.

so a couple of years ago google chrome informed me that their new browser would not be supporting vista. no big deal i thought, i can still see most sites.

well today i learnt, to my horror, that pornhub videos no longer work on my browser. i can't update my browser because none of them support vista.



what am i supposed to do with my spare time now? do i keep looking at the black screen and hope something starts playing?

.

St. Louis Blues' Jay Bouwmeester collapses on bench, NHL game postponed

St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was reportedly taken to the hospital after he collapsed on the bench during an NHL game in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday evening.

Bouwmeester, 36, was conscious and alert in the hospital after suffering a cardiac episode, the team said. St. Louis’ radio announcer Chris Kerber said during an interview with the team’s flagship station that a defibrillator was used.

The 17-year NHL veteran’s teammates immediately called for medical attention after he slumped over on the bench in the first quarter while apparently attempting to get a drink of water.

A defibrillator was nearby as he was taken to the hospital, TSN reported.

Bouwmeester was playing in his 1,241st game this season and has been known for his strong skating and conditioning. With the Blues, he won his first Stanley Cup last year and an Olympic gold medal playing for Canada in 2014.

The Blues tweeted the game against the Anaheim Ducks will be made up at a later date.

The team is staying in Orange County until they know more about Bouwmeester's condition instead of going on to Nevada as planned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Some within the Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping Ben Roethlisberger retires

Given how miserable the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation was in 2019, you would think the team would be thrilled to have Ben Roethlisberger back from injury in 2020.

Not so fast.

Fox Sports analyst and former NFL defensive lineman Chris Canty reported on First Things First on Tuesday morning that “there are people in the Steelers organization praying that Big Ben retires.”

Canty noted that Roethlisberger retiring would better help Pittsburgh manage the salary cap and that the two-year, $68 million contract extension that the Steelers gave Roethlisberger last offseason “looks like an awful deal right now.”

Roethlisberger played in just two games this past season before going down with an elbow injury in Week 2 that knocked him out for the remainder of the year.

As a result, Pittsburgh had to use Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges under center, and while the Steelers were still able to contend for a playoff spot, it certainly wasn’t because of the play of either of those two signal-callers, who hurt Pittsburgh’s chances more than anything else.

Roethlisberger, who turns 38 years old next month, was drafted by the Steelers back in 2004 and has spent his entire career with the organization, making six Pro Bowl appearances and leading the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl championships.

In 2018, Roethlisberger led the NFL with 5,129 passing yards and threw for 34 touchdowns, but he also tossed a league-leading 16 interceptions.

Pittsburgh went 8-8 this past season, marking the second straight campaign that the club failed to qualify for the playoffs. However, the Steelers have not had a losing season since 2003.

Bengals Reportedly Listening To Trade Offers From Multiple Teams On No. 1 Pick


Both Cincinnati Bengals fans and the family of Joe Burrow appear ready for the Heisman Trophy winner to return to his home state. Other teams, however, are interested in acquiring the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Dan Sileo, a former NFL player and current sports radio host, recently reported that Cincinnati is listening to offers from the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The first two teams come as no surprise. Los Angeles is looking for a Philip Rivers replacement and Miami entered the 2019 season with talk of “tanking” for Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins hold the No. 5 pick while the Chargers have No. 6.

Denver, meanwhile, is at pick No. 15. Former Mizzou standout earned the 2019 season on a strong note, but if the Broncos are looking to trade up, it’s assumed the team would be looking at drafting Burrow.

Chicago does not have a first-round pick, having traded it to the Raiders already. Bears general manager Ryan Pace had previously committed to Mitch Trubisky as the team’s Week 1 starter in 2020.

Tampa Bay is reportedly weighing whether to re-sign Jameis Winston. The Buccaneers have pick No. 14 in the first round.

The Bengals have traded up for No. 1 before (1995), but did not trade away the first pick in 1994 or 2003.

On our current Rams roster... a lot of last names that are the same as the last names of former Rams.

For example...

The last name of a current RB... same as the last name of a former WR. (Malcolm, Ron).


Some others:

TE now... was a QB
CB....was CB.
WR...was LB
LB...was DE (a toughie)
S... was a S
CB...was a DE
CB... was a CB/S.

Can you get the names I’m thinking of? And, can you think of any others?

With common last names, there are of course multiple options regarding former players....

This article was written in 2018 at the height of that season's "offense is dead" media take, and while that ended up not fully being the case the article does offer a lot of intelligent analysis with zone pattern matching and the evolution of the defensive side of the field at the NFL vs college level. Where it really is interesting is that it covers the old "assignment/alignment" approach and how that isn't fully working vs today's offenses, which IMO factors in largely in Coach McVay's thinking of replacing a Hall of Fame DC with a Fangio-tree hire.


The Match Game, Part 1: How NFL defenses lost their way


Doug Farrar

November 6, 2018 11:32 pm ET
In this three-part series, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar takes a deep dive into how NFL defenses have lost the figurative arms race — and what defensive coaches can do to recover. In the first installment, Doug gets help from Matt Bowen and Louis Riddick, ESPN analysts and former NFL defensive backs, to discuss how offenses are playing in the new millennium … and defenses are definitely not keeping up.
It’s a problem of schematic imbalance.

In the constant struggle NFL defenses face against the passing game in 2018, this play drove me the most nuts. With 12 seconds left in the Week 4 Bengals-Falcons matchup, Atlanta had a 36-31 lead and Cincinnati had the ball at the Falcons’ 13-yard line. The Bengals had top receiver A.J. Green (No. 18) matched up on rookie cornerback Isaiah Oliver (No. 20), and at the snap, Oliver took a split second to watch running back Mark Walton run a route out of the backfield. That’s all it took for Green to run his route through Atlanta’s depleted secondary for an easy game-winning touchdown.



Why, you may ask, were the Falcons running a passive two-deep coverage in the red zone? On the play before, Oliver locked up on receiver Alex Erickson (No. 12) to the same side, and that resulted in an incompletion. There were two deep safeties, but Oliver followed his receiver all the way through the route with no distraction — in part because Walton ran a release route up the middle.



The Falcons became the first team since the 1966 Giants to lose two straight games while scoring 36 or more points — they had lost 43-37 to the Saints in overtime the week before — but that’s not the focus of this article. The focus here is the message implicit in those two plays: Modern offenses are adapting constantly, and modern defenses are not. That, above all else, is why offenses are on such a torrid pace right now.

Visionaries vs. dinosaurs

No offense is working at a more torrid pace than Kansas City’s, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And that is no mistake — head coach Andy Reid has been assembling a coaching staff and roster to take the league apart for years. While other NFL coaches have derided college offenses as gimmick-laden entities that will not consistently work at the professional level, Reid hired former Vikings head coach Brad Childress as a “spread game analyst,” hired former Nevada head coach Chris Ault as a consultant, and unleashed a ton of spread passing concepts with Alex Smith, who ran option stuff under Urban Meyer at Utah. Mahomes, coming from Texas Tech’s wide-open offense, was the perfect QB for what Reid had been setting up for years.

And now, more and more NFL offenses are beating NFL defenses to death with expansive formations and concepts, the minds behind those defenses are struggling mightily to keep pace.

Matt Bowen, the co-host of ESPN’s “NFL Matchup” show, played safety for the Rams, Packers, Washington and Bills from 2000 through 2006. Twelve years after he left the NFL, and in an era where he’s studied as much defensive tape as anyone else in the business, Bowen looks at plays like Green’s touchdown and is aghast at how far offenses have stretched ahead of defenses at the highest level of football.

The reason? According to Bowen, it’s a lack of forward thinking — a lot of defenses are playing the same schemes they would have 10 to 15 years ago, when offenses were nowhere near as complex as they are now.

“The thing I’m noticing is that teams are playing a lot of static Cover-3,” Bowen told me; he wrote a great primer about Cover-3 here. “When you do that, you’re putting yourself in a very adverse situation as a defense. There are natural windows to attack Cover-3. I think it’s a major problem. I’m tired of seeing Cover-3. I’m tired of seeing teams get beat down the middle of the field. There are too many open windows on the field. A lot of teams are playing more zone coverages, and that’s fine, but how are you doing it? Whether you’re playing three-deep or two-deep, and I think a lot of teams are playing more zone coverages. I have no problem with zone coverages, but are you matching to players?”

Regarding the play in question, Bowen said that the Cover-2 scheme the Falcons were playing against the Bengals was just as ill-suited, especially when Oliver gambled on going with Green instead of defending the flat as he should have.

