Threads
-
To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
What Happened To Lawrence Phillips? (Complete Story)
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 14 Replies
What Happened To Lawrence Phillips? (Complete Story)
Lawrence Phillips was a gifted running back in the NFL, but had a haunted past. What ever happened to him?
www.profootballhistory.com
Agility, mobility, and bruising hits are the key traits of a running back.
Lawrence Phillips‘s entire upbringing reflects that life.
He moved from one foster home to the next for much of his youth, enduring child abuse.
Movement was a constant as he changed schools regularly.
An unstable upbringing defined Phillips’s entire life.
His NFL career mirrored the life he always lived.
It was marred with violence and drama and involved changing teams every year.
The tragedy and violence that existed throughout Phillips’s life were responsible for ending it, too.
It’s hard to contextualize the good and the bad appropriately with Phillips.
He committed domestic violence, drove into a crowd, and allegedly murdered his cellmate.
His early life doesn’t excuse that but it also doesn’t make it any less sad.
A once-promising running back lived a highly complicated existence both on and off the field.
Always on the Move
Lawrence Lamond Phillips was born in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Early in his life, he ended up moving to California in the foster care system.
He bounced around without much support or guidance.
Phillips dealt with abuse and took his pain out on the football field.
As a freshman and sophomore in high school, Phillips attended West Covina High School.
He was a starter for the varsity team as a running back and outside linebacker.
Heading into his junior year, he moved to Baldwin Park High School to finish grade school.
The team won the California Interscholastic Federation championship his junior year and Phillips drew attention from colleges across the country.
Phillips found out how good at running he was by having to run his entire life.
After his senior season, his next stop was Lincoln, Nebraska to join the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Phillips running in Lincoln proved to be the best running he’d ever do.
Bursting onto the Scene
As a freshman, Phillips started the season behind Calvin Jones with quarterback Tommie Frazier also being a bigger focal point of the run game.
In the Cornhuskers’ third game of the season, Phillips exploded onto the scene against UCLA.
Off the bench, Phillips rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown in Nebraska’s 14-13 win.
In Nebraska’s eight other regular-season games, Phillips only accumulated 307 yards as the third rushing option.
Then, in the Orange Bowl against Florida State, Phillips took over in the fourth quarter.
He rushed for the majority of his 64 yards in the fourth quarter, including a 12-yard touchdown.
The Seminoles held off the Cornhuskers but Phillips had established himself as the running back of the future for Nebraska.
In Phillips’s sophomore season, Nebraska suffered several key injuries to Frazier and Brook Berringer at QB.
Phillips became the focal point of the offense as Nebraska dominated start to finish en route to a 13-0 record.
The bruising back rushed for 100-plus yards in 11 straight games and posted 1,826 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns during the season.
Trouble Ahead
While Phillips was dominating on the field, a pending legal situation was looming over him.
In March 1994, Phillips was accused of grabbing a 21-year-old college student by the neck.
He was charged in November 1994 after failing to complete a diversion program.
Two weeks after the 1994 season ended, Phillips plead not guilty to assault charges.
Phillips’ legal issues were only beginning at that point.
During the second game of the 1995 season, Phillips rushed for 206 yards and four touchdowns against Michigan State.
When the team returned from Michigan, Phillips broke into teammate Scott Frost‘s apartment.
Kate McEwen, a basketball player at the university and Phillips’ ex-girlfriend, was in Frost’s apartment.
Phillips dragged McEwen out of the apartment and smashed her head into a mailbox.
He was arrested and suspended by head coach Tom Osborne but not kicked off of the team.
Nebraska faculty and the media were outraged by the actions and wanted any athlete convicted of a violent crime kicked off the team.
Osborne suspended Phillips for six games before bringing him back late in the season.
Running back Ahman Green became the starter while Phillips was suspended.
During the Fiesta Bowl, Osborne started Phillips who rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns in a 62-24 win.
At the end of the season, Osborne encouraged Phillips to turn pro.
Rams Take a Chance
With the knowledge of his violent attack still on the mind of the sports media, having a team take a risk on Phillips was a bit of an unknown.
While some teams took him off their draft board, it didn’t take long for a team to decide to select Phillips.
With the sixth pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams selected Phillips.
In a singularly-focused view, the Rams’ owners knew it made the team better and that’s all that mattered.
“It helps our team,” Rams owner Georgia Frontiere said. “That’s the only thing I care about.”
With the Rams’ belief in Phillips, the team traded Jerome Bettis to the Pittsburgh Steelers on draft day.
Things quickly went south with Phillips on the Rams.
Across two seasons, he rushed for 1265 yards and 12 touchdowns in 25 games.
The numbers weren’t the issue.
Off the field, Phillips continued to get into legal trouble with three arrests over 19 months in St. Louis.
Finally, Rams head coach Dick Vermeil cut Phillips from the team in November 1997.
The truth about the release didn’t come out until years later when Vermeil revealed Phillips passed out at practice with alcohol on his breath.
On the Move Again
Vermeil put in a word to his friend Jimmy Johnson, the coach of the Miami Dolphins, to give Phillips a chance.
In two games, Phillips posted 44 yards on 18 carries before being released.
The Dolphins cut Phillips after he pleaded no contest to assaulting a woman in a nightclub.
Phillips got the farthest away from his situation as he could by joining the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe in 1998.
After setting records with 1,021 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, NFL teams decided to give Phillips another chance.
The San Francisco 49ers conducted a series of interviews with Phillips and decided to give him a chance.
No off-field issues occurred while with the 49ers.
However, Phillips caused problems for the team with a lack of interest in practice and had no interest in pass blocking.
In November 1999, Phillips refused to practice several times and mocked coaches.
The 49ers suspended Phillips for three days and then quickly announced they would soon release him.
Out of the NFL, Phillips played for the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League in 2001.
Then, he moved to Canada to join the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.
After contributing to the team’s Grey Cup championship, Phillips ran into more legal trouble.
He was released by Montreal after sexual assault charges.
In 2003, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders, played in eight games, and was once again released.
The journey of six teams and three leagues across two continents fit perfectly into how Phillips’s life continued to go.
An inability to stay out of legal trouble or respect his coaches and teammates led to everyone running out of patience with Phillips.
A Tragic Spiral
The rap sheet for Phillips runs deep throughout his NFL career.
In his post-football life, things continued to spiral.
Two years after playing his final game in Canada, Phillips was arrested for driving a car into three teenagers at a pick-up football game in Los Angeles.
From that point forward, a collection of domestic abuse charges caught up to Phillips.
In October 2008, he was sentenced to 10 years in Kern Valley State Prison in California.
While serving those 10 years, Phillips was convicted on seven counts for another assault that took his total sentence to 31 years.
Phillips needed to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he could be eligible for time off due to California state law.
Seven years into Phillips’ sentence, a man who always had the ability to run away felt trapped.
