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Taysom Hill Starting Over Jameis Winston


Saints pull QB shocker with Taysom Hill over Jameis Winston
By Ryan Dunleavy

November 20, 2020 | 12:22pm

Here’s the definitive proof that the Saints are not bluffing about Taysom Hill’s bright future at quarterback.

Hill, not Jameis Winston, is expected to start Sunday for the Saints against the Falcons, according to multiple reports. The widespread assumption was that Winston would inherit the job with Drew Brees sidelined, just as he replaced Brees in the second half of last week’s game.

But coach Asshole Face has an infatuation with the versatile Hill, who takes snaps as a Wildcat quarterback even when Brees is healthy. Hill, 30, will make his first career start at quarterback after making 13 starts at other positions in his first 46 career games.

Hill is 10-of-18 passing for 205 yards with an interception during his career. Compare those numbers to his career numbers as a rusher and receiver – 98 carries for 538 yards and four touchdowns plus 28 catches for 312 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Saints were mocked for signing Hill to a two-year, $21 million extension in April, but that would be a bargain for a starting quarterback.

Winston, the former No. 1 overall draft pick, signed a one-year contract worth $1.1 million after going 28-42 in 70 career starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston wanted to learn through osmosis from the ideal dynamic of Payton-Brees and possibly have a leg up on replacing the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns if Brees retires at season’s end.

But the Saints were forced to reveal a true pecking order when Brees suffered fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.

It is possible that Hill and Winston will split snaps in the game, with Hill getting the start in a run-based package. But Hill reportedly took the bulk of the starter reps in practice this week and the two quarterbacks thrive in very different offensive gameplans, so that would be a big task for coaches and teammates to adjust on the fly.

Giants OL coach drama is opportunity to give praise to Rams’ Aaron Kromer

Giants OL coach drama is opportunity to give praise to Rams’ Aaron Kromer
He’s having another fantastic season doing what he does

By Kenneth Arthur@KennethArthuRS Nov 19, 2020, 3:54pm CST

NFL: Los Angeles Rams-Training Camp
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
I have already had the opportunity this year to write several hundred articles about the Los Angeles Rams and that likely means a lot of words about Sean McVay, Jared Goff, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and many of the other names that get mentioned every week — if not every day. Off the top of my head, I think I’ve mentioned Aaron Kromer once or twice, and that’s a failure on my part. Kromer deserves some words too.

This week has brought headlines about the New York Giants like “Did Joe Judge get beat up by Marc Colombo?” and the answer is: No. The offensive line coach and head coach did not throw punches. As you should be able to predict by 2020, an unqualified person with a twitter account couldn’t help himself. He needed attention and he got it:

SCOOP: I'm told NY Giants coaches Joe Judge and Marc Colombo got into a fistfight this morning.
Punches thrown. I'm told Colombo got the better of him, and Judge fired him instantly. https://t.co/O2DmYNnkmW
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) November 18, 2020
Fortunately, it was not true. The only thing being reported on was a person’s need to get retweeted regardless of whether or not there was proof or fact checking.

McIntyre explained his debunked fistfight scoop on his podcast.

"I'm not a reporter trying to break news left and right. That's not my job. I'm in the opinion business okay? When I hear something that is juicy I'm going to put it out there.”

Not surprising for Jason or Fox. https://t.co/guk5B5HFaV
— Ben Koo (@bkoo) November 19, 2020
Actual news coming out of New York is that the Giants fired their offensive line coach midseason and while that it is surprising, it is hardly a trending story without a fictional fist fight.

What’s less surprising is that the Giants continue to be one of the NFL’s worst teams and worst offenses. Top pick Andrew Thomas is said to be struggling, an issue exacerbated not only by the success of Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton and Tristan Wirfs, the three tackles taken behind him who seem to be off to impressive starts, but also the fact that New York will have forever passed on Tua Tagovailo and Justin Herbert. There must be some eagerness for Thomas to become an elite tackle and instead he’s been a liability.