“A.J. Green was in a minus split here, and if you’re the cornerback in that Cover-2, you need to get back and protect the play. I don’t care if you’re a rookie. You’re in a game-winning situation, and you’re playing Cover-2. As an offensive coordinator, that’s what you beg for. And now, you have the perfect route called for it. Here, [Oliver] has to go to the flat, and you’re putting the safety in a terrible position. For that safety to make that play, he’s got to guess on the route. He played it the right way and went to the receiver, You’re breaking at a 45-degree angle, but you need your cornerback to sink and take that away. The defensive philosophy here is, we’re going to protect the end zone. You throw it underneath, that’s fine — we’re going to tackle. But to get to that point, you have to protect the end zone first.”
There’s less margin for error with static coverage. In the early 2010s, the Seahawks were able to play predominantly Cover-1 and Cover-3 defenses in which two outside cornerbacks matched up against receivers, and a single deep safety took the back third of the field. But for most teams, and even a few years later when offenses have learned new tricks, static coverage is no longer feasible.

The Vikings found their own version of Cover-3 regret against the Rams in a 38-31 Week 4 loss.

Losing the numbers game

Here, out of a three-tight-end set, the Rams spread the field pre-snap after looking at first like they’re going with a power formation. You can see the defensive confusion as the Vikings try to get aligned — and worst of all for Mike Zimmer’s team, wide receiver Robert Woods (No. 17) found himself covered by linebacker Anthony Barr (No. 55). The best modern offensive coordinators look to handicap defenses with pre-snap motion, and against a relatively static defense, this is what happens when a coaching genius like Sean McVay pulls out all the stops — an easy 31-yard touchdown pass.

McVay also loves to stress defenses out of tight — or “minus” — splits, in which the pre-snap formation shows no intent of the play to come. It’s a static pre-snap offense with all kinds of post-snap possibilities, and when it comes up against a defense playing coverage as if in a bygone era, bad things are bound to happen.



“Granted, they came out with a three-tight-end set and adjusted, but still, Minnesota was in Cover-3,” Bowen said of this play. “Now, this was Sean McVay calling the right personnel, and he got them on that one. And that’s OK. It happens.

“But I’m seeing really poor communication by secondaries. And that happens a lot against a McVay offense, against a [Kyle] Shanahan offense. What happens is that you have these minus splits where everyone’s inside the numbers. And there’s some sort of play-action, whether it’s the downhill run or jet [sweep motion], trying to get those linebackers to move up. If you’re playing zone coverage behind that, you’re going to create voids in the coverage all day long.”

As Bowen concluded, it’s not just that offenses are adding different things to older schemes — it’s that they’re throwing an entirely new structure out there.

“It’s a combination of schematics and the way the game is played right now. When you mesh those together, you have these explosive passing offenses. It’s also what I call the adaptation to the modern pro-style offense. Right now, that means the quick passing game at the top of the call sheet, vertical throws that are more inside the numbers, play-action, and RPOs (run-pass option plays). It’s on defenses to try and take that stuff away, which requires a lot of eye discipline, a lot of technique and a lot of coverage that matches to receivers. [If] you get into a zone drop at 10 to 12 yards, it isn’t good enough anymore.”

Lost in the red zone

Even ostensibly great defenses fall victim to static coverage nightmares, and they do it against broken and inconsistent offenses. The Jaguars found this out in their 40-7 Week 6 loss to the Cowboys, when 5-foot-8 slot receiver Cole Beasley caught two touchdown passes from Dak Prescott and seemed to have the cheat code to a defense that, before the season began, was touted as perhaps the league’s best.

I’ve detailed those two touchdowns before, but I wanted to do a deeper dive with Louis Riddick, the ESPN analyst and former safety for the 49ers, Falcons, Browns and Raiders from 1991-1998. Riddick’s time with the Browns from 1993-1994 was especially instructive because his head coach was Bill Belichick and his defensive coordinator was Nick Saban.

How did the Cowboys offense, which would have been better off locked in a shed against the Titans on Monday night, pull this off? Well, they had a lot of help.

The first Beasley score came with 9:28 left in the first half, and you can see wide receiver Allen Hurns (No. 17) motion side to the left side of the field. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey (No. 20) takes Hurns outside, while cornerback Tyler Patmon (No. 23) appears to take responsibility for Beasley (No. 11), who will run a simple crossing pattern from the left slot. But at the snap, both Patmon and safety Tashaun Gipson (No. 38) hold up in coverage, and Beasley runs right through.

Riddick was not impressed by this defensive call.



“The fact that they take Allen Hurns up top to stretch the formation doesn’t really matter. The work here is really being done by Cole, [No. 13, receiver Michael] Gallup, and the tight end at the top of the screen [No. 87, Geoff Swaim]. This is Cover-3 — it’s just 3-Lock, is what it is. You’re playing man-to-man outside, and you have curl/flat, hook/curl, hook/curl, curl/flat across the formation. But [No. 44, linebacker] Myles Jack is messing this up. He’s playing this like it’s Cover-2, and he’s a middle-read 3 player. He’s carrying 3 [the third-read receiver] down the pipe like it’s Cover-2. He busted the call. What he should be doing is sitting right where Cole just caught that ball. He should be sitting there at the 10-yard line either picking it, or Dak is holding the ball [because Beasley is covered]. Now, Dak would probably go outside to Gallup because Jalen Ramsey is stumbling all over the place, but Jack messes this up.

“But if you’re going to play 3-Lock out here, why are they playing off-man in the red area? When your cornerbacks are best at jamming, rerouting and playing aggressively? If Gallup runs a hard curl right there, it’s a first down. Once again, this is just terrible coaching.”

The Jags went with Cover-2 on the second touchdown, with no better results. This time, receiver Gallup splits wide pre-snap, and cornerback A.J. Bouye (No. 21) takes Gallup. Patmon is the slot defender again, and he takes a basic hook coverage to the goal line. This time, the Jaguars are playing two deep safeties, and safety Barry Church (No. 42) takes Beasley into the end zone. In red zone version of this defense, the outside cornerbacks take the outside receivers to the boundary to guard the fade route, the safeties generally sit on routes in their areas, and the slot defender will take the seam/hook responsibility. He must watch the slot defender and adjust to his route, which the Jaguars didn’t do here.



“They’re rushing two and dropping nine,” Riddick said. “And let’s just take the two defensive tackles out of it. The Jaguars are playing a form of Red 2 (a goal-line Cover-2 defense), in which Jack is taking the third read up the seam. The safety’s sitting on Beasley’s outside shoulder, and Patmon is sitting on the inside shoulder. So, Patmon should be wheeling in on that little turn in right there [the inside part of the pivot route]. He should actually look Cole up that route and shut it off. Church should be sitting outside for the pivot like he is. Church should let that come right to him because the throwing lanes are all cut off, anyway.

“Now, at the bottom of the screen? Same thing. One, [No. 50, linebacker] Telvin Smith should hit the (expletive) out of Allen Hurns here. He should jam him at the five-yard line. It’s like he’s avoiding him! He should ‘collision’ Hurns, wheel with him, and sit outside on him as well. They play this OK on the bottom of the screen, but I don’t understand why this is uncontested. Why is everything uncontested? The only guy who’s touching anybody is A.J. Bouye up top. And he’s doing it — not because he’s really trying to, but because he’s there.

“If [No. 97, defensive tackle] Malik Jackson is dropping into coverage, why isn’t he trying to hit [No. 80, tight end Rico] Gathers right there? At the snap, why is Patmon even backing up? Why is Barry Church backing up four-and-a-half yards in the end zone? Why don’t you sit there about a yard deep and just wait? Just SIT THERE! (Riddick’s voice has increased in both volume and contempt all the way through this particular play.)

“This just pisses me off. I watch it every week, and I’m thinking, this is just too easy. The only thing Beasley’s doing here is, he’s running away from where everybody is. You guys are all gonna go in here? OK — I’m going to go out here. And you don’t want to touch me? OK, perfect.”

I asked Riddick to write the foreword to my recent book, “The Genius of Desperation,” a schematic history of professional football. In that foreword, he had an interesting tidbit about his time with Belichick and Saban in Cleveland that will take us to Part 2 of “The Match Game.” Cleveland’s coaches had an absolute need to respond to the explosive offenses of the time, and they combined man and zone coverage in a very interesting fashion.

The use of pattern-matching within zone concepts, which was essentially giving the illusion of playing traditional spot-drop zone coverage at the snap, but instead matching up man-to-man as the routes developed down the field, was part of the schematic innovation. With option routes and route conversions becoming more standard within NFL offenses quarterbacked by future Hall-of-Famers, evolution was necessary, or things were going to get out of control.

