball 60 times. We have a potent passing attack? Great! Let’s use it to balance our running game and keep our defense off the field while we tire out the other teams not just throw a million times because it’s fun and Stafford is a shiny new toy. Just win.

Rams' approach to pro days unaffected by this year's limitations

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – After being cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pro days have returned as an evaluation tool for NFL teams' scouting departments ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Their importance is even greater this year, too. With the pandemic still ongoing, the league changed the format of this year's combine from one centralized location in Indianapolis for individual workouts to having those individual workouts take place at pro days across the country; however, teams are also limited to three representatives at a pro day for public health reasons.

According to Rams general manager Les Snead, those constraints won't impact the team's approach.

"Nothing different than in years past, because in most situations, we probably haven't sent three to a pro day anyway," Snead said during a video conference with reporters Wednesday.

When the traditional format of the combine is in place, Snead said the team weighs whether it is necessary to attend a pro day. Usually, that decision is dictated by whether or not they think they have enough information on a prospect.

"I think for every Pro Day attended, there should be a specific reason," Snead said. "Maybe the case or the file on that player is not necessarily complete yet. Is there anything that we can get from a pro day to complete that file, to help us be more certain that we could onboard that player and he becomes a contributor for us?"

The accessibility of such information – normal year or not – makes it easy to find the answer, and is also part of the reason why Snead is not worried about those limitations.

"So the interesting thing this year, with no combine, all pro days we will share data, but that occurs every year in a system that's referred to as the APT system, where every club doesn't have to attend a pro day, but let's call it a player, subset school, didn't go to the combine, we can get the standard 40-yard dash, standard short shuttles, and that data is shared," Snead said. "So, I think this year, unlike (the) combine, some of those numbers, some of those measurables, would just get to us later in the process."

Perhaps the biggest and most important reason why Snead isn't concerned about the attendance limit relates to strategy.

Capped representation or not, even just one Rams rep in attendance could tip off other teams about about who they're targeting and what direction they'll go in the draft, especially with that rep's role – for example, if they sent their offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator to evaluate a prospect at a specific position. The only obstacle that might make that a challenge is private workouts and facility visits also being banned this year for public health reasons.

"As a club, there is times where maybe you don't want to attend the pro day just because you don't want to show your cards or what have you, and things like that," Snead said. "So, there's always some of that game theory going on."

Been overlooking these when I do click by so figured I'd share. They're all great reads.

The Kansas City Chiefs famously played Super Bowl LV without both of their starting offensive tackles. Now they're officially moving on from the veterans.

Schwartz just underwent a back surgery so his playing days are in question; and Eric (don't call me Jeff) Fisher is trying to come back from an Achilles tendon tear so his availability for the start of the season is also a question.

I like the fact that Fisher can play LOT at a high level. Seems to me if he can get healthy he may be a good replacement for Whit when he finally hangs the cleats up.

But having said all this do we have any interest in one or both of them?

~ArkyRamsFan~

Taking a different direction from @Juggs brilliant thread, who was once on your hot list, who now has just gone south?
Man, I used to really dig Yasmine Bleeth,

But I saw her on TV the other day? And my god, what the #$% happened?????

Wow I remember all of us talking about this wanting him not wanting him. Seemingly we had him and then poof it just went away and we were all kind of like what happened??? Now we kind of know why.

Honestly, if all that’s occurring behind closed doors is mere restructuring then it should have been done and announced already. Those just don’t take that long and yet Snead says that talks have been going on for 2-3 weeks.

But what if tricky trade talks that require secrecy are going on? And with multiple teams? Maybe even a 3-way?

Could be any combination of player-for-picks or even player-for-player. Or both?

Such complicated talks would explain both the delays AND the need for secrecy.

This IS Snead we’re talking about so anything’s possible.

Hmmmmm...

Last Spring we had a hail storm that damaged the trunk of my Cadillac and my Pathfinder. This was during the pandemic so we didn't report it to our insurance company. Now I'm ready to get it fixed. I'm not sure if there is a time limit on reporting and I don't remember exactly when it was. I am still with the same insurance companies this year as I was last year.