Unsung hero of @RamsNFL first quarter of 2017 season: OL coach Aaron Kromer. Yes, Whitworth & Sullivan help. But this has been night & day.
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) October 2, 2017
That alone could be a reason to make a change, but a first time head coach not getting along with one of his first time assistants is also not that unusual.

What would be unusual is having much bad to say about Rams offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, who is in his fourth year with McVay and his second as the run game coordinator. Kromer’s first job in the NFL came under Jon Gruden with the Oakland Raiders in 2001 and in his second season, they went to the Super Bowl.

Kromer had two all-pros on his line that season in Barret Robbins and Lincoln Kennedy. He joined Gruden in Tampa Bay in 2005 and then started off as a running backs coach for Asshole Face with the New Orleans Saints in 2008. The next year he also started to coach the offensive line and the Saints won their first ever Super Bowl. The offensive line featured three Pro Bowl players and Jahri Evans was a first team all-pro.

Kromer first got his name in the headlines in 2012 when he served as interim head coach with Joe Vitt as Payton served a suspension for “Bountygate.” He then had two years as offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears, then two as the offensive line coach under Rex Ryan with the Buffalo Bills; Kromer helped rebuild Richie Incognito’s career with two straight Pro Bowls after missing one season for bad behavior.

This is completely random, but Chris Long @JOEL9ONE had his brother (Kyle Long) on his show, and Kyle said the most success he had in his career was under OL Coach Aaron Kromer. Kyle is likely to be an FA this offseason.

Take that for what you will:https://t.co/jjSkvrWRoI
— Sosa K (@QBsMVP) December 30, 2019
Then Kromer joined McVay in 2017 and immediately took part in their turnaround from 32nd in points to first, with Andrew Whitworth make first team all-pro and players like Rodger Saffold and Rob Havenstein performing at higher levels than they had before. In 2018, Kromer took part in his third career Super Bowl as an offensive line coach.
Though 2019 tested him perhaps as much as any other season save 2012, Kromer has helped rebound the offensive line in 2020 despite not having money or draft picks to retool what they already had.

Whitworth had a good shot at all-pro this year before his torn MCL, while Austin Corbett has broken through as a right guard and Austin Blythe has experienced notable success as a starting center. Additionally, David Edwards and Joe Noteboom seem to be playing like quality starters and it will require all of Kromer’s talents to keep things steady at left tackle with Noteboom stepping in for Whitworth.

As run game coordinator, Kromer has helped LA perform better this season without Todd Gurley than they did last year with Gurley. Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown have been an effective tandem and the Rams are one of the most efficient running teams in the league.

Kromer has been around controversy before. Real, actual, not made up controversy. He’s also been around a hell of a lot of good offensive linemen and offenses and I think he deserves a shout out on days like today for what he’s brought to each organization.
NFL: Los Angeles Rams Training Camp

Run Plays vs Seattle

Going to throw these up as I have time. I want to show how close we are on some of these runs to busting big gainers, and keep in mind that Seattle has a very good front vs the run. Going through this film I feel pretty good about our run game and I hope it can take that next step which is going to require better technique/consistency by our linemen up front as well as better decision making by our RBs.

Situation first run from scrimmage:
1605815649757.png


Pre-snap we are in 13 with Jefferson as the lone wideout and Akers in the backfield:
1605815753911.png


At the snap the linemen are singled up. Whit is about to assist Edwards to get position then move second level. Also note the direction of the handoff at this moment and where the ball is, Goff will change hands and the handoff will be the other direction (as I've mentioned before Goff is an elite ball handler when it comes to his fakes and handoffs he is so smooth):
1605815952432.png


At the handoff Goff has smoothly switched hands and Akers has a nice look with no penetration up front. Going left to right Hav's guy is already out of the play. Note Corbett's position, very good technique to place himself between the DL and the play. Blythe however is showing poor technique by not positioning better and 97 will be in the play because of it. Edwards does not show good technique either but he's very strong and has 90 in the kung-fu interior grip so he's locked down. Whit is about to go second level to impede Wagner (with an ILB like him even just rerouting him is a win). Higs is comboing 43 with Mundt and will peel to take 56 next, the two blocks are excellent:
1605816145649.png