Click to expand...

In Part 2 of “The Match Game,” we’ll look at how a return to these types of coverage might save football from getting out of hand all over again, and introduce you to a high school secondary coach who has his own set of fascinating answers.

The Match Game, Part 2: How Nick Saban reimagined defensive coverage


Doug Farrar

November 8, 2018 10:00 am ET
In this three-part series, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar takes a deep dive into how NFL defenses have lost the figurative arms race – and what defensive coaches can do to recover. Part 1 revealed the liabilities in current NFL defensive philosophies. In Part 2, we take a closer look at the coverage that could bring balance back to NFL defenses – with the help of two former NFL defensive backs and a high school secondary coach who has his own set of answers.

Saban’s realization: The origins of match coverage

It was the early 1990s in Cleveland, and Browns defensive coordinator Nick Saban had a serious problem: He could not figure out how to beat the Steelers, and their array of receivers running complementary deep routes. Not that the Steelers of the time would have rivaled the Greatest Show on Turf, but four receivers against three defensive backs was an obvious mathematical disadvantage. And it showed up whether Saban called man or zone coverage.
“This started with the Cleveland Browns,” Saban said at a 2010 Mississippi coaching clinic, via ElevenWarriors.com. “I was the defensive coordinator in the early 90s and Pittsburgh would run ‘Seattle’ on us — four streaks. Then they would run two streaks and two out routes, what I call ‘pole’ route from 2×2. We got to where could not play 3-deep zone because we rerouted the seams and played zone, and what I call ‘Country Cover-3’ (drop to your spot, reroute the seams, break on the ball). Well, when [Dan] Marino is throwing it, that old break-on-the-ball [expletive] don’t work.
“So, because we could not defend this, we could not play three-deep. When you can’t play zone, what do you do next? You play man (Cover-1), but if their [players] are better than your [players], you can’t play Cover-1. We got to where we couldn’t run Cover-1. So now we can’t play an eight-man front.
As Saban pointed out, the 1994 Browns lost five games, and three of them (twice in the regular season, once in the playoffs) were to Pittsburgh. And when Saban tried to move from Cover-3 to Cover-1 (a single deep safety with man coverage outside), the same issues arose. As he said, “If their [players] are better than your [players], you can’t play Cover-1.”

And so, the Browns couldn’t present eight-man fronts against Pittsburgh’s power running game. Something had to be done. What did Saban do? He combined zone and man coverage, and came up with the pattern-matching concept.

“We came up with this concept — how we can play Cover-1 and Cover-3 at the same time, so we can do both these things and one thing would complement the other,” Saban said. “We came up with the concept ‘Rip/Liz match.'”


(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Put simply, basic pattern-matching has a defender playing zone through the first part of a route. Then, as the receiver makes a move to affect the stem of the route, the defender switches to man coverage. It gives defenders and their coaches added flexibility to take receivers upfield. In combination coverages, pattern-matching also allows defenses to affect multi-receiver sets to either side, as you see in the NFL’s current spread concepts. The “Rip/Liz” language simply tells the defense which side is the dominant alignment—“Rip” for right, “Liz” for left.

ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive back Louis Riddick, who broke down two plays in Part 1 of “The Match Game,” played for Saban and head coach Bill Belichick in Cleveland in 1993 and 1994, and he was introduced to pattern-matching from the first day he hit the Browns facility. Saban and Belichick had already dialed it up by that time.

“Pattern-matching was always a part of what the safeties and cornerbacks did,” Riddick told me. “If we called it Cover-4 (four-deep, man-based coverage), there were very specific reads for us when routes got into that 10- to 12-yard area. The coverage turned from zone to man. You ‘buy’ a route based on which way the receiver went — whether they broke to your left or your right, and where your help would be coming from. It always started off as a zone call, but once they got into your specific area, the specific depth you needed them to get to, it quickly turned to man.

“It’s what Nick and Bill had talked about — there was no way you could play spot drop coverage when the receivers had options as far as ‘we’re just going to go where you’re not.’ Once the receivers got down the field, it had to turn into man. It was what I learned, and it made sense.”


(Cody Alexander, MatchQuarters.Com)

And if it made sense then, it certainly makes sense now, when receiver formations and route calls are so much more advanced. In addition, the complexity of option routes, in which receivers decide their tail ends of their routes depending on the actions of the defenders covering them, makes traditional spot drop coverage all the more difficult to maintain.

Like Riddick, Matt Bowen is an ESPN analyst who played defensive back in the NFL. As a co-host on the network’s “NFL Matchup” show, Bowen watches as much tape now as he did in his playing days. Bowen also coaches at the high school level, so he’s got a great eye into all levels of the game. And like Riddick, Bowen is surprised that NFL teams aren’t using more match coverage against modern offenses. Especially when offenses run plays at a hyperactive tempo and defenses are more stressed than ever.

“Defenses are caught right now where they just want to get alignment and assignment. And when you’re just playing alignment and assignment football, I don’t think it’s good enough anymore. And that’s where you say, “OK — my guys can line up, and they can adjust.’ That’s it. And that’s great, if you’re in OTAs. But in the game, from a defensive perspective, what’s your disguise? How are you going to set the tempo for the offense? When a defense dictates the tempo, they take over the game.”

So, how does pattern-matching make a difference? I reached out to another high school coach for a surprising set of answers.

Cautious aggression
Cody Alexander is a former Baylor defensive graduate assistant and the current secondary coach at Midlothian High School in Texas. He has a great website about defensive scheme called MatchQuarters.com. Alexander has also written a book, “Cautious Aggression: Defending Modern Football,” which is how I discovered his defensive philosophies. If you think a high school secondary coach doesn’t have a thing or two to teach NFL defensive coordinators, you should read Alexander’s book and think about how dogmatic some NFL defensive coordinators can be.

Both at the high school level and when he was working at Baylor, Alexander had to learn how to defend spread passing games as a point of survival, and he learned how far behind the NFL was in comparison to high school and college offenses when it came to defending new-school formations and concepts.

“If you look at where most of the younger coaches are in the NFL, they’re on the offensive side of the ball,” Alexander told me. “I think you sort of call what you know, and you’re only really now seeing that everybody in the NFL is going to some sort of spread package. It’s a lot of bunch sets, a lot of stack sets, a lot of motion across the field. And the reason they’re doing that is because of man coverage. Once Tampa-2 was dead, let’s go back to man coverage.

“When I was at Baylor, I went and visited the Broncos, and I was talking to Jack Del Rio and John Fox about Robert Griffin III, who was with Washington at the time. And they were wondering, what are we going to do about the zone read? And I’m thinking to myself, this is like Day 1 install — these are simple option rules. I think there’s a little bit of a disconnect with some of the older NFL establishment, especially on the defensive side — it’s like, this is how we’ve always done it, and we’re going to match up. What you’re seeing with the hybridization of NFL defenders, it’s just about impossible to play man coverage on every down.”


Broncos head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, 2013 (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Alexander believes that match coverage can solve a lot of problems for NFL defenses, and it’s interesting to hear how he defines it — especially in the context of Match Quarters coverage.

“Match Quarters is really — Nick Saban made it popular with his Rip/Liz, and all it really is, is a man match. Tampa 2 is called more of a ‘country zone,’ meaning that you’re going to get to a spot. Where match comes in is that it mixes zone and man together—it’s more of an ‘if-then’ defense rather than ‘this is where I’m always going to go, no matter what.’ So, it gives you the element of man, but you have rules, and it counteracts a lot of the stuff offenses do to defeat man, which is motion, stacks, bunches, quick high-low routes and things like that.”

As opposed to a lot of NFL defensive concepts, which Alexander calls “homogeneous.”

“One you’re in the NFL, you’re in for life,” he said. “It’s one of those deals. It’s very hard to get in, and it’s very hard to get out. Mike Leach has said multiple times that the NFL is so boring because everybody is running the same three or four schemes. So, you’re getting the same looks, week in and week out. So, when you throw in a guy like McVay or Shanahan, who people forget went and met with Art Briles when Washington got RGIII, you get guys who are starting to use this. Andy Reid and Doug Pederson are starting to use a lower-level type of play — now, you start forcing these man defenses to think and adjust when they’ve never had to.”


Match Quarters with a “MOD” (Man-on-Demand) coverage rule. (Cody Alexander, MatchCoverage.Com)

And this all raises the question: With so many great offensive minds coming from either the staffs of NFL teams or the college ranks, where is the next great next defensive mind? Where is the coach who can bring a new philosophy to bring balance back to a league very much in transition?