To bounce off the common food thread. I thought it would be interesting to see what sex symbol you think is overrated or just plain ugly.

I will start with a woman I fucking hate and that has nothing to do with her looks. But, her face makes it impossible for me to see how she could be a sex symbol or a "Model"

Christy Teagan...ugh

So there's a guy who lives somewhere nearby my neighborhood. We've lived in our place about 20 years. We've seen this guy walking down the roads outside of our neighborhood (main roads leading to the shopping centers) pretty much the whole time we've lived here.

I'm sure that something is off with this guy mentally.... so just know I'm not trying to make fun of him.

This dude is impossible to miss when you see him. When we 1st starting living here we were shocked when we saw him because he used to dress like Dracula 365 days of the year. I'm talking about full Dracula gear as if you were going to star in the next Dracula movie. Hair and everything including fang teeth. Not cheap Halloween shit either. When you see what looks like a real vampire walking down a main major road late at night or even during midday.... it's pretty weird. Cars would almost wreck sometimes because of this guy's insane vampire appearance.

Well, our local vampire disappeared a few years ago. We didn't really think anything about until the last couple of weeks.

Apparently our local vampire has decided to change his character I think. I don't know what the fuck he's trying to dress up like now... maybe it's still a vampire but I don't think so.

I need you guys to help me figure this out. Is it like the headless horseman or something? I feel like I should know what the fuck this is.

I got a couple of pics of him on my way home late this afternoon from inside my truck. Not the best pics... but I'm really hoping you guys can help me figure out who in the actual fuck this dude is trying to be now.

Key players involved: Jared Goff - Mark Barron – John Sullivan – Eric Weddle – Dante Fowler Jr. – Blake Bortles – Clay Matthews - Troy Hill - Jalen Ramsey

Rams sign Jared Goff to four-year, $134 million extension, guaranteed money, contract details revealed

Seven months after helping lead the Los Angeles Rams to their first Super Bowl in more than 15 years, quarterback Jared Goff has been rewarded with a four-year contract extension, as NFL Network's Michael Silver first reported.

Goff had already been under contract with the Rams for another two seasons, but the new deal will keep him in Los Angeles another six years, all the way through 2024, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and later announced by the team.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Goff's extension is worth $134 million and includes $110 million guaranteed. Previously, the Philadelphia Eagles had handed out the most guaranteed money in a quarterback extension when they extended Carson Wentz in a deal that included $107.8 million guaranteed. That record now belongs to the Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams have played it relatively safe this offseason when compared to the moves they made in 2018 when they made several trades for big-name players.

This year, they’ve made calculated moves, freed up cap space by moving on from veterans and adding proven players at positions of need.

They’ve filled holes that will allow them to take the best player available in the draft next month, which is typically the goal of free agency for a team as littered with talent as the Rams. Looking back on all the moves they’ve made thus far, the majority can be viewed as wise decisions.

We’ve graded all of their transactions up to this point and only one was somewhat questionable.

Releasing Mark Barron

Savings: $6.33M
The Rams could’ve held onto Barron for another year after seeing him step up in the playoffs, but that would’ve cost them more than $9.6 million in 2019 alone. That’s a big number for a player who not only struggled last season, but also missed time due to injury the last two years.

The best move for the team was cutting Barron, even if it did leave the Rams with a $3.33 million dead cap charge and a hole at inside linebacker. They’ll be able to find a cheaper starter who could also be an upgrade, potentially with second-year player Micah Kiser.

Declining John Sullivan’s option

Savings: $5.5M
Sullivan’s play really fell off in the second half of last season, struggling in pass protection and getting very little push in the running game.

He was set to be on the books for $6.25 million in 2019, which is a manageable number, but by moving on, the Rams save $5.5 million. That savings essentially paid for Eric Weddle’s salary next season.