A beat later as Akers prepares to plant his foot he has a potentially good hole there right behind Whit (who is on 54) but he sees that green on the edge (which will close up quickly). 97 is being held now by Blythe which the refs miss, and if Akers had chosen that hole it probably would have been called.
1605816541931.png


At this moment we see the importance of Blythe's technique on Ford (97). Really nasty cutback lane is there but he can't take it because 97 is about to be un-held by Blythe and will fill it.
1605816817298.png


Akers strings it out behind Jefferson who is moving to the edge to take on 21:
1605816965965.png

1605817034225.png


Akers still gets 6 and if not for a great play by 56 could have been more.
1605817103328.png


I think two things on that play that were noteworthy are Blythe's technique with a lazy seal (97 is powerful and Blythe needs to use good technique to win that block) and Akers potentially being able to get more yardage if he hits that interior hole on the cutback.

Also one thing that stands out with Akers is his contact balance, he's tough to bring down. He's also very sudden.

For S**** and Giggles, How would you create a Rams Dynasty

In a Thursday waiting for game day kinda mood, I was just thinking about what it would
take for the Rams to have a Dynasty type team.

In other words a team that, on a yearly basis, would be considered in the top 2 to 3 teams
favored to win the Super Bowl.

I honestly think we are two players shy of being that team.

The first position I came up with is WR.
We currently have a very good group and I love the way Woods and Coop play the game
I consider them Blue Collar, punch the clock, go to work guys.
But if we were to pair them with a big bodied stud in the DK Metcalf mold
our offense would be unstoppable,

The second position would be ILB
If we were to have that stud ILB with the ability to be a every down backer
to be able to stuff the run and cover equally.
This Defense would go from being a top notched defense to a defense that
we would be talking about long after their playing days.


The purpose of this thread is just for the sake of conversation.
It is not a slight on our current team in any way.
I am curious to see what you guys come up with.
What do you think it would take to be that team?
Are we already there or what positions would you address.

I guess with the kicker position, that would make 3 players needed.lol

Meet Willie Edwards | Rams Scouting Apprentice

Meet Willie Edwards | Rams Scouting Apprentice
Nov 19, 2020 at 09:00 AM

  • Locked
Locking down a Private Conver.

What the heck. I get it's a toxic subject. I was being nice ,respectful and so was the poster. Imho.

If folks are going to go into private stuff,WTF. ???

If I missed something, did something wrong please tell me and I won't do it,again.

I can see a Moderated Board, but private talks,No Hell No and so on.

  • Locked
League Institutes New COVID Protocols 11/18/20

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nfl.com/news/all-nfl-teams-to-operate-in-covid-19-intensive-protocol-starting-saturday

All NFL teams to operate in COVID-19 intensive protocol starting Saturday

Published: Nov 18, 2020 at 03:12 PM
Judy Battista
NFL.com Columnist

With COVID-19 infection rates rising rapidly throughout the country, the NFL announced that starting on Saturday all 32 teams will operate for the rest of the season under the league's intensive protocol.

That calls for, among other restrictions, all players and coaches must have a negative from the previous day's testing before entering the facility, in addition to regular daily PCR testing, all meetings being held virtually unless they can be held outdoors or indoors with a pre-approved plan, and for face masks being worn at all times at the facility, including on the practice field by all personnel. All meals must be served in grab and go style to prevent people from congregating in meal rooms. Locker room use is strongly discouraged on non-game days.

The protocol also prohibits team or player gatherings away from the facility, a particularly important prohibition with Thanksgiving next week.

"The upcoming holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving next week, will introduce new risks of exposure that we need to address now," Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a memo to teams Wednesday, obtained by NFL Media. "Because we have a highly sophisticated program of daily testing, we know when the virus enters our facilities, which underscores the importance of contact tracing and other steps to minimize close contacts within a facility. Recent experience has highlighted the importance of minimizing high-risk close contacts; on multiple occasions, we have seen individuals identified on that basis test positive within a short time. We have also seen many instances in which effective action by clubs to minimize these close contacts prevented the virus from spreading within the club, and avoided players or coaches being ruled out of practice or games."