In April 2015, Phillips’ cellmate Damion Soward was found dead in the cell they shared.
Phillips became the prime suspect in the case of Soward being choked to death.
Six months later, Phillips was charged with first-degree murder.
The day after a judge found there was enough evidence to bind Phillips to Soward’s murder, he hanged himself and took his own life.
He was found unresponsive with a “Do Not Resuscitate” note on his chest on January 12, 2016.
Three days after his death, his family announced that they would donate his brain to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) research at Boston University.
All his life, Phillips ran from the trouble he encountered.
Much of it was because of his own doing, but his troubled upbringing clearly factored into his behavior as an adult.
Described as one of the best running backs ever by several of his coaches, Phillips couldn’t break away from the demons constantly chasing him.
Woman rescues dog from drowning in icy swimming pool
Pretty cool story.
www.wbrz.com
Woman rescues dog from drowning in icy swimming pool
MURFREESBORO, TN - Home security video captured a pet owner in Tennessee leaping into a frozen swimming pool to rescue her dog that was drowning below the ice.
Jennie Tatum told WZTV her two dogs were playing in her backyard when one of them, Sid, slipped into the pool and fell through the ice. Tatum, who was watching form her back porch, jumped into the water to save her dog but couldn't see him through the layer of ice covering the pool.
After surveying the pool for several seconds, she spotted Sid below the surface and pulled the barely conscious pet out of the water. She then called her neighbor who is a veterinarian and rushed Sid to an animal hospital.
The vet said that just a few seconds more in the icy water and Sid may not have survived.
Tatum said her pool pump, which would have prevent the water from icing over, broke just a week before the winter storm swept through parts of the U.S. this past week.
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/wJkYktcpCki
WATCH: Woman rescues dog from drowning in icy swimming pool
Home security video captured a pet owner leaping into a frozen swimming pool to rescue her dog that was drowning below the ice.
MURFREESBORO, TN - Home security video captured a pet owner in Tennessee leaping into a frozen swimming pool to rescue her dog that was drowning below the ice.
Jennie Tatum told WZTV her two dogs were playing in her backyard when one of them, Sid, slipped into the pool and fell through the ice. Tatum, who was watching form her back porch, jumped into the water to save her dog but couldn't see him through the layer of ice covering the pool.
After surveying the pool for several seconds, she spotted Sid below the surface and pulled the barely conscious pet out of the water. She then called her neighbor who is a veterinarian and rushed Sid to an animal hospital.
The vet said that just a few seconds more in the icy water and Sid may not have survived.
Tatum said her pool pump, which would have prevent the water from icing over, broke just a week before the winter storm swept through parts of the U.S. this past week.
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/wJkYktcpCki
For franchise quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, breakups with teams are hard to do
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 1 Replies
For franchise quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, breakups with teams are hard to do
Often the face of a franchise is its quarterback. But what happens when it's time for him and the team to move on?
www.espn.com
Joe Namath went to dinner with Leon Hess and his wife early in 1977. They'd been together a dozen years, and Namath, the New York Jets' Super Bowl-winning quarterback, needed to have a talk with the owner he cared about so deeply.
It was a tough conversation, one Namath didn't necessarily want to have but had to. The Jets were in the midst of a transition with a new coach -- Walt Michaels was replacing Lou Holtz. New York had drafted a young quarterback, Richard Todd, and Todd needed reps. Michaels wanted to play him.
Namath knew the team would take a few years to rebuild, and it just seemed like it was time for a break. Tears were shed, Namath said, by quarterback and owner.
Everyone understood it was time for a player-franchise divorce.
"Had Lou Holtz stayed with his staff another year, I might have stayed with the Jets," Namath said. "Whenever he left, I knew, I just felt like it was a better move for everyone involved if I got out of the way.
"When I say for everyone involved, coaching staff especially. I knew Richard needed to work, wanted to work and the right thing would be for me to sit because that team that year wasn't going to go anywhere. They were going to try and win games, and they did, the next couple years they improved. But it was tough."
When the Jets waived Namath, whose legs were already beat up, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
These were different times and Matthew Stafford is a different quarterback from Namath, even though they both were in their mid-30s -- Stafford 33, Namath 34 -- when the decision to move on was made. It's hard for any quarterback who becomes the face of a franchise for more than a decade to move to a new team, which Stafford will do in March when his trade from Detroit to the Rams is finalized.
Rare is the quarterback who plays his entire career with one team. Tom Brady didn't do it. Neither did Peyton Manning, Namath or countless others who were pivotal to their franchises. It's the harsh reality of sports, figuring out the time to move on -- whether it's the decision of the quarterback, the franchise or a mutual understanding.
Some quarterbacks see the end coming in advance. Others don't truly know until the end of the year. In some cases, it comes abruptly midseason. And when the quarterback -- or those close to the quarterback -- can recognize it, it makes that last season in a place that has become home a little bit different.
Stafford, in his only public comments since the trade, told the Detroit Free Press he and his wife, Kelly, started a conversation about possibly having to move before the 2020 season. If things went poorly, Stafford knew the Lions were going to head into a massive rebuild.
Like Namath, he knew a rebuild wasn't the best situation for him -- or the franchise -- at that stage of his career.
"Anytime you switch GMs and a head coach, you know that they're going to want to bring their own people in, and that's going to take time," Stafford told the Free Press. "And I, frankly, didn't feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time."
Which likely means sometime around Thanksgiving -- whether it was before Detroit fired general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia or after -- Stafford had to have an inkling his time in Detroit would end.
It would better explain his insistence on playing through a multitude of injuries the final month of the 2020 season. Perhaps he knew it was time.
"I did not know in my last year that it was my last year necessarily," said Matt Hasselbeck, who played 10 years in Seattle. "It kind of took me by surprise. But it's only because all throughout the year I was being told that we're happy with you and building something with you, but at the same time I wasn't like blindsided and I understood it completely because, hey, a new regime means bringing in their people, and I'm not offended by that at all."
Hasselbeck is thankful for what others around him did during his last Seattle season in 2010. The Seahawks made the playoffs and played New Orleans at home. The legendary "Beast Quake" game.
After it was over and Seattle won, Hasselbeck had the ball in his hands. One of his teammates' wives went to a police officer and asked to bring his kids on the field -- something that hadn't happened before.
"I'm there, got the game ball, getting ready to shake hands, do interviews, all that stuff. And all of a sudden my three kids show up," Hasselbeck said. "Right there. My youngest is like 4 or 5. And I'm like, 'Uhh, OK.' So I put my son on my shoulders. I give the ball, which is the Beast Quake ball, give that to my middle daughter and I'm walking off the field with my kids.
"There's these awesome pictures, and I'm staring at them now, and they were on the cover of the paper. That was my last game in Seattle and I had no idea."