“I think Texas defensive coordinator] Todd Orlando does a great job,” Alexander said. “[Georgia head coach] Kirby Smart and Nick Saban do great jobs. People think Nick Saban runs, like, man and Cover-1 and Cover-3, but he really doesn’t. The more he sees spread offenses, the more Alabama’s in two-high. But I think in the NFL, defense is so much more an old man’s game. Offense is more of a young man’s game.

“Look at all these young coaches who are getting head coaching jobs because they’re offensive guys. Defense is a weird thing — it takes longer to work through everything and decide what you want to do. But I do think the NFL is going to have to get some of these younger guys—from my generation or the ‘tweener generation that grew up before me — the guys who grew up coaching against the spread. They defended it in college. Now, they’re seeing it in the NFL.”


University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban (left) and University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart stand with the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy.

But can you make match coverage your base defensive idea, or should it be more selectively used? Alexander told me that it depends how deep you want to go with the system.

“Guys that switch from Cover-2 to Cover-4 to Rip/Liz to what we call ‘Sky,’ which is Quarters, and then you go to a 2 Read … you just keep changing it. You add little tweaks of how you defend 3×1 … it keeps offenses guessing. They don’t know if they’re going to get Cover-2 or Quarters in this situation. What I do is … every time you line up against us, my secondary is going to look the exact same. You will not know, pre-snap, what we’re doing. And against that, what do offenses do? They start running simpler stuff.”

This is a constraint many Big 12 defenses have taken to, given the necessity to counter many of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA. Many NFL defenses follow receivers in motion and generally give up whether they’re playing man or zone coverage in their reactions to motion. As Alexander said, many Big 12 defenses are more into communication along the defense, and shifting coverage assignments against receivers in motion, than they are into following skill players wherever they go pre-snap. In this instance, what looks like passive coverage is actually a way to be ahead of the game.

The variations of coverage are something that you see in the NFL, to be sure, and there are teams running different iterations of match at the professional level now. The Patriots, Titans and Ravens have shown it to great effect over the last few seasons, and the Broncos and Seahawks have made some excellent adjustments in the 2018 season that we’ll detail in Part 3 of this series.

And in that context, can an NFL defense run match coverage as its base and default strategy, or is it more of a selective sub-package thing? Riddick told me that not only can it be a base construct, but if NFL defenses don’t start using match coverage more often, they’ll continue to be left behind.

“Unless coaches start emphasizing being more aggressive as far as zone pattern-matching, they have no shot to slow down these offenses. The next evolution that needs to take place in this league is that defensive coaches had better start getting together and having some summits and re-emphasizing some of the things we used to do back in the day that do still work, even in today’s NFL against today’s offenses.”

But as Riddick also explained, advanced match coverage isn’t something you want to go to midseason half-cocked without working it into your playbook during OTAs and training camp. It has to be a key part of what you want to do as a defense.

“You have to practice it because it requires communication between the second- and third-level defenders. I don’t know if a lot of teams really believe it and really work it to that degree. If you’re going to call Cover-3 and attach a match principle to it — a lot of teams try to do that now, but it breaks down if you’re not calling it across the field. Really, Cover-4 is the best way to [match]. This is where you can really marry to the receivers once you know what the route combinations are going to be. In passing downs, when you’re not dropping an eighth defender in the box, that’s where it really works.”

Meet the New Boss: Making the switch to match coverage

OK, let’s say you’re an NFL defensive coordinator, and you’re getting your lunch eaten by offenses over and over because your antiquated static concepts are not working. You’ve decided to switch to more match coverage.

Now, you have to drill it with your players, make sure they know their communications and assignments, and be patient as they adjust. While Riddick believes that it’s not something you can just throw as NFL veterans overnight, Alexander believes there are elements that can be drilled in through a shorter time period.

“One of the most popular coverages on third down in the NFL is two-man. You’ve got two-deep and man behind it. The issue with that at the lower levels is mobile quarterbacks. And as the dinosaurs of the quarterbacks start dying off … I mean, in the NFL, if you don’t run the zone read, if you’re not Cam Newton or Russell Wilson, people are like, ‘Oh, they’re not running quarterbacks.’ So, they get this idea that these guys are statues, but the problem with two-man is if you have a quarterback who runs at all, you’re dead in the water. Because the quarterback can just move. He can get the first down with five or 10 yards, or whatever he needs to, because you don’t have anybody for him. And that’s one of the biggest things — the NFL doesn’t have anybody for the quarterback.

“But in terms of how we do it at the high school level, you have to simplify things, and you have to have answers. I can’t say, ‘I have only one good cornerback, but they have two good receivers — how can we do it?’ Well, you can use bracket coverage — you can use match concepts to get brackets on their top receivers. And, it has built-in rules that kids can understand.”

In Part 1 of “The Match Game,” I asked Riddick to analyze the two touchdown passes from Dallas’ Dak Prescott to Cole Beasley against the Jaguars in Week 4. Riddick was unimpressed with Jacksonville’s passive defense, so I asked him how the Jags should have defended these two plays with match rules.



If you’re playing Cover-3 … the outside guys? They’re out of it. They’re basically playing man-to-man, which they’re doing here. You don’t match patterns hard in Cover-3 like you do in Cover-4, but this is how I would do it. Starting down at the bottom — as [No. 50, linebacker] Telvin Smith is taking Zeke [No. 21, running back Ezekiel Elliott] out here into the flat, he’s basically matching him up. Then, [No. 39] safety Tashaun Gipson should be screaming at [No. 44, linebacker] Myles Jack — here [No. 11, Beasley] comes. As soon as the receiver breaks to the opposite hash, Jack should be jumping him. You’re playing him man-to-man. You’re passing him off, but you’re playing him man-to-man. That’s a two-on-one right there. Gipson should also get a hit on the tight end running up the seam and carry him until the deep safety [No. 42, Barry Church] feels him. Then Church is going to jump him, coming down on the tight end, instead of just drifting into the bleeping end zone and covering nothing like he does here. Church is going to flat-foot this a little more to gain depth — as Nick Saban would say, you’re going to ‘flat-foot read it.’ Church is picking Beasley up man-to-man at about the five-yard line.

Everything should be locked down here. Telvin should jump Zeke, [No. 20, cornerback] Jalen [Ramsey] has [No. 13, receiver] Michael Gallup at the bottom of the screen, Myles should be jumping Cole Beasley, and the free safety [Church] is coming hard down on the tight end. That’s how you would match this up as the routes declare. And it really should become that down here in the red area, because there’s no sense in you covering nobody. You don’t have time to go to a spot, square up, look at the quarterback and break on the ball. The ball’s already been thrown, and it’s a touchdown. That’s how I would distribute that route.



“The collisions and the reroutes underneath are just gross, because they don’t exist. Coverage is all about leverage, and when you’re playing split-safety coverage like this, you have to play disciplined with leverage. These seam-droppers in Cover 2 are going to close off the inside breaking stuff. Telvin and Patmon are going to close that off. The safeties in Red 2 have to sit outside. They’re outside of the second read, inside the first read. And that’s what they’re looking for. Anything outside breaking by 2 [the second-read receiver], I’m helping on. Anything inside breaking by 1 [the third-read receiver], I’m helping on. By body position, I’m there. And Myles is closing off 3 [the third-read receiver] at the seam.

“If Jack gets singled up and he has to make a play, then he has to make a play. This is why you’ve had the Derrick Brooks-style playmakers [at inside linebacker] when you’re playing Cover-2. Because you were leaving them alone, and they were playing man-to-man on these tight ends down the middle of the field. This is why you have to have athletic coverage ‘backers to play this scheme, because the middle ‘backer can get exposed like this. But that’s what Myles is supposed to be, so it’s cool. It’s the safeties and the seam-droppers who don’t do anything at all with their re-routes. These receivers have to feel like it’s 7-on-7.”

I hypothesized to Riddick that match coverage is basically the defensive version of the option route – -that it allows defenders to act offensively as opposed to passively in an offense-driven league.

“Let’s say that it is the antidote to the option route. If you’re just going to run away from where you think I’m spot-dropping, I’m not going to let you just run away from me. As you think you’re running away from me … you thought I was just sitting here dropping to a spot? No. You’ve declared your route against my coverage, and now, I’ve got you. It’s the antidote as long as you have coaches who can teach it, and you make sure the reads and the rules are very clear as to — this is when you buy it [match with the receiver]. This is now when it’s become yours. And if there’s a gray area, you can’t do it. It won’t work. It has to be taught very precisely, and the players have o be able to execute it very precisely. It will work — it’s been proven to work.”