Until now, the intensive protocol, which was introduced on Oct. 1, was reserved for teams that had positive tests or had been exposed to a team with positive tests. Twenty-eight teams have been in the intensive protocol at some point this season and many have voluntarily adapted some of the restrictions. Since the intensive protocol was put in place and a subsequent mandate calling for a five-day isolation period for identified as "high-risk close contacts" of a player or coach who tested positive, the NFL has been able to eliminate widespread outbreaks like the one suffered earlier this season by the Tennessee Titans, which caused a significant disruption to the schedule. The NFL has played all games on schedule for the last five weeks.

TNF: Cardinals at Seahawks

Thursday Night Football: Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

With their backs against the wall, the Seattle Seahawks will be looking to stop a two-game losing streak when they host the Arizona Cardinals for "Thursday Night Football" to kick off Week 11 of the NFL season. These two teams met earlier in Week 7 with Arizona pulling out a dramatic 37-34 overtime victory at home thanks to a Zane Gonzalez 48-yard field goal with 15 seconds left. Now less than a month later, the Cardinals and Seahawks both sit 6-3 overall, but it's Arizona in first place in the NFC West by virtue of a 2-0 record in divisional play.

Seattle enters this game looking for answers to stop its skid. Last week, it was the inability to take care of the football and handle business at the line of scrimmage that proved costly in a 23-16 road loss to the Rams. Russell Wilson struggled once again, completing 22 of 37 passes for 248 yards with two interceptions. He also lost a fumble and was sacked six times. Jason Myers provided the highlight of the day for the Seahawks by kicking a franchise-record 61-yard field goal before halftime. The defense battled and kept the Rams to 23 points and less than 400 yards of offense, but it was not enough as Seattle dropped its second straight and slipped out of first place in the division (based on tiebreakers).

Arizona continued its ability to display a flair for the dramatic as Kyler Murray connected on a 43-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins with two seconds left to pull out a 32-30 win over Buffalo. The victory was a testament to the Cardinals' resilience on both sides of the ball as they always seem to find a way to give themselves a chance win in the face of adversity. Murray completed 22 of 32 passes for 245 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Kenyan Drake returned from injury to pace the ground game with 100 yards on 11 carries, and Murray added 67 yards and two scores. The defense stepped up and picked off Bills quarterback Josh Allen twice and just as importantly limited Buffalo to 73 rushing yards. A season sweep of Seattle would put Arizona in the driver's seat in the NFC West.

Thursday Night Football: Arizona at Seattle

Kickoff: Thursday, Nov. 19 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: FOX/NFL Network
Spread: Seahawks -3.5

Three Things to Watch

1. Which defense will break serve first?

In the previous meeting, these two defenses allowed a combined 1,091 yards, 64 first downs, and 71 points, and this week has the feel of a similar type of wild and wacky shootout. Budda Baker is the type of playmaker in the secondary for Arizona who can swing the game early and often with a big turnover like he almost did in the first meeting if DK Metcalf hadn't made an epic tackle from behind on a 90-yard interception return.

The Seattle secondary could potentially get a boost from the return of Shaquill Griffin if he can recover from his hamstring issues. Unlike the last meeting, the Seahawks will have Jamal Adams, whose presence is just as important for his defense as Baker's is for the Cardinals. This past Sunday against the Rams, Adams had seven tackles, two sacks and he forced a fumble. Adams may be able to come up with a momentum- or game-changing play by creating a turnover. Recent addition Carolos Dunlap II also will be needed to generate pressure on Kyler Murray, something Seattle did not do against him back in Week 7.