Sullivan was great in 2017 for the Rams and finally stayed healthy, but there are always concerns about his durability, especially at his age (33). The Rams made this move knowing Brian Allen was capable of stepping in as a starter.

Troy Hill signs two-year contract extension

The Rams signed cornerback Troy Hill to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.

Hill, 27, has appeared in 40 games with 14 starts for the Rams the past three seasons.

Hill was scheduled to make $2.025 million in 2019 as a restricted free agent.

Signing Eric Weddle

Contract: 2 years, $10.5M ($5.2M guaranteed)
All across the NFL, it’s hard to find a better value in free agency than Weddle. He may be past his prime and coming off a year where he didn’t have a single interception, but Weddle can still play at a very high level in the NFL.

He’s a cheaper replacement for Lamarcus Joyner at half the price, bringing leadership and playoff experience to the team.

With the contracts many safeties signed this offseason – Landon Collins, Earl Thomas and Tyrann Mathieu all got at least $13.75 million per year – Weddle’s $5.25 million salary looks tiny.

He doesn’t have the range or athleticism as some younger safeties, but in the Rams’ attacking defense, he’ll be able to utilize his vision and instincts on the back end.

Dante Fowler signs with Falcons

The Falcons, who can’t announce the deal because of NFL regulations, agreed in principle to a three-year, $48 million deal with defensive end Dante Fowler.

Fowler had 11.5 sacks with the Los Angeles Rams last season and has 27.5 sacks over 63 career games. He will reunite with Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who helped recruit Fowler to play college football at Florida.

Signing Blake Bortles

Contract: 1 year, $1M
When you consider the Rams paid Sean Mannion more than $1 million in 2018, there’s no way to look at Bortles’ deal and see anything other than a bargain. He’s an experienced starter who helped get the Jaguars to the AFC championship game two seasons ago.

Bortles has been on a decline since then and his mechanics have regressed, but Sean McVay has a great track record of developing quarterbacks and the Rams’ staff is capable of helping Bortles improve.

At the very least, he’ll help Jared Goff mentally as his backup, considering the two are friends. The relationship between a starter and backup is important, especially when the backup has additional experience and can help as a leader.

Signing Clay Matthews

Contract: 2 years, $9.25M ($5.5M guaranteed)
When the original numbers came out as Matthews’ deal being worth up to $16.75 million, there was overwhelming disappointment among Rams fans.

However, the $9.25 million base salary is a much easier pill to swallow, putting his salary at $4.625 million per year before incentives kick in.

He’s not the pass rusher he once was, but his versatility as an outside linebacker and off-ball defender make him valuable to the Rams.

They need help at both spots with very little production coming at outside linebacker last season and Barron being released to create a void at inside linebacker. It’s hard to argue against a deal for Matthews with only $5.5 million guaranteed.

Oct 15, 2019 Rams trade for Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey

he Los Angeles Rams have acquired CB Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.

The fifth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Ramsey has amassed 210 tackles, nine interceptions, 45 pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 51 career games. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and former first-team All-Pro selection.
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2020 offseason moves by Rams

Todd Gurley cut:

Los Angeles cut Todd Gurley on Thursday, bringing a stunning end to the Rams career of a player who was considered a viable MVP candidate as recently as December 2017.

His story is a cautionary tale for teams that want to believe their stars are exceptions to what we know about player value and a reminder of how teams that ignore the economics of the NFL often end up paying for their mistakes down the line.

It's also a reminder of just how hard it is to be a running back in the NFL in 2020.

Re-signing Andrew Whitworth

This was really the Rams’ first major move of the offseason, and it was one that seemingly everyone expected to happen. From the start, Les Snead and Sean McVay made it clear they wanted Whitworth back – and Whitworth reciprocated the feeling with his comments.

Whitworth’s contract looks like a costly one, since it’s worth up to $30 million across three years, but it’s effectively a one-year, $12.5 million deal that the Rams can get out of next offseason if they want to. They kept his cap hit to just $6.67 million in 2020, which was important, allowing them some cap flexibility.