It has been proven to work – -in the past, and today. In Part 3 of “The Match Game,” we’ll look at some examples of modern match coverage in the NFL, and see how the entire league can superimpose the concept over its current problematic coverages.

Because... touchdowns are cool.

Boom! How long until the season opener?

Report: NFL may add flex scheduling to next Monday Night Football contract

The NFL has successfully used flexible scheduling for Sunday Night Footballfor years, switching some games from Sunday afternoon to Sunday night to ensure good matchups in prime time. The next TV contract may allow for flex scheduling on Monday nights, too.

Sports Business Journal reports that the NFL has asked teams for feedback on moving games from Sunday to Monday during the season. The league asked teams questions like how much notice they think they would need to prepare a move from Sunday afternoon to Monday night.

Any such change would not be made until new TV contracts are agreed upon. The NFL’s current Monday Night Football deal with ESPN runs through the 2021 season, while the league’s Sunday deals with NBC, CBS and FOX all run through the 2022 season.

The network that gets Monday Night Football on the next contract would obviously prefer not to have any games late in the season between two teams already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. But to switch out a bad game, the NFL would have to give it to one of its Sunday afternoon broadcast partners, and take a good game off the Sunday afternoon plate. Flex scheduling would make the Monday night package more valuable, but might make the Sunday afternoon packages less valuable.

Teams have also shown concerns about the logistics of moving games from Sunday to Monday, both for the home team having its venue available both days, and for the road team needing to have hotels available for an extra night. Working out those issues won’t be easy, but if Disney or another media conglomerate bidding on Monday Night Football is willing to pay the NFL enough money, those issues will get worked out.

How the NFL can and should learn from the XFL

The XFL has started fresh, with new methods for officiating, a new kickoff setup, more in-game interviews and new chance for players who flunked out of the NFL.

Opening weekend for the X football league — what does the X stand for? — has so far been surprisingly enjoyable. The opening day featured big plays, big laughs and a sense of positivity (for everyone who didn’t lose on this bad betting beat). Even on the heels of a seemingly long NFL season, fans were happy to get more football.

But as Saturday bore on, it became clear that the NFL should be monitoring the XFL not just for talent. (The XFL seemed like a natural minor league to the NFL — that much was clear from the start.) But as the XFL’s begins to reinvent itself, the league seems interested in bringing new concepts to the football field. The most successful experimentation came in how they handled their officiating. The XFL brought tremendous transparency.

Here’s a look at a review for a foul, where the booth official openly discusses whether a player used the crown of his helmet. The booth official got the field official on the same page, and the game proceeded quickly.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/xfl2020/status/1226288698943266817?s=21


It wasn’t the biggest play of the game. It wasn’t an enormously complicated play to decipher. But it was almost comforting — a strange word to use in the context of this insane hit — to see the officials at work. Of course, this sort of visibility could lend itself to problems, too. If the booth official struggled to make the call or said something to cast more controversy or uncertainty on the situation, then the XFL would have a problem.

For now, the idea seems to be a step in the right direction — and it’s something the NFL should consider implementing. After all, the league’s officials tookcenter stage every week this season. They struggled to make the proper call, and fans were not forgiving. But perhaps an extra level of transparency would help fans understand why the seemingly bad officiating occurred. Putting the officials onscreen might also help elevate the officiating to a higher standard.

Smart NFL teams will spend the next few weeks scouring XFL rosters for talent. Smart NFL officials will spend the next few weeks studying the XFL’s playbook and broadcast product to see if this new league is onto something that could improve the NFL.

Taysom Hill expects to be viewed as franchise quarterback

The New Orleans Saints have some juggling to do with their quarterbacks this offseason, and one of the three is making it pretty clear how he expects to be valued.

Taysom Hill, a restricted free agent this offseason, told Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press during Super Bowl week that he expects to be viewed as a franchise quarterback and would look elsewhere if the New Orleans Saints didn’t see him that way.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/robmaaddi/status/1226943684765155329?s=21


Hill makes it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to leave the Saints, and the Saints don’t want Hill to leave. Drew Brees has even floated a time-sharing proposal with Hill at quarterback, which suggests just how highly the Saints think of him.

Hill’s versatility is a huge bonus, and Brees is coming toward the end of his career. Expect the Saints to value Hill exactly how he wants to be valued.

Three Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2019

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, tight end Tyler Higbee and linebacker Cory Littleton made Pro Football Focus' list of the top 101 players from the 2019 season.

Donald checked in at No. 2, followed by Higbee at 74 and Littleton at 90. Donald finished the season as the Rams' highest-graded defensive player, while Higbee was their highest-graded offensive player. Littleton had one of Los Angeles' top individual performances of the season.

Here's an excerpt from PFF's Top 101 capsule on Donald:

"Aaron Donald's 2019 season is being overlooked because, compared to his season a year ago, it just doesn't stack up," PFF lead NFL analyst Sam Monson wrote. "His 2018 season, though, was one of the greatest defensive single-season performances in NFL history, and it's unfair to hold him to that exceptionally high standard a year later. Including the playoffs (which Donald didn't play in), he still led all interior defenders in total pressures in 2019, with 80, which were 11 clear of anybody else."

For Higbee, PFF noted his reliability as a receiver.

"Higbee more than doubled his previous career-high figures for receptions and receiving yards while receiving more than twice the targets he did a season ago," Monson wrote. "He broke seven tackles after the catch and hauled in 80.2% of the passes thrown his way over the season."

Littleton, meanwhile, earned praise for performing well in coverage in back-to-back seasons.

"One of the best coverage linebackers in the game, Cory Littleton makes the PFF Top 101 for the first time after his second consecutive excellent year in coverage," Monson wrote. "This season, his play in other facets of the game were better, and so his overall grade jumped to a career-best mark of 78.9."

Click here to view the complete PFF Top 101.

Offensive coordinator: Kevin O'Connell
O'Connell, 34, spent the previous three seasons with the Washington Redskins, working his way up from quarterbacks coach in 2017 to offensive coordinator in 2019.
Prior to landing in Washington, he spent the 2016 season as an offensive assistant on then-head coach Chip Kelly's 49ers staff and the 2015 season as the Cleveland Browns' quarterbacks coach.
A native of Carlsbad, California, O'Connell was a quarterback and 4-time captain at San Diego State before being chosen 94th overall in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.
Experience:
2015: Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach
2016: San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant
2017: Washington Redskins quarterbacks coach
2018: Washington Redskins passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach
2019: Washington Redskins offensive coordinator
What you should know about him:
• NFL teammates knew he'd make a great coach: In a December 2011 feature in the New York Times, then-Jets rookie quarterback Greg McElroy and starter Mark Sanchez shared how impressed they were with teammate O'Connell's football knowledge. "He's a coach with a lot of football talent," McElroy said, adding that O'Connell could "see the game vertically, as if watching film, from the sidelines."
• His attention to detail: That same New York Times story reported that he kept a personal journal in which he wrote down plays and coverages that confused him and his response to situations. Those intensive film study habits carried over into the pros, too – at the time of the article's publication, he had filled four notebooks during the Jets' 2011 season.



Photo Courtesy of Denver Broncos

Defensive coordinator: Brandon Staley
Staley, 37, joins the Rams after spending last season as the Denver Broncos' outside linebackers coach. The 14-year coaching veteran also held the same position on Broncos head coach Vic Fangio's staff when Fangio was the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018.
In 2018, Staley worked directly with first-team All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack, who joined Texans defensive end J.J. Watt as the only players in the NFL with at least 12.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles and 4 pass breakups. Only Watt and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald recorded more quarterback hurries than Mack (27).
That season, Staley also helped coach a Bears defense that allowed the fewest points per game (17.7), collected the most takeaways (36) and third-most sacks (51), allowed the third-fewest total yards per game (299.7) and ranked fourth in third-down defense (34.2 percent).
Experience:
2006-08: Northern Illinois University defensive graduate assistant, working with secondary (2006-07) and linebackers (2008) as well as special teams all three years
2009: University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) defensive line coach and assistant special teams coach
2010-11: Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College associate head coach/defensive coordinator; also coached linebackers and assisted special teams
2012: University of Tennessee defensive graduate assistant, working with inside linebackers and special teams
2013: John Carroll University defensive coordinator/secondary coach
2014: James Madison University defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
2015-16: John Carroll University defensive coordinator/secondary coach
2017-18: Chicago Bears outside linebackers coach
2019: Denver Broncos outside linebackers coach
What you should know about him:
• Converted quarterback: Staley played quarterback in college, but when he got his first coaching job, he switched over to the other side of the ball and started as a defensive graduate assistant.
• He worked with a flexible 3-4 defense under Broncos coach and former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio: "Coming to the NFL, you hear a lot about systems, and sometimes those systems don't work if they don't have the right players," Staley said during a December 2017 appearance on the Bears coaches radio show. "Vic's system is extremely flexible, it's extremely multiple, and at the same time, he's really specific in game-planning."