Stafford might have sensed it, too. The Lions had him wired for sound in the season finale. Throughout the video the team posted, from his embraces with Matt Prater, Marvin Jones and Darrell Bevell, it felt as if maybe Stafford knew this was the end, too.
Just because Stafford went to the Lions and suggested a split doesn't make it less difficult. He went from a 21-year-old No. 1 pick to a married father of four during his dozen years in Detroit. Even if the intent is never to stay in a place for the rest of your life, after a decade you inevitably grow some roots.
There's a life there.
"You're with one franchise. You're doing one job," said former Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who spent all 16 years of his career in New York before retiring after the 2019 season. "And you'll change teammates some, you'll change coaches, but a lot of the trainers, the equipment staff, the media, the people in the PR, those people don't change.
"Those people become like your family ,and that's kind of who you grew up being around. And when that comes to an end, it's tough."
The COVID-19 pandemic kept Manning away from the facility more than he might have otherwise been, but he knew it was time to go. And that feeling of loss and pain isn't singular.
"It was devastating to leave," Hasselbeck said. "Everything about it was hard. You give everything."
Their situations were different. Unlike Stafford, neither Hasselbeck nor Manning asked to leave. It was clear their times were concluding and the choice would not be completely theirs to make. It might not have been totally Stafford's either, but he made it clear he wanted to move on.
He told the Free Press that he was disappointed not to have won a championship in Detroit and that his initial intent was never to play elsewhere. He said he didn't want anyone to think he was giving up on Detroit, because "I gave it everything I possibly had here."
Which echoes the feelings of Namath, who, like Stafford, went to Los Angeles and had more of a mutual agreement to break up instead of the one-sided conclusion so often seen in pro sports.
"The toughest part, I didn't want to leave New York," Namath said. "I didn't want to leave my friendship with so many familiar people that I had been around for 12 straight years and change. I didn't want to leave Mr. and Mrs. Hess. They were wonderful people, really, the whole family.
"It was all tough."
Equally hard is Stafford's new reality. He's excited about the new opportunity in Los Angeles and the chance to play potentially meaningful games late in seasons.
But like anyone going into a new situation, they don't know what they don't know, whether he realizes it or not.
"It's strange. Not only were you somewhere, it was who you were for a long time, for 10 years," said Ken O'Brien, the Jets' quarterback from 1984 to 1992 before going to Philadelphia. "You look forward to going there all the time. You just fit in. You're part of the whole Jets deal, and then you go somewhere else, and no matter where you go, everything is totally different."
Maybe that energizes Stafford, who will have more overall talent around him with the Rams than in most of his years in Detroit. Football is still football. And it could be the way it was for Hasselbeck, who said the challenge of taking what he learned in Seattle and applying it to Tennessee "was refreshing in a way, too." But Hasselbeck also learned to appreciate things he had in Seattle -- nutrition, for instance -- that wasn't exactly the same in Tennessee.
After his first year with the Titans, he said he owed a handful of Seahawks employees calls because it was only then he realized their importance to helping his success and Seattle's success.
Hasselbeck said one of the trickiest things was his family's transition. His kids, for instance, loved Blitz, the Seattle mascot. When they arrived in Tennessee, they still loved Blitz more than T-Rac, Tennessee's mascot. Hasselbeck had to explain that although they had ties in Seattle, Tennessee was the team to root for now.
"It's like, no, no, no, this is our new team," Hasselbeck said. "It was like giving up our family dog and being like, 'This is our dog now. You don't like that dog anymore.' It's like, 'What are you talking about, Dad? That's our dog.'
"It was hard. Definitely hard."
But that's all part of what happens when your world shifts and you uproot from one life to another. It's life. It's change. And for the Staffords -- and for new Detroit quarterback Jared Goff -- it's the first time they are about to really experience it.
Rams position outlook 2021: Receivers
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 10 Replies
L.A. Rams position outlook 2021: Receivers
Rams need to add a vertical threat through the draft or free agency
www.si.com
With Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams had one of the most productive receiver tandems in the NFL again last season. Third receiver Josh Reynolds flashed explosive playmaking ability and last year’s second-round selection Van Jefferson has a chance to make a jump in development next year. Still, the Rams could use some help at receiver in 2021.
Locks: Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson
On the bubble: Nsimba Webster, Trishton Jackson, J.J. Koski
Free agents: Josh Reynolds
The good: Kupp led the Rams in receptions (92), receiving yards (974) and finished with three total touchdowns. Woods finished with 90 receptions for 936 receiving yards and eight total TDs. Kupp’s 1,309 receiving yards from the slot is No. 3 in the NFL over the last two seasons. Woods’ 155 rushing yards was No. 3 among receivers in 2020. Reynolds had his best season as a pro, posting 52 receptions for 618 receiving yards and two total touchdowns. Woods played a full, 16-game season for just the third time in his eight-year NFL career.
The bad: Kupp missed a regular season contest against the Arizona Cardinals due to the league’s COVD-19 protocols and missed L.A.’s NFC divisional playoff game against the Green Bay with bursitis in his knee. The Rams finished with 26 drops as a receiving group. L.A.’s six passing plays of 40-plus yards was tied for eight-worst in the NFL. The Rams’ 20 passing touchdowns was seventh-worst in the league. L.A.’s 6.8 yards per pass play was No. 19 in the NFL.
The money: Both Woods and Kupp signed new contract extensions last season. Kupp is scheduled to make $13 million in total compensation in 2021, while Woods is slated to earn $12.5 million in total compensation next season. Jefferson will make $865,052 on the second year of his rookie deal. Webster will make $850,000, and Jackson and Koski are set to make $780,000 if they are on the active roster at the start of next season.
Draft priority: Reynolds should have other suitors and likely will not be back in free agency, leaving a void for Jefferson to step in as the third receiver and potential deep threat for Matthew Stafford. Jackson and Koski also flashed potential during training camp. But the Rams should seek an explosive playmaker in the draft, someone like Demetric Felton from UCLA or Purdue’s Rondale Moore – electric players who can create chunk plays by making defenders miss in space. The Rams could also look to free agency for a deep threat by signing someone like Tyrell Williams. The Oakland Raiders reportedly plan to release the 29-year-old Western Oregon product. Williams missed the entire 2020 season with a shoulder injury that required surgery. However, Williams has a career average of 16 yards per catch and could be a player brought in to take the top off the defense for the Rams. The Rams could sign Williams to a one-year, prove-it deal. The Eagles also released Los Angeles native DeSean Jackson, so he could make some sense as well.
17 game season might be here in 2021
- By FrantikRam
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 58 Replies
NFL moving toward 17-game regular season for 2021, with plans to reduce preseason, per report
The move would reduce preseason games from four to three.
www.cbssports.com
Looks like the Rams would play either the Dolphins, Raiders or Ravens
Aaron Rodgers' New Fiancé Shailene Woodley
- By Selassie I
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 70 Replies
Would you hit this? That is the question.