Rams re-sign Morgan Fox

The Los Angeles Rams are bringing back a familiar face along the defensive line and parting ways with another. The team announced on Friday it has re-signed Morgan Fox and released Tanzel Smart.

Fox for Smart isn’t a one-for-one replacement, since they play different positions. Fox is more of a defensive end or outside linebacker in certain packages, while Smart is a defensive tackle, often backing up Aaron Donald at 3-technique.

Fox was a restricted free agent this year, but the Rams opted not to tender him, allowing him to hit the open market. He’s opted to return to Los Angeles, likely seeing not much interest from other teams in free agency.

Drafting Terrell Lewis and Terrell Burgess in Round 3
Both of these players were great values in the third round, coming at picks 84 and 104, respectively. Each prospect slid in the draft for their own reasons, with Burgess’ inexperience hurting his stock and Lewis’ injury history pushing him out of the first two rounds.

For the Rams, they may have gotten two of the steals of the draft as both players should contribute right away as rookies. Lewis can help fill the void left by Dante Fowler Jr., while Burgess has already been mentioned as a candidate to start at nickel corner.

Sean McVay makes bold bet on unproven defensive coordinator Brandon Staley

McVay informed Phillips early last week that his expiring contract would not be renewed. Four days later, McVay made a surprise hire as he turned to an unknown, unproven and inexperienced coordinator whom the Rams will depend on to take their defense from good, which it undoubtedly was under Phillips, to elite.

Meet Staley, whom the Rams are expected to soon announce as their defensive coordinator.

Never heard of him? You're certainly not alone.

Staley is 37 years old, more than three decades younger than the 72-year-old Phillips, and spent the past three seasons coaching for the defensive-minded Vic Fangio. His first two seasons under Fangio were spent serving as outside linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears, where Fangio was the defensive coordinator.

This past season, Staley held a similar post for the Denver Broncos after Fangio brought him along when he was named Broncos head coach.

Michael Brockers will re-sign with Rams after Ravens deal falls through

MARCH 27, 2020 9:34 AM PT
In January, Michael Brockers posted what all but amounted to a goodbye video to Rams fans on social media.

Before free agency opened this month, he agreed to a three-year, $30-million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

But Friday, after Ravens physicians apparently could not verify the condition of Brockers’ left ankle, he returned to the Rams. Brockers and the team that made him the 14th pick in the 2012 draft agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $31.5 million, according to NFL.com.

Rams sign Leonard Floyd

Los Angeles Rams landed their first free agent on Wednesday, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with Leonard Floyd. The news came shortly after Dante Fowler Jr. bolted for the Falcons, coming to terms on a three-year deal with Atlanta.

According to reports, Floyd’s contract with the Rams is worth $10 million with a max value of $13 million. To some, it seems like an overpay. To others, it’s reminiscent of the Rams’ bet on Fowler last offseason.

Signing A’Shawn Robinson

He will help bolster a defensive line that’s expected to cover up the Rams’ holes at linebacker, playing alongside Aaron Donald.

Robinson can play nose tackle or defensive end, but he’ll probably play more of the former now that Brockers is back. But his position versatility, along with the flexibility that Brockers also possesses, gives the Rams a lot of options up front – and that’s without even mentioning Sebastian Joseph-Day or Greg Gaines.

Robinson will need to play more like the way he did in 2018 than he did last year in order for this work out favorably for Los Angeles. In a new scheme, though, it should afford Robinson the chance to make a big impact against the run.

Bringing back Austin Blythe

This wasn’t viewed as a huge move for the Rams, but it was an important one. Re-signing Blythe to a one-year deal worth $3.9 million was wise by the Rams, keeping around a player who has experience playing guard and center in their scheme.

He’s not the best offensive lineman on the team, but he does bring value thanks to his versatility and experience. And he was pretty darn good in 2018 at guard next to Rob Havenstein and John Sullivan.