Photo Courtesy of Detroit Lions
Special teams coordinator: John Bonamego
Bonamego, 56, arrives in Los Angeles after spending last season in his second stint as the Detroit Lions' special teams coordinator.
In his first stint with the Lions (2013-14), Bonamego helped punter Sam Martin record the top-two single-season marks for net punting average in team history with a 40.4-yard average in 2013 and a 40.1 mark in 2014.
When overseeing the Jaguars' special teams in 2012, he was instrumental in the development of rookie punter Bryan Anger, who set franchise records for punting average (47.8) and net punting average (40.8), with both totals leading all rookie punters.
A 17-year NFL coaching veteran, Bonamego also has extensive experience at the college level, including serving as the head coach at his alma mater Central Michigan from 2015-18 before joining the Lions again.
Experience:
1987: Mount Pleasant (Mich.) High School junior varsity co-coach
1988-91: University of Maine assistant coach
1992: Lehigh University assistant coach
1993-98: Army assistant coach
1999-01: Jacksonville Jaguars assistant special teams coach
2002: Jacksonville Jaguars special teams coordinator
2003-05: Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator
2006-07: New Orleans Saints special teams coordinator
2008-10: Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator
2011: New Orleans Saints assistant special teams coach
2012: Jacksonville Jaguars special teams coordinator
2013-14: Detroit Lions special teams coordinator
2015-18: Central Michigan University head coach
2019: Detroit Lions special teams coordinator
What you should know about him:
• NFC team personnel voted him NFC North Special Teams Coach of the Year via The Athletic.
• His punt and kickoff coverage units were sound last year: The Lions held opponents to only 4.5 yards per punt return in 2019 with zero touchdowns as Detroit, good for the second best punt coverage unit in football. The league punting average was 7.6 yards per return this past season.


By enlarge they look like decent hires. Let's face it, Fassel was popular but his unit had breakdowns, basically they lacked consistent discipline. ST's need discipline not flash.

Staley has experience in the 3-4 hybrid system and was with the Bears staff when their defense was kicking butt all year. Hopefully he learned from that experience. On paper he looks like a decent hire.

O'Connell is a dark horse type of hire. His resume isn't what you might want in a high profile market. But some of the comments about him are similar to what was being said about McVay before he was hired in terms of his offensive mind.

Also, Thomas Brown hiring as RB coach is an upgrade IMO.

Well, my Mexican vacation is coming to an end. Four great years in Popotla (6 mi south of the Rosarito Hotel) are coming to an end. Fiscal reality says I can't afford CA anymore, so I'm gonna become a desert rat. Hmmm maybe I should change my handle.

My nephew lives there and says he can get me a nice place that I can afford. Hopefully, it's in the Catalina foothills so I can watch the September lightning storms roll through each night. Better than fireworks!

Anyone, familiar with Tucson? I haven't been there in 30 years. If anyone has any recommendations on eateries or anything else I would love to hear about them. Well, at least I can get my guns and sword out of storage in CA and go back and practice with them.

Is anyone familiar with ExpressVPN? They said I could get on an LA server and get LA local TV stations so I can keep getting the Rams games. If anyone has anything good or bad to say about them I'd love the feedback.

Thanks!

Please share your thoughts on this...

Okay...

If we were organizing a ROD game... I’d probably play CB. I could always run. Always thin.

If you are the WR... I am glued to your ass! Talking shit the whole time... Just letting you know.

How about you?

What position do you gravitate toward in our little pick up game?

LINK
Ranking Every NFL Team by Its Trade Ammunition for 2020 Offseason

For many years, the NFL trade market was a yawn fest compared to the other major sports leagues'. There wasn't the frenetic back-and-forth that happens annually in the NBA or in MLB.

In recent years, though, it's been a different story. Since the collective bargaining agreement was signed in 2011, teams have been more willing to play Let's Make a Deal—especially on draft day. The first round is now littered with teams looking to move up or slide back—just as the Baltimore Ravens did when they selected Lamar Jackson in 2018.

That worked out OK.

It's not just rookies getting dealt, though. In 2019, there was quite a run on veteran edge-rushers. Three teams applied the franchise tag to talented pass-rushers only to send them packing. The Kansas City Chiefs were in on two of those deals, flipping Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers and acquiring Frank Clark from the Seattle Seahawks.

Again, that worked out OK.

Now, it's all about looking toward 2020. Scoping out which teams are best-positioned to be movers and shakers over the next few months.

Lots of draft picks to use as bargaining chips are good. High draft picks are even better. Having veteran talent to dangle in trade talks is better still. And having a veteran quarterback?

Katy, bar the door.

That's what this article is all about: ranking the assets each team might be willing to sell, from squads whose cupboards are nearly bare (at least in regard to what they'd be willing to part with) to those who can't even get the cabinet door shut.

32. Los Angeles Rams

First, let's dispense with a bit of...let's call it over-optimism.

There's been speculation the Los Angeles Rams will shop running back Todd Gurley II. There's little question the Rams would like to shop him. But the realities of the market for a running back with a cap hit of $17.3 million and an arthritic knee coming off a bad season are...not good.

And that's the thing: The realities of this offseason aren't good for the Rams, period. At least not when it comes to making trades.

The Rams have less than $15 million in available cap space—before considering the pending free agencies of linebacker Cory Littleton, offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and others. Thanks to the Jalen Ramsey trade, the Rams won't have a first-round pick until 2022.

With limited cap resources and just six picks in April, it's going to be a tall ask for the Rams to improve their roster.

Doing so via trade could be next to impossible.

31. San Francisco 49ers

The season didn't end the way they'd hoped, but it was still quite the campaign for the San Francisco 49ers—from 4-12 and the second pick in the draft in 2018 to 13-3 and NFC champions in 2019.

There's only one step left to be taken: winning the Super Bowl after coming so close this year.

The 49ers don't have many holes. It's a good thing—with less than $14 million in cap space, the Niners aren't going to be big players in free agency. It gets even worse when you look at the 2020 draft.

San Francisco will make a pick at the end of Day 1—and then have a seat for a while. A good long while. The Dee Ford trade cost the 49ers their second-round pick. The in-season trade that brought Emmanuel Sanders to Santa Clara cost them third- and fourth-round selections.

The 49ers could dangle some of their depth at running back in trade talks. Perhaps pull a tag-and-trade with defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who is about to hit unrestricted free agency after a breakout season.

But the 49ers are as bereft of trade assets as any team in the league.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs last year, but that had more to do with injuries than holes on the roster.

That's good, because whether it's salary-cap space or draft capital, the Steelers don't have much in the way of resources.

In regard to the former, only two teams have less wiggle room under the salary cap than the Steelers. The trades that brought in inside linebacker Devin Bush and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick left the Steelers with just a single pick over the first three rounds of the 2020 draft.

With just one pick in the top 110 (No. 49), the Steelers aren't well-positioned to make any moves without sacrificing picks in 2021. It could improve somewhat, though, as the departure of Le'Veon Bell could net Pittsburgh an extra third-rounder.

There's also not much in the way of veteran trade pieces. This isn't to say the Steelers wouldn't like to unload a veteran or two and grab a pick and some salary-cap relief.

There just isn't a name that stands out on the roster as being both expendable and valuable enough to bring any kind of return.

29. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans went all-in on getting better in the short-term in 2019, making a number of trades to bring in offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, cornerback Gareon Conley and tailback Duke Johnson.

Those moves paid off at least somewhat—the Texans won the AFC South and notched the second playoff win of the Bill O' Brien era.

But the cost of those trades is a team that won't be doing much over the first two days of the draft.

The Tunsil deal cost Houston its first-rounder in 2020—and then some. Since Johnson was active for 10-plus games, the Texans' third-rounder will go to the Cleveland Browns. Houston will likely get a third-rounder back, though—in the form of a compensatory pick for the loss of safety Tyrann Mathieu.

There also isn't a lot in the way of veteran trade chips for the Texans to consider moving. Houston fancies itself a Super Bowl contender, and the Texans aren't especially deep at most of the coveted position groups.

In fact, if anything, Houston is more likely to throw more (future) picks at a defensive backfield that continues to be a major area of need.

28. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears took a major step backward in 2019, falling to 8-8 and missing the playoffs after a 12-win season.

That sets up a make-or-break season—one in which the team could be that much more aggressive in looking to improve the roster.