BTW... I know this is sexist and I don't care.
I'm thinking I would pass on her. I'm serious.
BTW... I know this is sexist and I don't care.
I'm thinking I would pass on her. I'm serious.
Every Rams free agent signing in March under Les Snead
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 12 Replies
Every Rams free agent signing in March under Les Snead
What have the Rams done before and what could it tell us about this year?
www.turfshowtimes.com
Over the last decade, at least, the Rams have only ever made one significant push during March free agency. It happened in 2017, aligning with the hiring of Sean McVay as head coach and the franchise attempting to make a mark in Los Angeles that would speak much louder than, “Hey Angelenos, wanna spend $110 to come see Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin down here in Carson?”
Nothing against them — and the Rams did present an interesting roster in 2017 even without free agent additions — but the two big moves that Les Snead did make that March absolutely helped LA reach the Super Bowl 22 months later.
Left tackle Andrew Whitworth and wide receiver Robert Woods even remain with the Rams four years later, a rare achievement for any outside veteran free agent signing or trade acquisition.
And yet outside of those two transactions, Snead has steered clear of most headline-worthy free agent transactions in March. We already know that LA will be up against the salary cap this year, even after they re-do deals for Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, and Matthew Stafford. But what money they do free up could be used to retain several of their key outgoing free agents, which will once again be McVay and Snead’s top priority.
Here is every notable March free agent signing, plus a couple of key trade acquisitions, since 2012:
2012
Sign C Scott Wells
Sign WR Steve Smith
This is also the month in which Snead traded down from pick two and acquired three firsts and a second from Washington.
Smith, the one from USC and the Giants, had 14 catches for 131 yards in 2012, his final NFL season.
2013
Sign T Jake Long
Sign TE Jared Cook
Cook’s odd road through the NFL has ended up with him peaking after turning 30.
2014
Sign QB Shaun Hill
Not a notable signing and yet Hill started eight games for the Rams in 2014.
2015
Sign LB Akeem Ayers
Sign DT Nick Fairley
Ayeers had 104 tackles and six sacks in 2012 with the Titans and is a good example of how linebackers can sometimes put up eye-popping tackle and sack numbers without necessarily being starting caliber.
Sort of like Cook, Fairley went to the Saints later in his career and did some of his best work. But it turned out to be only one the one season. Fairley had 6.5 sacks and 22 QB hits as a 28-year-old in 2016 but a heart condition ended his career shortly after signing a $30 million contract in 2017.
2016
Sign CB Coty Sensabaugh
Sign DE Quinton Coples
Coples never made it to the Rams and never played again.
2017
Sign LT Andrew Whitworth
Sign WR Robert Woods
Sign CB Kayvon Webster
Sign OLB Connor Barwin
Sign RB Lance Dunbar
Sign QB Aaron Murray
Sign DT Tyrunn Walker
By far the most active March in Snead’s career, but as it turns out, only two of the signings had a major impact on the franchise.
2018
Sign CB Sam Shields
Trade for CB Marcus Peters
Trade for CB Aqib Talib
Sign LB Ramik Wilson
Shields is another player here who signed with the Rams just before his career ended. Same for Wilson, who only appeared in one game after 2018.
2019
Sign S Eric Weddle
Sign QB Blake Bortles
Sign LB Clay Matthews
Weddle and Matthews would also qualify as Rams-and-done free agent signings, while Bortles is very close to it.
2020
None
We know that 2021 will also be different than most years. The Rams have acquired Matthew Stafford, they want to reinvigorate the offense around him, and the Tom Brady-to-the-Bucs thing has hyped up a few franchises in the attempt to build a “super-team.” We know that LA doesn’t have much money to spend however, so will they be able to acquire quality starters on a discount or is it more cases of a one-and-career-is-done?
Will the Rams use Franchise/Transition tags tomorrow, Feb. 23rd?
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 39 Replies
Will LA Rams use Franchise/Transition tags tomorrow, Feb. 23rd?
The LA Rams free agency may not involve much big spending, but they still have plenty of tools to consider. Will the team use a Franchise/Transition tag?
ramblinfan.com
LA Rams general manager Les Snead has a big decision to make, along with the coaching staff of the LA Rams. Will the Rams designate any player with either the Franchise or Transition tags? If so, then who? And why is that even important?
Well, time flies when you are having fun. And so far, we must be having one helluva good time because the first day to use either the Franchise or Transition tags is February 23, 2021. The period to use either tag will last until March 9, 2021, at 1:00 pm PT. Eight days later, the 2021 NFL Year and Free Agency begin on March 17, 2021, at the same 1:00 pm PT.
Historically, the LA Rams have not used either tag, as it would create an adversarial relationship between a player hopeful to sign a lucrative multi-year contract with another team. For the Rams purposes hoping for awarded compensatory draft picks the following year, it somewhat defeats the purpose, don’t you think?
But this is a unique year, and circumstances are a bit, how shall we say, peculiar? The NFL salary cap for 2021 has dropped significantly. Many players plan to sign one-year deals to circumvent the frugality of this year. But a one-year deal will do very little for the LA Rams compensatory pick situation unless they are very lucrative indeed.
So it could be a sound strategy to sign a key player with the help of a franchise or transition tag. The tag is designed to provide teams a way to limit the mobility of one of its upcoming free agents. So how do they work?
The Exclusive Franchise Tag is the most expensive and least frequently used. The player is guaranteed a one-year deal that is calculated as the average for the top five paid players at that position. It limits the player to negotiate only with one team. To determine the value of a one-year deal and what it projects to be for the 2021 season, you can check out the estimates at OverTheCap.com.
The Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag is less expensive and more commonly used. It averages the past five exclusive franchise tag salaries by position. For the lesser cost, this does not prevent the free agent player from negotiating with any team. Instead, it provides the originating team the Right of First Refusal – or simply the right to match any other offers. If the team declines to do so, the originating team will receive two first-round picks as compensation from the signing team. The coast is so prohibitively high that few if any teams will poach a player from another team with this designation.
The Transition tag is less expensive yet, and it is calculated using the average of the top 10 players at the position. It operates in much the same way as the Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag, but with no compensation, if the originating team declines to match another team’s offer. You can check out the estimates by position at OverTheCap.com.
Who might the LA Rams use a Franchise or Transition tag on? Well, the first player to jump out is veteran safety John Johnson III. We have lobbied for the Rams to do so, as the market for safety is still somewhat economical to designate him with a Franchise Tag. Even a Transition tag ensures that either Johnson gets a lucrative deal, or the Rams can match it and he can try again next year.