With the money he’s making, Blythe should be a starter for the Rams in 2020 – though his position is still to be determined.

2020 NFL Draft: Rams pick Cam Akers

The Rams selected Florida State running back Cam Akers with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The CBS Sports NFL Draft team breaks down the pick below, including a grade for the pick, how it affects fantasy leagues and more on Akers, including his strengths and weaknesses, his NFL comp and more.

Hiring Kevin O’Connell as new OC

Sean McVay has acted as the offensive coordinator since being hired in 2017, but this offseason, he recognized the benefits of having a designated OC on the staff. He hired O’Connell away from the Redskins, bringing yet another bright offensive mind to the Rams.

O’Connell will help develop the quarterbacks, too, while assisting McVay with game planning throughout the week and decision making on game days. There’s really no downside to McVay hiring O’Connell, as it’ll help take pressure off himself to do everything as a head coach.

McVay has expressed a desire to be more involved on defense, which he’ll be able to do now that O’Connell will be there to work with the offense. It’s a win-win for McVay and O’Connell.

I'm sure I left some other key players off of this list like Brandon Cooks and a few other key signings.

This was merely a recap of how the Rams have operated over the last 2 off-season's.

As much as I hate to lose guys who have helped the team leave, we're about to see a pretty big exodus. I'm convinced that Leonard Floyd and four picks from Rounds 2-4 in the 2017 draft - Gerald Everett, John Johnson, Josh Reynolds and Samson Ebukam - won't be back (the exception, of course, is Cooper Kupp, who received an early extension).

The key here is that all five of these players will, by leaving, create Comp Pick eligibility for the Rams. We could easily see a couple of 3rds and a couple of Day 3 picks result from the departure of these players.

So the choice is... sign long-term contracts (after clearing space), or... replace these players with either (1) veterans who will agree to short term deals (i.e. Floyd last year) or (2) rookies. The latter represents "the Plan," as I see it.

These players, though valuable, are not part of the "core" of the team. Right now, that core is Stafford, Akers, Woods, Kupp, Whitworth, Donald and Ramsey. Around them are other less valuable, but solid guys, like Havenstein, Henderson, Jefferson, Higbee, Brockers, D.Williams and Fuller.

There will be unfilled rolls after this group leaves, but there will be opportunities to fill those spots. There will be some quality veterans out there who will be happy to join a contender like the Rams for an affordable one year deal ($8-10M), and the Rams have 3 Top 100 picks which also could produce contributors. The Rams are not going to break the bank for non-core players at the cost of future cap health and foregone compensatory picks.

I hope I'm wrong about a couple of these guys (JJ and Floyd), but I'm pretty convinced that we'll be seeing new faces in their place in September.

Coming up soon:

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My crystal ball has revealed all.

Left to right, here we go.

Big Whit (Boom ready in the wings in case of injury)
Edwards
Linsley (or another best available FA)
Corbett
Evans (Hav traded)

Linsley affordable because of creative contract structuring. (Thank you Demoff, Pastoors) If my Linsley dream comes true then C is fixed for at least 5 years.

A LOT will likely be drafted high, as well, but he probably won’t start until ‘22 after development. Could even perhaps be our pick at 57.

I know Linsley will be pricey but how valuable is it to fix our interior OL’s biggest weakness precisely when Stafford comes on board? Priceless, man.

Just wondering from looking at his highlights looks like a player .... kind of looks like stephon diggs a little....seeing that he made roster last year they liked something bout him... he might be our answer at wr

I understand it’s always wise to target and select BPA..., but everyone has things they root for, or hope will unfold...

This piece caught my eye, because I think EDGE is filled by FA... not a draft priority. Keep playing the prove-it game at DE. Should have lots of vets to pick from.