There are a few younger veterans the Bears might make available in trades. Edge-rusher Leonard Floyd hasn't lived up to his draft slot in four seasons, but he's still just 27 years old with a first-round pedigree. Offensive weapons Tarik Cohen and Taylor Gabriel have shown flashes but don't appear to be part of Chicago's long-term plans.

Those players aren't going to bring big returns, but with a larger stockpile of picks, the Bears could package them to move up into the first round. The Bears have a pair of picks inside the top 50, but neither lies inside the top 32 as Chicago finishes paying off the Khalil Mack blockbuster.

There should also be a compensatory pick coming thanks to the departure of veteran safety Adrian Amos—a fourth-rounder.

27. Green Bay Packers

After advancing to the NFC Championship Game last season, the Green Bay Packers are much more likely to be buying than selling veteran players. General manager Brian Gutekunst hasn't shown the reluctance to add veterans that his predecessor did—as evidenced by the team's spending spree in 2019.

Trading for, say, a veteran receiver to line up opposite Davante Adams won't be especially easy. It's not a matter of a lack of draft capital—the Packers own 10 picks in the 2020 draft (provided the conditions in the Reggie Gilbert trade were met), including two selections in Round 6 and three in Round 7.

But most of those picks will be late in their respective rounds. It's the price of the team's success in 2019.

Add in less than $24 million in cap space, and the Packers could be precluded from offering another team cap relief in a salary dump. All told, Green Bay isn't especially likely to be a big player.

26. New Orleans Saints

Another successful regular season in New Orleans ended in disappointment, but let's get one thing out of the way.

There isn't going to be any disappointment with Drew Brees. Not in 2020, anyway. He's going to be the starting quarterback for the Saints. Take it to the bank.

That's not to say there won't be movement at quarterback in the Big Easy. Something has to give with Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill all about to hit free agency. But the veteran core of this team isn't going to change much.

The Saints also aren't likely to be players on draft day, either—at least not without mortgaging an already uncertain future. The Saints possess the 24th pick in Round 1, but that's the only selection they have in the top 80, and New Orleans has just five picks overall.

The Saints are too good to be sellers and don't have the assets to be buyers.

So the status quo it is.

25. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans probably aren't all that focused on wheeling and dealing. With both quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry slated to hit free agency, Titans general manager Jon Robinson's plate is full just trying to keep his own players in town.

There also isn't a veteran player in Nashville who stands out as potential trade bait—with the possible exception of cornerback Adoree' Jackson. If the Titans bring back free agent Logan Ryan, and if they want to improve their draft capital, the fact that Jackson has two years left on his rookie deal (if his fifth-year option is picked up) could make him an attractive target to cornerback-needy teams.

That's a lot of "ifs," though.

The Titans aren't in a spot to be major players on draft day, either. Tennessee has just six picks in the draft (beginning with No. 29 overall), and the team isn't in line to receive any compensatory selections.

This offseason is going to be more about preventing subtractions than addition for 2019's surprise postseason squad.

24. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills were aggressive in free agency last year, and it paid off—Buffalo won 10 games and made the playoffs for the second time in three years.

However, that aggressiveness in free agency means that when compensatory picks are awarded, the Bills are going to be on the outside looking in. And Buffalo's draft capital doesn't lend itself to a move up the board. The Bills' first pick lies outside the top 20, and it's their only pick inside the top 50. The Bills did pick up a couple of extra Day 3 picks from Cleveland last year, but the team sent one back in the deal for wide receiver Corey Coleman.

There's not much in the way of veteran players who could be available, either. Linebacker Matt Milano would be attractive to any number of teams, but given his reasonable contract and steady play, the Bills aren't likely to move him. If the team could find a taker for tailback T.J. Yeldon, he could be moved, but his value in a deal would be minimal—and that's if the Bills don't just hang on to him as Devin Singletary's backup in 2020.

Trade-wise, it will probably be quiet in Western New York this offseason.

23. Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys face a number of difficult personnel decisions in Mike McCarthy's first year as head coach. Quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver Amari Cooper, defensive end Robert Quinn and cornerback Byron Jones are all set to hit free agency.

So, it's far more likely the Cowboys will use the franchise tag to keep one of them in Dallas than deploy a tag-and-trade scenario. Given that, a trade involving a veteran player such as Quinn or Cooper isn't all that likely.

The Cowboys also don't own a ton of draft capital. Dallas owns half a dozen selections—beginning with the 17th pick in Round 1. The Cowboys should also recoup the Day 3 pick they traded thanks to a compensatory pick for the loss of wide receiver Cole Beasley.

Dallas won't be trying to remake the roster this offseason so much as hold together what it already has while bolstering a weak spot or two.

22. Baltimore Ravens

It ended in disappointing fashion, but the Baltimore Ravens had a great season in 2019, winning a league-high 14 games.

There's something of a downside to that success, of course: The Ravens won't make their first pick in this year's draft until No. 28 rolls around. There's not a ton in the kitty to help Baltimore move up, either—while the Ravens are projected to get a pair of extra fourth-rounders as compensatory picks, it has just six draft picks and only two inside the top 90.

In fact, Baltimore's most valuable trade asset is one the team would just as soon not use. Edge-rusher Matthew Judon led the Ravens with 9.5 sacks in 2019, but with the four-year veteran about to cash in big in free agency, ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote that a tag-and-trade is a possibility.

"Judon is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason," Schefter said, "and the Ravens would like to bring him back, but they also are likely to listen if another team expresses interest in trading for him, according to sources."

21. New England Patriots

The future of quarterback Tom Brady is the dominant storyline in Beantown this offseason. Whether the Golden Boy stays or goes will go a long way toward determining the course of New England's offseason.

Assuming that he hangs around for one more year, the Patriots would be much more likely to be buyers on the trade market as they try to upgrade the talent around him. And while the team doesn't have a ton of assets in that regard, the cupboard isn't entirely bare.

The Patriots haven't been shy in the past about trading veteran players (ask Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins), but there isn't a player on the roster who would land a sizable haul.

However, the Patriots could be positioned to parlay picks into better draft position or a veteran player. In addition to seven draft picks (including an extra one in Round 4 and three in Round 7) headlined by the 23rd overall selection, the Pats are also projected to receive the maximum four compensatory picks as the result of free-agent departures—including two at the back end of the third round.

20. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals had the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. Given that quarterback Kyler Murray went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, it appears general manager Steve Keim chose wisely.

Now, it's a matter of getting better around him.

In an effort to do so, the Cardinals could dangle a couple of players who once were thought of as franchise cornerstones. Tailback David Johnson had a miserable 2019 season, but the 28-year-old topped 1,300 yards as recently as 2018. With Patrick Peterson set to turn 30 in July and headed into a contract year, the Cardinals may decide to get younger (and cheaper) on the back end.

For the third straight year, the Cardinals will pick inside the top 10. Arizona is not especially likely to move up with Murray on the roster, but it might be open to sliding back a few spots if it means gaining another pick on Day 2.

19. Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are in an interesting position. They were thought of as Super Bowl contenders before Andrew Luck's retirement. A franchise that played well over the first half of 2019 with Jacoby Brissett.

But down the stretch, it became evident that Brissett is not the long-term answer under center. And ESPN's Mike Wells predicted Colts general manager Chris Ballard will get aggressive in the hopes of improving the position.

"Indianapolis has questions at quarterback, and general manager Chris Ballard will try to move ahead of Miami, which has the No. 5 pick, to get [Tua] Tagovailoa," Wells wrote. "In Ballard's favor is that Indianapolis has nine picks in this year's draft."

The Colts have three picks inside the top 45. That could be enough to allow them to surge up the board from No. 13, though it may take all three (or picks in 2021) to get into the top five.

Indianapolis also has enough depth in the secondary to dangle a young cornerback as trade bait, but if the team makes a player trade, the Colts are more likely to be buying than selling.

18. Philadelphia Eagles

The good news for the Philadelphia Eagles is that despite being besieged by injuries, they won the NFC East.

The bad news is that that 9-7 season and division title accomplished little but to cost the Eagles draft position. Philly won't have an opportunity to address glaring needs at cornerback and wide receiver until the 21st pick.

Still, the Eagles are sitting on a fair amount of draft capital. They already own six picks in the first five rounds and are in line for three more compensatory selections. Better yet, the Eagles lost a trio of fairly prominent free agents in quarterback Nick Foles, linebacker Jordan Hicks and wide receiver Golden Tate—so those compensatory picks should be relatively high ones.