The Rams have used a tag on the safety twice in the past. In fact, the LA Rams have used the franchise tag nine times in the past. Those instances were:
1998: Cornerback Ryan McNeil
2001: Defensive end Kevin Carter
2003-05: (3X) Offensive tackle Orlando Pace
2009: Safety O.J. Atogwe
2016-17: (2X) Cornerback Trumaine Johnson
2018: Safety LaMarcus Joyner
So there is a historic precedent for doing so.
Is this the year that the Rams use a tag? If so, who will they designate? We may all find out in 24 hours.
Somebody is getting Sam Darnold cheap
- By CGI_Ram
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 36 Replies
Man... is he really broken? Never was worth it?
I can’t help but wonder if he’s still workable... Someone will find out, cheap.
A 2nd rounder, or someone with high 3rd gonna grab him? Position swap in draft?
www.espn.com
What Jets' 2021 NFL draft might look like, with and without Sam Darnold
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. QB options: With Carson Wentz reportedly on his way to the Indianapolis Colts in the latest blockbuster quarterback trade, the spotlight shifts to the Jets and Sam Darnold. Do they join the carousel by dealing Darnold or do they give him one more chance?
The clock is ticking. If the Jets don't make a decision by the start of NFL free agency (March 17), they risk losing Darnold's market. It's a tough call because it's not simply Darnold versus drafting a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick; another consideration is the amount of draft capital they would receive in different scenarios related to trading/keeping Darnold.
Let's have some fun and project how the draft might play out in each situation (not necessarily in the order of likelihood):
Scenario 1: Trade Darnold, draft a quarterback. Publicly, the Jets haven't committed to Darnold. Taken at face value, it means they're looking for an upgrade -- as they should. If they deal their onetime quarterback of the future, it means they're sold on a quarterback in the draft. Our hunch is that it's BYU's Zach Wilson, assuming Trevor Lawrence goes No. 1 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There are some who believe the Jets could get more for Darnold than what the Philadelphia Eagles received for Wentz -- a 2021 third-rounder and a 2022 conditional second-round pick that can rise to a first-rounder based on playing time. Wentz was an MVP candidate in 2017, but he also has baggage -- a big contract, an injury history and questions about his coachability. As one league source said, "Darnold is cheap. He has two years left [on his contract, including the fifth-year option]. Great kid, poor team."
In our projection, the Jets trade Darnold to the Washington Football Team for a swap of first-round picks (Nos. 19 and 23), a 2021 second-round pick (No. 51) and a 2022 third-rounder. The one caveat is Deshaun Watson. If the Houston Texans decide to trade their star, the Jets must be prepared to pivot quickly. Removing Watson from the equation, the Jets could walk away with these picks and prospects (see scenario 1 chart).
Scenario 2: Keep Darnold, draft best player available. The Jets reportedly have fielded trade inquiries on Darnold from a handful of teams.
A source from one of those teams came away with the impression Darnold won't be dealt. If that's the case, the Jets can use their draft capital to build around him. If they opt for the status quo -- risky, considering Darnold's underwhelming body of work -- their prospect haul could look like this (see scenario 2 chart):
Scenario 3: Keep Darnold, trade down. The Jets could make a killing if a quarterback-needy team below them wants to swap picks.
The Atlanta Falcons (No. 4), Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6) and Carolina Panthers (No. 8) are the most likely suitors. It's a rather steep drop, but let's project a trade with the Panthers, who seem particularly fired up for a new quarterback. In our scenario, the Jets would get the Panthers' second-round pick (No. 39) and a 2022 first-rounder, giving them three first-round picks in 2022.
Even if the Jets have reservations about Darnold, their feelings could be assuaged by the size of the draft haul. If they need to draft his replacement in 2022, they'd have those three first-rounders to make it happen. That's what you call quarterback insurance.
In the meantime, they could draft six players in the first three rounds (see scenario 3 chart):
I can’t help but wonder if he’s still workable... Someone will find out, cheap.
A 2nd rounder, or someone with high 3rd gonna grab him? Position swap in draft?
What Jets' 2021 NFL draft might look like, with and without Sam Darnold
This is what we know: New York has the No. 2 pick. This is what we don't know: What the team will do with their quarterback. Rich Cimini has scenarios.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. QB options: With Carson Wentz reportedly on his way to the Indianapolis Colts in the latest blockbuster quarterback trade, the spotlight shifts to the Jets and Sam Darnold. Do they join the carousel by dealing Darnold or do they give him one more chance?
The clock is ticking. If the Jets don't make a decision by the start of NFL free agency (March 17), they risk losing Darnold's market. It's a tough call because it's not simply Darnold versus drafting a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick; another consideration is the amount of draft capital they would receive in different scenarios related to trading/keeping Darnold.
Let's have some fun and project how the draft might play out in each situation (not necessarily in the order of likelihood):
Scenario 1: Trade Darnold, draft a quarterback. Publicly, the Jets haven't committed to Darnold. Taken at face value, it means they're looking for an upgrade -- as they should. If they deal their onetime quarterback of the future, it means they're sold on a quarterback in the draft. Our hunch is that it's BYU's Zach Wilson, assuming Trevor Lawrence goes No. 1 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There are some who believe the Jets could get more for Darnold than what the Philadelphia Eagles received for Wentz -- a 2021 third-rounder and a 2022 conditional second-round pick that can rise to a first-rounder based on playing time. Wentz was an MVP candidate in 2017, but he also has baggage -- a big contract, an injury history and questions about his coachability. As one league source said, "Darnold is cheap. He has two years left [on his contract, including the fifth-year option]. Great kid, poor team."
In our projection, the Jets trade Darnold to the Washington Football Team for a swap of first-round picks (Nos. 19 and 23), a 2021 second-round pick (No. 51) and a 2022 third-rounder. The one caveat is Deshaun Watson. If the Houston Texans decide to trade their star, the Jets must be prepared to pivot quickly. Removing Watson from the equation, the Jets could walk away with these picks and prospects (see scenario 1 chart).
Scenario 2: Keep Darnold, draft best player available. The Jets reportedly have fielded trade inquiries on Darnold from a handful of teams.
A source from one of those teams came away with the impression Darnold won't be dealt. If that's the case, the Jets can use their draft capital to build around him. If they opt for the status quo -- risky, considering Darnold's underwhelming body of work -- their prospect haul could look like this (see scenario 2 chart):
Scenario 3: Keep Darnold, trade down. The Jets could make a killing if a quarterback-needy team below them wants to swap picks.
The Atlanta Falcons (No. 4), Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6) and Carolina Panthers (No. 8) are the most likely suitors. It's a rather steep drop, but let's project a trade with the Panthers, who seem particularly fired up for a new quarterback. In our scenario, the Jets would get the Panthers' second-round pick (No. 39) and a 2022 first-rounder, giving them three first-round picks in 2022.
Even if the Jets have reservations about Darnold, their feelings could be assuaged by the size of the draft haul. If they need to draft his replacement in 2022, they'd have those three first-rounders to make it happen. That's what you call quarterback insurance.