I could see OL and Linebacker as top choices for the early draft picks. A speedy WR, maybe, but maybe also prefer the later round option looking for a slip thru cracks type.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah talks Rams options at pick No. 57 in 2021 NFL Draft

Barring an unforeseen trade, the Rams will enter their third consecutive draft without a first-round pick, though the lack of a Top 32 selection hasn't necessarily been a detriment to Los Angeles' ability to address its roster needs, as recent examples like 2020 second-round pick Cam Akers (No. 52 overall) and sixth-round pick Jordan Fuller (No. 199 overall) have shown.

When asked by theRams.com about the direction Los Angeles could take at No. 57 overall based on their current needs ahead of both free agency and this year's NFL Draft, NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said he could see the Rams addressing needs at either offensive line or edge rusher there.

"When you look at them, I think you're trying to find more edge rush. We'll see what happens in free agency," Jeremiah said on a video conference call Tuesday. "And then you can look on the offensive line, both interior and at tackle. So those would be the two places I would look."

As Jeremiah alluded to, whether the Rams choose to add an edge rusher with their first selection depends on how free agency unfolds for them. It's possible they re-sign one or both of Leonard Floyd and Samson Ebukam, who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next week. Plus, as discussed in each player's respective free agent spotlight, adding their replacement through free agency can't be ruled out, either.

With that in mind, if Los Angeles elects to take an edge rusher in the second round, Jeremiah said Houston senior Payton Turner is a prospect who would make sense for L.A. Turner posted a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks while playing Bandit – the pass-rushing linebacker position within the Cougars defense.

"He lost some weight a little bit coming into this year. He was pretty dominant at the Senior Bowl," Jeremiah said. "(6-foot-5), 270 pounds, and he can play with his hand down or up. He's got really active hands, he's got speed to power. He's an interesting player that's just outside my top 50 as a rusher."

The Rams could have multiple quality options if they went offensive line instead, as Jeremiah said earlier in the call that he liked the depth of this year's offensive line class. If they chose that route – which could be a possibility with center Austin Blythe scheduled to become a free agent – Jeremiah mentioned Illinois redshirt junior Kendrick Green as a potential prospect that would make sense for them at No. 57.

Green primarily played left guard his first two seasons, starting all 12 games there as a redshirt freshman in 2018, followed by another 12 in 2019, plus one start at center. In 2020, he started all eight games – making three of them at center in place of injured starter Doug Kramer – and his performance earned him Second Team All-America recognition from USA TODAY, as a consensus First Team All-Big Ten selection. Green ended his college career with 33 consecutive starts.

"Somebody like Kendrick Green from Illinois is fascinating to me," Jeremiah said. "He's played left guard, he's played center. He can bend, he's explosive. I thought he's somebody that had his best football out ahead of him. He's listed at 6-4, 315 pounds but he can really move. That would be one as an interior lineman (that) I would keep an eye on just outside the top 50."

I will assume that most of us have had pets during our lives. And pets have a way of doing some interesting stuff. With all the negativity in the world, I thought it might be fun to share some of our pet stories.

When I was young, we had a Persian cat which was named "Mommy Kitty". Don't ask, I have no idea how that name came about. Well, MK was not fixed. So every once in a while she would pop out a litter of kittens, who we as kids, were responsible for finding homes for. So our neighborhood was full of cats that came from MK. One day she had another litter. Now, from the previous liter, we had kept one of the male cats. "Sam". The other 5 were spread out amongst our friends and other relatives. Well, MK had this new liter, after about 3 weeks someone came up with the great idea to bring one of the cats from her previous liter to "visit". Well, the cat that came into our house was one of Sam's sisters. Her name was "Bikini", because she was all black except for three triangles of white on her belly right where a bikini would be. This was going to be a neighborhood event. And about 15 kids came over to see it.