2. Line of scrimmage battle

The Seahawks clearly missed Ethan Pocic at center against Los Angeles. Kyle Fuller filled in for Pocic, who was out due to a concussion, and he had his share of struggles snapping the ball and was overmatched up front against the Rams' aggressive defensive line. Wilson was sacked six times, and Los Angeles was credited with 12 QB hits. Pocic has yet to clear from concussion protocol, and Fuller suffered a high-ankle sprain, so this is something to keep an eye on entering this game.

Seattle didn't get much of anything from its running backs against the Rams, and while head coach Pete Carroll thinks Carlos Hyde should be able to return from hamstring tightness, Chris Carson may not be ready as he's still dealing with a foot injury. The Seahawks have been without their top two running backs for the past three games, and their absence has put even more pressure on Wilson's shoulders.

On the other side, Arizona's offensive line just simply needs to hold serve so to speak and minimize the hits against Murray and keep the offense on schedule. Kenyan Drake gave the running game a boost last week and the combination of him, and Chase Edmonds gives head coach Kliff Kingsbury even more options when it comes to play-calling to keep Seattle's defense on its heels.

3. Seahawks wide receivers

Tyler Lockett lit up the Cardinals secondary like the giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center during the last meeting with 15 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Lockett doesn't have to do it all by himself though, not with Metcalf on the other side. Metcalf was pretty much locked down this past Sunday when Rams All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey held him to just two catches for 28 yards. Lockett is dealing with a "bit of a knee sprain," according to Carroll, and while he's still expected to play, it will be important for Metcalf to do his part after Arizona limited him to just 23 yards in their first meeting.

As for the Cardinals' secondary, it’s about playing aggressive press coverage and forcing the Seahawks receivers to win one-on-one battles. Arizona's defense came up with some big turnovers in the win over Buffalo but still yielded 369 total yards. The Cardinals made the Bills one-dimensional, something that is entirely possible Thursday night given Seattle's recent issues running the ball and their injury situation. Keep an eye on cornerback Patrick Peterson, who has two interceptions and four pass defenses in the last three games, half of which came against Seattle in Week 7.

Final Analysis

There should not be a lack of fireworks once again between these two teams. It’s going to boil down to finishing drives with touchdowns on offense, especially in the red zone. The other big key will be the ability to make the other team pay when the defense breaks serve and gets that all-important stop or turnover. Those seven-to-10-point swings are even more valuable this week. In addition, Seattle's "Win Forever" mentality will be put to a big-time litmus test this week, as head coach Pete Carroll will need to empty the tank to motivate the Seahawk players. The schedule lightens up a lot after this game, so the potential for a December surge is possible. However, Kyler Murray will get the best of Russell Wilson once again since he has the ultimate difference-maker in DeAndre Hopkins, who will go off for about 150 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Arizona will win another entertaining affair between these two clubs to stake its claim to first place in the NFC West.

Prediction: Cardinals 34, Seahawks 27

Who is One Stranger That You Still Remember

I saw this topic while surfing YouTube and watched the below video and it was powerful. Give it a look and then offer your stranger experience to the pile. Mine is this:
I was a child and I remember going into a bathroom above a small store. It was the kind of place that only exists in memory now, because they've all been torn down. I remember the starkness and age of the stairs and then in the bathroom with 1930's era tile. There was a non-operational dime entry lock on the door, which was meant to keep vagrants out when it functioned. I had to go and the urinal was set too high for me because I was too short. I went into the stall and didn't want to sit on the seat nor to touch it, so I stood and peed with poor aim. I saw the mess that I'd made, but the upper floor seemed deserted. I didn't want to clean it up and no one was around, so I opened the door to quickly leave.. My way was blocked by an old black man dressed in a 1960's era suit, thin tie with a dark hat.I don't remember what he said or if he said anything. He did point to the mess I'd made. I think he had strange eyes, which might have been cataracts. I was terrified because I'd never been face to face with a black person man before, even though I had grown up in the LA area. I used toilet paper and cleaned the seat as best I could and then quickly left. After that, I always have left a public restroom stall cleaner than when I found it because of this encounter.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrY7YQ7Vm2I

First Look: Rams head to Tampa Bay for Monday Night Football

First Look: Rams head to Tampa Bay for Monday Night Football

The Los Angeles Rams (6-3) are back in primetime this week with a Monday Night Football road game against the Tampa Bay Buccanners (7-3). Kickoff from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. pacific time – watch locally on ABC7, also available on ESPN.