In the meantime, they could draft six players in the first three rounds (see scenario 3 chart):
Rams fill nearly half of vacant coaching positions
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 17 Replies
LA Rams News: Team fills nearly half of vacant coaching positions
In the latest LA Rams News: The team appears on track to fill nearly half of vacant coaching positions and more hires expected to be announced soon.
ramblinfan.com
The LA Rams are acting quickly to fill vacant coaching roles now. So quickly that as of February 21, 2021, the team’s home page has yet to be updated. But we know that the LA Rams plan to hire Stanford University’s Run Game coordinator/offensive line coach Kevin Carberry to a similar role on the Rams coaching staff. So what of the other coaching hires? So far, it appears that the LA Rams are about halfway there.
For the latest news about the Rams, you’ll need to access the LA Rams Mobile App. With that in your arsenal, you can stumble upon the news that may not be immediately reported. For instance, the team app lists the following coaches who have not yet been reported. Who are they? What will they bring to the Rams coaching staff, and to their respective positions? Let’s take a look at each:
Marcus Dixon – The LA Rams Assistant defensive line coach was a former player for the New York Jets from 2010 to 2012. During his career, he played in 22 games and started four for the Jets. While their paths have not linked directly, Dixon served for four years as the Defensive Ends Coach/Director of Player Development/Recruiting Coordinator for Hampton University.
Dixon has followed LA Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson and has recently endorsed The Meaning of Dawgwork article, a sports psychology article about the mentality required to achieve and sustain dominance as a defensive lineman.
Dwayne Stukes – The LA Rams Assistant Special Teams coach played as a defensive back for the University of Virginia in 1997-1999. He signed on as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2000 and spent the next three years on the Falcons, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Stukes’s coaching career includes work with defensive backs, special teams, and defense. It was likely his coaching with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and 2020 that connected him to LA Rams ST Coordinator Joe DeCamillis. Of course, Stukes also worked extensively with Raheem Morris and Joe DeCamillis, two coaches he cites as having a significant influence on his own coaching career in this video interview when he coached for the New York Giants. His role could mean a new role for the LA Rams Assistant Special teams coach Tory Woodbury.
Chris O’Hara – The LA Rams Assistant offensive line coach has connections with both OC Kevin O’Connell due to working on the Washington Football coaching staff in 2017, and with ST Coordinator Joe DeCamillas as their careers overlapped in 2020 on the coaching staff of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
O’Hara was a non-player football coaching assistant who has worked his way through the coaching ranks as associate and assistant. Now he will join newly-hired offensive line coach Kevin Carberry to prepare for a very busy offseason and get ready for the 2021 NFL season.
While these pending hires fill several roles, the LA Rams may still be seeking to fill their assistant quarterback coach, Passing game coordinator, cornerbacks coach, and linebackers coach positions. While these roles remain open, this wave of positional coaching hires makes a good dent in the team’s vacancies. Other hires should be expected soon, as the Rams will undoubtedly wish to do so quickly to prepare for the start of the 2021 NFL season and the 2021 NFL Draft.
NFC West 2021 offseason needs: Playoff-caliber teams battle to win free agency in NFL's toughest division
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 0 Replies
NFC West 2021 offseason needs: Playoff-caliber teams battle to win free agency in NFL's toughest division
Here's what each NFC West team needs to prioritize this offseason
www.cbssports.com
The NFC West lived up to its reputation as the best division in football last season, with all four teams beating each other up throughout the regular season. The defending NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers, missed the playoffs as a result of the loaded NFC West -- while the Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from the postseason race on the final day of the regular season (with Kyler Murray getting injured).
Two teams ended up making the playoffs in the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks won the division, but were bounced out of the playoffs by the Rams in the wild-card round. Los Angeles ended up getting eliminated by the Green Bay Packers the next week, a product of going through the gauntlet of the NFC West.
The Rams already made the biggest offseason splash by acquiring Matthew Stafford and trading Jared Goff, which could instantly make them a Super Bowl contender. Russell Wilson has forced the Seahawks' hand by asking them to improve their roster or else he may want out. The 49ers will be much better after being ravaged by injuries in 2002, and the Cardinals are still one of the rising young teams in the league with Kyler Murray as their quarterback.
With the offseason in full swing, let's break down each team in the NFC West and what they need to do to improve their rosters in 2021 -- and make a run at the postseason. Let's face it, all these teams are playoff caliber.
Seattle Seahawks
Needs: CB, OL, LB, RB
The Seahawks have some work to do in order to retain some key players this offseason, especially at running back. While former first-round pick Rashaad Penny deserves a chance at a starting job, it will be hard for Seattle to not re-sign Chris Carson or Carlos Hyde. Carson is 10th in the NFL in rushing yards (3,270) with 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2018 and 2019 -- so a pay raise is coming.
Allowing Shaquill Griffin to walk will be tough for the Seahawks to recover from, so re-signing him should be a top priority. A Pro Bowler in 2019, opposing quarterbacks had a 93.3 passer rating when targeting Griffin, who had three interceptions and 12 passes defensed last season. Keeping Griffin in the fold is vital for a Seahawks defense that allowed just 19.1 points per game and an 87.4 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks over the final nine games of the year.
Russell Wilson is tired of getting sacked, so the Seahawks have to make sure to keep him happy. Using that available cap space to sign a free agent offensive lineman and prioritizing the line in the draft could be enough to keep the quarterback satisfied. The Seahawks had 46 sacks last season (seventh in the NFL), and 182 pressures (third in the NFL) -- but the pass rush was aided by the presence of K.J. Wright (who is also a free agent). Not re-signing Wright could be devastating for the Seahawks.
CBS draft projections: No first-round pick. Seattle traded its first-round pick to the New York Jets in the Jamal Adams trade. Ryan Wilson, Josh Edwards, and Chris Trapasso don't have the Seahawks trading up and making a first-round pick.
Projected cap space (via Over The Cap): $4,391,354 under the cap (No. 17 in the NFL)
Los Angeles Rams
Needs: OLB, DE, C, T
The Rams already filled their biggest need by acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, giving up two first-round picks to Detroit to take Jared Goff off their hands. Los Angeles is paying $22.2 million in dead cap for Goff to not be on the roster, but received a significant upgrade in Stafford.
Now comes filling out the rest of the roster. John Johnson III is a free agent and Los Angeles is going to have a difficult time re-signing him. The Rams will also have to decide if Leonard Floyd is worth bringing back, but he's one of the premier pass rushers on the market after a career year with the Rams. Los Angeles has proven pass rushing linebackers have immense success in its defense -- with Floyd and Dante Fowler Jr. There will be cheaper options if the Rams decide not to go with Floyd.