Well, the kittens were in the basement. They brought Bikini into the house. MK heard her meow and came upstairs. Sam came from I don't know where. But all of a sudden we had three cats in my mother's living room and they started to fight. These cats were fighting in what was basically a big circle. Flying around the living room. Now, if you don't know it, cats do one thing when they fight. They empty their bowels. Yup. I did not know this at the time. None of us did. So we have three cats flying around my mom's living room sh*tting all over the place. Cat sh*t flying. And once the kids realized this we all took off. Someone went out the front door and the cats followed. The rest of us scattered chasing the cats. And my poor mother who walked into the room about the time the door opened is standing there looking at her living room full of cat sh*t wondering what the hell had just gone down. Now, this whole "event" lasted a total of about 20 seconds from the time the cats were introduced to each other to the time the door was opened. But it is etched in my mind forever.

I've been a Rams homer for way too long. Always hoping/expecting that Rams moves would pan out.

I've been wondering who I thought was a better first overall pick (at the time), Bradford or Goff.
Both times, there was a clear debate between option one and 2- Bradford or Suh - Goff or Wentz.

Now that it is clear, that both did not work out, it's a good time for me to reflect.

I thought Goff was the better pick. I saw Goff as a pure pocket passer who could ad lib, better than Wentz, and I was glad that the Rams went that way versus Wentz.
At the time, I was not sure between Suh and Bradford, and had little to do with Bradford injury history, but rather that Suh had the chance to be dominant. Still hoped that Bradford would excel.

What say you.

I’m sitting here thinking... I look like a dumb ass! Seriously, I can’t hardly admit I do this... it sounds nerdy or something. I got a winter hat on, too.

I like port wine.

I KNOW! WTH?

Is that weird? My local store hardly stocks it. Nobody else appears buying it.

But... Its good. I like it. You open a bottle, it can be open 3 weeks. So, it’s not like you got a big commitment.

I prefer beer as a drinker but this ain’t a bad sipper.

LINK :

These are generalities, not specifics. Trying to be too specific without a helluva lot more information would be a fool’s errand.

But I do feel that the following are pretty solid projections, and it’s just for funsies, anyway, so here goes...

I cannot fathom that Rams made that bold and expensive ‘all in’ move to get Stafford without a plan to improve the OL and acquire a vertical WR threat. Man, they just wouldn’t do that. The O future is now. They’re gonna ‘fix’ that OL at least and I’m almost positive that Stafford is gonna get his deep threat one way or another.

I further think that the Kromer departure occurred because he differed too much with McVay’s desire to overhaul the OL both scheme and personnel wise.

I believe Jordan’s report that she’d heard that 3 new OL players will be brought in and may be starters this year. Maybe an existing starter at one position will be moved to another position for which he’s better suited? One way or another this makes total sense, don’t you think? Might be somewhat like what Snead/McVay did to overhaul the OL back in 2017. Pretty good results that time, huh?

I expect an all out restructuring by Rams to get some cap room for a couple of key FA signings. Maybe 4 or more? Not to acquire elite players, but Sully or Floyd types.

I think a trade of Brockers and/or Hav is a distinct possibility. Both play at deep positions and their freed cap space could allow signing a couple of quality tier 2 players at need positions. I know this would upset some but this is a business and team trumps player every time.

We are gonna see a ton of the most creative contracts around the league in NFL history. Teams will defer the hell out of contract monies because they believe the new TV contract will be a rich one and restore the annual cap increase trajectory.

Players and agents are gonna find themselves forced to be far more ‘flexible’ on their contract demands because of the Covid cap reductions in ‘21. That means that there might actually be many one year bargains on the market this offseason.

Hopefully, the Rams have a superior scouting dept that is better able to do accurate evals despite the Covid restrictions. If this works out then the Rams will be positioned to pounce on quality players that fell through the cracks for other teams. IOW, the late picks could be a bonanza for Snead, even more than usual.

I expect Snead to trade down out of #57, maybe even twice IF he likes the landscape below.

I think that Rams better give Williams a 1st round tender or they might lose him.

I fully expect a Top 3 Defense from Morris despite losing Floyd, JJ, and Hill, among others. Morris has so much experience and the few holes are gonna get plugged. Heck, our ILB position might actually be improved.

I’m expecting big things from Burgess this year, probably at nickel CB.

Thoughts?