In advance of the contest, here is your first look at Rams-Buccaneers on Nov. 23, including notable Buccaneers additions, some of Tampa Bay's top statistical performers in Week 10 and key storylines:

Notable Buccaneers additions

Signed former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to a two-year deal in late March. His resume and success well-documented by now, the 43-year-old Brady has completed 254 of 385 pass attempts (66 percent) for 2,739 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions through the first 10 games of his 21st NFL season. He joined Tampa Bay after 20 seasons in New England.

Signed former Steelers, Raiders and Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown to a one-year deal on Oct. 27. A seven-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro during his nine seasons with the Steelers, Brown joined the Bucs as he was finishing up an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Since regaining eligibility in Week 9, he has recorded 10 receptions for 100 yards in two games.

Top performers in Week 10

Brady completed 28 of 39 pass attempts for 341 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Bucs' 46-23 win over the Panthers, also adding a 1-yard rushing touchdown to his stat line.

RB Ronald Jones carried Tampa Bay's backfield with 23 carries for 192 yards and one touchdown, the touchdown run going for 98 yards.

WR Chris Godwin and WR Mike Evans each posted six catches; Godwin had a team-high 92 receiving yards while Evans tallied 77 and one touchdown. Brown had the most catches with seven, adding 69 receiving yards. TEs Rob Gronkowski (2 for 51) and Cameron Brate (3 for 31) accounted for Brady's other two passing scores.

OLB Jason Pierre-Paul posted one sack and one interception defensively, while LBs Lavonte David and Devin White led the unit with six tackles a piece.

On special teams, K Ryan Succop made all four of his field goal attempts and all four of his extra point attempts.

Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams

Perhaps the most fascinating matchup Monday night will be the Buccaneers' wide receivers vs. the Rams' defensive backs.

Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has shown defensive backs are interchangeable parts in Los Angeles' secondary, not bound to one specific spot. Sometimes viewers and observers have seen Jalen Ramsey playing star (the hybrid nickel defensive back position) with Troy Hill and Darious Williams playing the boundary cornerback spots. Other times, it's been Hill at star and Ramsey and Williams on the outside. Those two examples are not an exhaustive list of every combination, just a couple to illustrate the point.

With that in mind, how will Staley choose to deploy them?

Ramsey's size and length might make him the best option for defending Evans, who has been a favorite redzone target of Brady's. Hill could potentially shadow Godwin, which would leave Williams on Brown.

Also impacting that strategy is the fact that the Bucs are deep at the position. When Godwin was injured and Brown still suspended, Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson and Justin Watson proved to be trustworthy options for Brady.

Similar to those aforementioned combinations, there's no clear answer to the above question. But how the Rams plan to defend those Bucs' main trio receivers – and potential four-wide receiver sets with one of those reserves – will certainly be on Staley's mind as he puts together this week's gameplan.

Marooned on a Ghost Ship with Cannibal Rats

Lets play a game of cooperative storytelling....Add a couple lines of dialogue to further the story. This might not work, but it could be fun.

The sky was gray and the clouds began to stack up on the horizon, but the lone figure lay sprawled on the bottom of the wooden boat. It looked impossibly small as it bobbed on the open water. The weary figure had his jacket pulled over his head to protect against the sun which had been a problem earlier in the day. He heard the water lap against the boat, hypnotically. Then he felt something different. He heard and felt the boat shudder as it struck something. The man threw off his coat and immediately saw the massive black hull of a ship above him.
He unsteadily stood up, cupping his hands over his mouth and screamed, "Hey! Down here! Somebody!!!"
There was no answer.
All that could be heard was the boat gently bumping against the ship, which obviously was dead in the water. The man felt rain drops hit his cheek and then he looked at the swirling darkened clouds in the distance
Storms were not friendly in the North Atlantic, he thought.
He noticed the swaying of a knotted rope hanging from the side of the ship, farther aft. He sat back down in the boat and heard the approaching thunder as he rowed his boat toward the swaying rope. He looked above and tried screaming one more time, "Hello the Ship!! Help!" Again, nothing. Considering that he would be deserting his boat to the sea if he took the rope, he made his decision. Stuffing a few water bottles in his shirt and then buttoning the shirt, he began to climb...