The Rams tied for 14th in the NFL in pressures (147) last season, but finished second in the league with 53 sacks. Those numbers will be hard for the Rams to top again, no matter how well their defensive line played in 2020 (especially with the departure of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley). Adding another pass rusher will be beneficial toward the defense in 2021.
Austin Blythe is a free agent, but center is a position the Rams can upgrade if they choose to. The Rams don't exactly downgrade if they bring Blythe back, even with better options available. Andrew Whitworth will be 40 in December, so the Rams will have to look at selecting his potential replacement at tackle.
CBS draft projections: No first-round pick. The Rams haven't had a first-round pick since 2016 and won't have one until 2024 as a result of several trades. This one is a result of the Jalen Ramsey deal as the Jacksonville Jaguars hold the Rams' pick. Ryan Wilson, Josh Edwards, and Chris Trapasso don't have the Rams trading up and making a first-round pick.
Projected cap space (via Over The Cap): $33,986,331 over the cap (No. 30 in the NFL)
Arizona Cardinals
Needs: WR, CB, TE, RB
The Cardinals have their franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray. Now they need to put some more players around him. Larry Fitzgerald may decide to retire, which will give Arizona a need at wide receiver to replace him in the slot -- even though head coach Kliff Kingsbury mixes and matches players there. Having more depth at the position wouldn't hurt either, especially since former second-round pick Andy Isabella hasn't developed as well as the organization thought over the past year.
Kenyan Drake rushed for 955 yards and 10 touchdowns, but only finished with 4.0 yards per carry. The Cardinals will have to decide if giving Drake a long-term deal is worth the price or allow Chase Edmonds to become the No. 1 back. There are plenty of free agent options available for whatever Arizona decides to do, as the Cardinals will need depth at running back regardless.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph prefers man cover cornerbacks, so the Cardinals will need to upgrade at cornerback if their defense wants to get to the next level. Patrick Peterson can still play at high level, but he's not the All-Pro cornerback he once was. The Cardinals will need to find better man-cover corners to help Peterson out if they choose to re-sign him.
The Cardinals haven't had a good tight end in the Kingsbury era, so an upgrade is needed there. Dan Arnold is a perfect pass catcher in the red zone, but Arizona could use an all-around tight end in its offense as a security blanket for Murray. Signing a starting tight end is paramount for the Cardinals.
CBS draft projections: Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso have the Cardinals taking South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn. Josh Edwards has Arizona taking USC offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Projected cap space (via Over The Cap): $11,833,440 under the cap (No. 16 in the NFL)
San Francisco 49ers
Needs: DE, CB, QB, RB
The 49ers don't have a single cornerback under contract for 2021, so revamping the cornerback position should be a top priority in free agency and the draft. Re-signing Ahkello Witherspoon would be a wise decision, but it's hard to see Richard Sherman returning after the former All-Pro cornerback said a split was coming.
San Francisco has Nick Bosa returning at defensive end, but Solomon Thomas and Kerry Hyder are set to hit free agency. The 49ers are stuck with Dee Ford and his contract (even though he has been a backup since signing that five-year deal) and Ford is basically set to miss the start of the 2021 season. San Francisco needs some pass rushing help in order to make another run at the Super Bowl, especially with former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh now with the New York Jets.
The 49ers can save $23.6 million by cutting Jimmy Garoppolo, but is it the worst thing for head coach Kyle Shanahan to keep him around another season? If there isn't an improvement to be had at quarterback, there's no sense revamping the position in 2021. Maybe Deshaun Watson enters the picture.
Raheem Mostert is the only 49ers running back in the rotation under contract, as Jerick McKinnon, Tevin Coleman, and Jeff Wilson will be free agents. The 49ers haven't drafted a running back since 2017, so this year may be a good one to break that trend. Re-signing Wilson would be a smart move by general manager John Lynch and the front office.
CBS draft projections: Ryan Wilson has the 49ers taking Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Chris Trapasso has San Francisco taking North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. Josh Edwards has the 49ers taking Northwestern offensive lineman Rashawn Slater.
Projected cap space (via Over The Cap): $13,359,654 under the cap (No. 15 in the NFL)
How The Rams Defense Can Be Better Than Last Year Under Raheem Morris
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 16 Replies
How The Rams Defense Can Be Better Than Last Year Under Raheem Morris
There are high expectations for the Rams new defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris. But how can the Rams defense be better than last year?
www.lafbnetwork.com
Raheem Morris faces high expectations as the Los Angeles Rams new defensive coordinator. Last season the Rams earned the distinguished place atop the league in both yards and points allowed. Unfortunately for Mr. Morris, only one team in the last 20 years has gone back to back in first place in both those categories.
The 2013 and 2014 Seattle Seahawks defenses were able to successfully contradict the dreaded defensive regression principle. But unlike the Rams, the Seahawks did it with the same defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn. Coincidentally, Quinn was Morris’ last boss before joining the Rams.
Hopefully, some of that back-to-back mojo rubbed off on him, but it doesn’t bode well that Quinn was fired and replaced by Morris last season. So, that will still be filed as a coincidence until further notice.
The challenge of combating defensive regression doesn’t stop with the change at DC. The defense is going to be reshaped in free agency. There is a good chance that the Rams will lose Leonard Floyd, Troy Hill, and Samson Ebukam. Floyd, particularly, played a big role in getting pressure on quarterbacks; he was second in sacks on the team with 10.5.
They may also lose John Johnson. This would dramatically shift how the defense looks and how it can play in the coming season. Johnson was a huge part of Staley’s defense and he was also the defensive play-caller. What was impressive about this is he learned how to captain a very complex defense even though it was the first time that he was at the helm of any defense, and he excelled.
For the Rams defense to get better under Morris, he will have to find a way to retain or replace these key positions and do so on a shoestring budget.
Luckily for Morris, the core of this defense is very much intact. Having Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald will make this effort much easier and Morris is very aware of this. He has called them “potential gold-jacket guys” and he plans to “let these guys get going.” This is a great plan, but he also plans to tap into their versatility.
Whether it is with veteran superstars, undrafted free agents, or with rookies fresh from the draft, Morris’ reputation is building strong relationships with his guys. He is known for getting the most out of players. That isn’t to say that Staley didn’t. There were several Rams that voiced appreciation for Brandon Staley and his similar ability. But when discussing Morris, it would be hard to not recognize how positively his presence will be on the team.
Where this skill will have a larger influence than Staley, will be in a more normal offseason. Staley didn’t have the opportunity to fully affect the team because of the global pandemic. Morris will get to travel to pro-days, have a normal training camp schedule, and will likely have some sort of preseason games to install, tweak, assess, and refine his defense. With his ability to earn buy-in and empower players, the Rams defense will have a distinct advantage over last year.
A big factor in hiring Morris was his level of experience in the league. Morris was Atlanta’s defensive coordinator and interim head coach last season and was the head coach in Tampa Bay before that. He’s spent the better part of two decades coaching football in one form or another.