Your TURN!

So, too early to talk about a Floyd extension?

Of course it is, but this is a fun topic on a message board between huge Ram games with playoff implications.

If Floyd keeps this up, I think that the Rams should try to lock him up for 5 more years. He seems perfect for this Staley D, don’t you think?

And the odds of getting a like quality edge player in next years draft are almost zero unless we get Cooper Kupp lucky.

Rams have been inclined to acquire expensive but high value players since McVay came on board and Floyd’s been playing his way into that category. And he’s playing at a very high level at a premier position. One that Staley greatly values.

So, just how much will it cost the Rams to lock Floyd up for 5 years, assuming that the Rams are willing to pay him a very large percentage as guaranteed?

Do y’all think $15M per would get the job done? If not, just what do you think it will take?

I really think that this is doable if we’re willing to let Everett, JJ, and Reynolds walk, among others. Darious Williams would cost at most $5M next year even if tendered as a 1st rounder, I believe.

Like I said earlier, this is predicated on Floyd continuing to light it up, but if he does? An extension looks like a no brainer to me.

Would love to get your input on this.

Akers, Jefferson and Snaps

McVay recently was quoted on the following irt the question of these two guys getting more playing time:

“That’s a big point of emphasis the second half of the season,” he said. “I thought they both did a nice job wanting to continue to find opportunities."

Which is music to my ears, really great to hear him say that. But then he then went on to say...

"The goal is we’ve got a lot of really good football players, I think the more that we can utilize all of them while keeping our core guys fresh and knowing that, ‘Hey, you still have your guys like the Robert Woods, the Coopers (Kupp), the (Tyler) Higbees. Josh Reynolds had eight catches yesterday.’ You want to get a variety of guys involved because we’ve got guys that we think are capable, they’ll stay fresher throughout the game. When you’re efficient on some of those third downs, and you’re able to stay on the field, you can get those players more involved like the plan was, but we’re going to continue to see those guys develop. I thought they did a nice job with the opportunities they had. It was something that we wanted to focus on. It will remain a point of emphasis. I was pleased with those two yesterday.”

He actually tells us a lot here, which is not always the case since he's a coachspeak ninja. I take it to mean they're waiting on these two to earn more playing time on the field, and that's fine btw (I wish he'd be a bit more like Staley in terms of being bold on flipping roster spots but there's nothing wrong with that approach). But the problem here is the next four defenses we face are Tampa (8th in scoring defense), SF (10th), Arizona (9th), and New England (11th and starting to round into shape a bit). Four good rosters, four strong DCs calling those games, and starting this weekend with Tampa we have lost Whit and at least one unknown due to covid so our offense is going to be short handed vs some extremely tough matchups.

So it seems to me that McVay's comment of "when you're efficient on some of those third downs, and you're able to stay on the field" irt playing time for Akers & Jefferson means we're not gonna see a whole lot of them over the next few weeks barring the staff making a conscious decision to start one or both of them.

All that aside and of the two... Akers seems to be a guy they're pushing into a role where he's being given every chance to win a bigger role. They started him last game and he got the most carries which is a big indicator. So hopefully he'll be able to settle in and give us a boost during this very tough stretch where we're going to need every big play that we do get (and like Hendy he has potential to deliver those big plays).

As to Jefferson... It just feels like he's going to have to beat Reynolds out. And contrary to how I've felt all along (which is that Jefferson will overtake Reynolds) I'm no longer certain that will happen. In fact I'm starting to feel like Van will be a next year boost for the offense.

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