The two previous DCs that McVay has hired have been able to operate independently. With his vast experience, Morris will absolutely be able to run his side of things with little oversight or micromanaging.
Of course, this will be influenced by Morris’ existing relationship with Sean McVay. Staley came from a completely different football lineage than McVay.
Morris and McVay cut their teeth in the same place. They came up under John Gruden in Tampa Bay and coached together in Washington for three seasons. So they will benefit from speaking the same language and a built-in level of trust. This will manifest in shorthand and an innate understanding of how business is done. This will create efficiency and cohesion in the coaching staff. Everyone on the same page, everyone working in the same direction.
Obviously, the Rams weren’t negatively affected by Staley being from a different coaching tree, but they will definitely benefit from the current shared roots. This will benefit the players, but it will be even more important as the Rams onboard several new faces to the Rams coaching staff.
The biggest questions around the defense has to do with the scheme. Staley in large part was hired because he was going to run a new hot defense that was designed to stop a team like the Chiefs. And for the most part, it worked.
In order for the Rams defense to be better than last year, Morris will have to build on Staley’s two-high safeties and light-box shell. This is true for a few reasons. First, it minimized what one of the linebackers needed to do. The linebackers are a weak link on defense and won’t likely improve significantly in 2021.
Secondly, Sean McVay and the front office want to “keep the DNA” of Staley’s defense, for the obvious reason that it was successful. Not only will they keep it because it worked, but as Morris will be the third DC in three seasons, teaching and learning a new defense from square one isn’t feasible, even on a normal timeline. Staley kept Phillips’ base defense and tweaked the sub-packages and Morris will do the same.
The challenge that Morris faces, the one that will ultimately determine if this defense is better than last season’s, is how to improve Staley’s defense. The 49ers and the Packers exposed a flaw in their defense. Many commented that the sparse box and the safeties playing deep were daring teams to run.
Green Bay did just that and won. San Francisco took another tactic, but also shredded the defense. The 49ers stretched them horizontally with short passes and jet sweeps, exposing the lack of depth at linebacker.
The NFL is a copycat league and teams also like chopping the heads off the tall poppies. Offensive coordinators will certainly try to take the top defense down a notch by exploiting these holes. Not only will this be important in the regular season, but more importantly the Packers and the 49ers are potential playoff opponents for the Rams too.
And really, when it comes down to it, what being a better defense than last year will look like is winning in the playoffs. More than being a back-to-back number-one defense, Morris wants to help the Rams win a Super Bowl.
Morris said of the high expectations based on last season, “We are here to win a championship, and I wasn’t brought here to try to duplicate what they did last year. We were brought here to win and we’re brought here to win a championship and I want to get that done for Sean. I want to get that done for this community. I want to get that done for you guys.”
You can’t get much better than the top spot anyway. The goal is always to win. Everything else is just a consolation prize. The whole of Rams nation would trade this season’s top defense for another shot at a Lombardi and that is what Raheem Morris is focused on.
You can tell he’s focused on that and that alone. He doesn’t feel the pressure to be better than last season. Morris said as much at his introductory press conference, ”…to join a bunch of really good coaches and really good players, you’re really just fired up more than pressured. It’s an opportunity to be a part of greatness and it’s certainly something that I’m going to relish.”
What are the deepest positions in the 2021 NFL Draft?
- By ROD-BOT
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 0 Replies
What are the deepest positions in the 2021 NFL Draft?
The LA Rams draft a new class of rookies each year. Which positions are the deepest in the 2021 NFL Draft? Let's revisit the draft big board.
ramblinfan.com
The LA Rams, like every other NFL team, enters the NFL offseason with a shopping list of positions to restock on the team’s roster. The problem is that the NCAA does not produce seniors likely to hear their names called in the NFL Draft each year to order. Colleges nationwide recruit their own recruits from high schools nationwide based on their own team’s needs.
So that level of talent and skill set that arrives hopeful to each year’s draft class is not generated by the expected needs of NFL teams but is rather random in nature. The NFL teams themselves own a bit of the responsibility, as teams create their own NFL Draft shopping list on the positions that they were either unable to address the previous year, or unable to afford to retain in the current year.
So it’s a bit of a mish-mash. An unreliable supply of talent hoping to fill the unpredictable needs of talent. Thankfully NFL teams keep one eye trained on the future and have a sense of what their own team may need then, and what the NFL Draft will deliver in the future.
That’s why the LA Rams were so strongly committed to retaining three defensive linemen who were signed after the 2020 NFL Draft. This year’s crop of defensive linemen is thin indeed. That raises the question, which positions are the deepest in the 2021 NFL Draft? If you recall, the 2020 NFL Draft was particularly deep in wide receivers, defensive backs, running backs, and there was an unusually high number of top-tier offensive tackles.
2021 Draft depth
We tackled the topic before, using both our own draft expert John Vogel’s Big Board as well as The Draft Network’s own big board. You can find those results in this article. But time passes, scouting reports are updated, so what changes have occurred? Well, revisiting The Draft Network’s prospect ranking shows a shift of sorts:
Using this information, we can see that the two areas that the LA Rams chose to address in the 2020 NFL Draft that generated mild confusion – tight end and safety – are two positions that are very light indeed in the 2021 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, some areas of need such as linebacker, cornerback, Edge rushers, and offensive tackles seem to be in ample supply. Of course, each NFL team has scouted prospects and has their own ‘Big Board’ of players who they feel are valued for their perceived fit.
But wouldn’t it be nice to get a second opinion? Thanks to Yahoo Sports Eric Edholm, we have a sense of the deep positions and the shallow ones. Let’s see how we line up. According to Yahoo Sports, the 2021 NFL Draft’s strongest to weakest positions are as follows:
1 – WR
2 – Edge rusher
3 – OT
4 – CB
5 – QB
6 – LB
7 – IOL
8 – S
9 – RB
10- TE
11 – IDL
We only seem to disagree on the quarterback position. Our analysis has cornerbacks much deeper than offensive tackles. But overall, they are similar enough to reinforce our conclusions. So what positions will the LA Rams target in the 2021 NFL Draft?
They have followed a pattern of using the following year’s projected free agents as a template in the past. So that would place the following positions in the sights of the LA Rams this year:
IOL – 3
ILB – 3
S – 2
IDL – 2
Edge -1
OT – 1
QB – 1
RB – 1
WR – 1
K – 1
Of course, the LA Rams do not have 16 NFL draft picks, so they’ll need to narrow the search. The Rams seem to need a center. linebacker, and Edge rusher in this draft. If an offensive tackle drops to them, that would be a very wise investment.
What do you see as needs for the Rams in the 2021 NFL Draft? Will six picks be enough? Or are you hoping that the Rams trade back or trade players for more picks in the draft this year?