There's enough in the draft-day arsenal for the Eagles to move up in Round 1 if they wish, though getting into the top 10 would be costly.

In a recent article, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski mentioned Eagles wideout Alshon Jeffery as a veteran trade candidate. Philly would likely love to shed Jeffery's salary, and it's possible the Eagles could move one of their young defensive backs who has disappointed—say, Sidney Jones.

17. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks were busy on the trade market throughout the 2019 offseason. Frank Clark was franchise-tagged and then shipped to Kansas City. Clark was then replaced by Jadeveon Clowney, who joined the Seahawks in a trade with the Texans just before the season.

Those trades will have an impact on Seattle's ability to deal in 2020. The Clark swap netted the Seahawks an extra second-rounder, though that selection will come at the back end of the round. The Clowney deal, on the other hand, cost Seattle its third-round choice.

However, Seattle will be picking up another selection at the back end of Day 2—the loss of safety Earl Thomas III to the Baltimore Ravens is projected to net the Seahawks one of their three compensatory selections.

There aren't any veteran players on the Seattle roster who stand out as trade bait. It's more likely general manager John Schneider will use one of those four picks in the draft's first three rounds to add veteran help in an effort to unseat the 49ers in the NFC West.

16. Minnesota Vikings

As Shanna McCarriston of CBS Sports wrote, the fact that Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2019 tells you all you need to know about the event.

By most objective measures, his seventh season was a disappointment.

Rhodes has been mentioned as a potential cap casualty for a Vikings team in the worst salary cap situation in the NFL. But Rhodes is also still just 29 years old, and not that long ago he was regarded as one of the best corners in the game.

Given the premium position he plays, Rhodes' age and his resume (at least prior to 2019), it's not hard to imagine a team convincing itself that a change in scenery could spur a rebound. This isn't to say Rhodes would net a high pick. But cutting him outright would net Minnesota nothing but cap relief.

The Vikings are sitting on seven picks (beginning with No. 25) and should pick up a few more compensatory selections, but Minnesota can use as many bites at the apple in the draft as it can get.

Those rookie contracts will also help the team clear some cash off the books.

15. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs enter the offseason as the happiest team in the NFL. Winning the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years will do that.

As difficult as it is to get to the mountaintop, it's that much harder to stay there. Every team in the league will be trying to knock off the Chiefs in 2020.

Where draft capital is concerned, Kansas City isn't exactly loaded. Not only will the Chiefs be picking at the back end of each round, but they only possess five picks and aren’t expected to add any compensatory selections.

There is a way the reigning champions might be able to add a pick or two in 2020. As the Chiefs showed with Dee Ford last year, the team isn't averse to applying the franchise tag to a player and then trading him.

With Chris Jones set to command a king's ransom in free agency, the Chiefs already heavily invested up front on defense in Frank Clark and a Patrick Mahomes extension that will break records looming, K.C. may decide that while Jones is an excellent player who shined in Super Bowl LIV, keeping the defensive tackle around just isn't feasible.

Jones isn't the only pricey veteran who could be on the market. Given his robust salary and the cheaper young talent behind him, Sammy Watkins could probably be had for a modest haul.

14. Cleveland Browns

Stop me if you've heard this before: The Cleveland Browns are starting over.

The Browns entered the 2019 season as the NFL's most hyped team. They left it one of the league's most disappointing squads—a 6-10 face-plant that got both head coach Freddie Kitchens and general manager John Dorsey fired.

Kitchens and Dorsey have been replaced by Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry, and the new regime has a fair bit to work with. The Browns added an extra third-round pick in this year's draft thanks to the Duke Johnson trade, giving the team four selections in the first two days (starting with pick No. 10).

Among the team's veterans, there's one name that stands out—even if it's a name the Browns have already said they aren't interested in moving.

However, just because the Browns say they aren't interested in trading wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after one so-so season in Cleveland doesn't mean the brain trust won't at least listen to offers for the 27-year-old. Ditto for tailback Kareem Hunt, who will be a restricted free agent.

If the right deal comes along, minds can change.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

To Winston or not to Winston?

That is the question.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in one of the best situations relative to the salary cap: They have almost $80 million. But the team also has a number of prominent players set to hit free agency, whether it's edge-rushers Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul or quarterback Jameis Winston.

Those players would have value for the Buccaneers as tag-and-trade candidates. But those would not be moves without risk. If the Buccaneers tag Winston, for example, they can't do the same to Barrett.

In other words, the status of one affects the others. It may take the first domino falling to see where the other two land.

If Winston does move on, the Buccaneers will be starting over under center. And with just six picks in 2020 (starting with No. 14), the Buccaneers don't have the capital to move up without dipping substantially into the 2021 well and beyond.

Unless, of course, the Bucs can flip Winston or Barrett for a significant return.

12. Denver Broncos

Can the Denver Broncos interest you in a gently used Super Bowl MVP?

John Elway took another stab at upgrading the Broncos quarterback situation via the veteran route in 2019 with the addition of Joe Flacco. That didn't work out even a little, and while the team may just have something in youngster Drew Lock, finding a taker for Flacco won't be easy unless the quarterback market is a lot shallower than most expect.

The Broncos have enough depth on the defensive front and the edge to package a player and picks to play some draft-day hopscotch, but it's more likely the team would do so using picks alone.

In that regard, Denver is in good shape. The Broncos have nine picks in 2020 beginning with No. 15, including five picks on the first two days of the draft and three picks in Round 3.

Denver's also in line to receive three compensatory selections on the draft's third day.

That would give Elway a dozen picks to play with—which would be the largest draft class of his tenure as general manager in Denver.

11. New York Giants

The last three seasons have been rough for the New York Giants, who are 12-36 over that span. And now that Eli Manning has called it a career, the Giants are Daniel Jones' team.

Making the team better in short order is the only thing standing between Dave Gettleman and the unemployment line.

Trade-wise, that won't be easy. There aren't any appealing veterans on the roster, and the Giants may well wind up using the franchise tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams after trading for the 2015 top-10 pick during the 2019 season.

That trade cost the Giants their third-rounder in 2020, but there will be added ammunition arriving via compensatory selections. Safety Landon Collins will get the Giants back that Round 3 pick, while sevreal seventh-round compensatory picks could give them as many as four picks in the final round.

New York's first pick has a great deal of value given that it is No. 4 overall. Since the Giants already have their quarterback of the future, it's not difficult to imagine scenarios in which Gettleman trades back and stockpiles picks.

10. Atlanta Falcons

In 2019, the Atlanta Falcons started 1-7. They finished with a 6-2 surge that saved head coach Dan Quinn's job.

Atlanta has seven picks in the 2020 draft, including a pair of second-rounders and four selections over the first two days. It's enough to engineer a trade up to obtain a high-end prospect—especially if the Falcons play a little Monty Hall and add more draft capital.

The Falcons aren't in good shape relative to the salary cap—only four teams are worse off. Atlanta needs to shed some salary—now.

There are a couple of veteran players who make sense as trade bait. Running back Devonta Freeman isn't the player he once was, but his well-rounded skill set could still appeal to some teams.

The market for cornerback Desmond Trufant would be even more robust. Trufant remains one of the better veteran defensive backs in the game, but with a cap hit of $15.2 million in 2020, the Falcons will probably at least listen to offers for the 29-year-old.

9. Los Angeles Chargers

The future of the quarterback position for the Los Angeles Chargers is the team's biggest offseason question. The Bolts may be prepared to move on from Philip Rivers after 16 seasons.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Chargers could apply the franchise tag to Rivers. They would then be able to use him as a one-year stopgap or offseason trade bait.

Flipping Rivers for a pick would give the Bolts something they lack: a draft selection that wasn't theirs to begin with. The flip side of that coin is that Los Angeles also still has all seven of its selections in the 2020 draft—beginning with the sixth overall pick.

General manager Tom Telesco isn't generally known for making a lot of deals before or during the draft. But with the uncertainty facing the Chargers at the game's most important position, this season may prove to be the exception to that rule.

If the Chargers fall in love with Tua Tagovailoa, it would all but certainly take a trade up to get him. If the team brings in a veteran, it could trade back into the middle of Round 1. Or the Bolts could just stand pat and more likely than not have a shot at Oregon's Justin Herbert.

It's a decision that could define the Chargers for many years, but at least the team has multiple options.

8. New York Jets

For a majority of the teams here, trade ammunition is mostly dependent on available draft capital. The New York Jets have it after a 7-9 season in 2019; in addition to the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Jets also have the third-rounder of their MetLife Stadium roommates after flipping defensive end Leonard Williams to the Giants.

It's possible that Williams won't be the only big-name veteran sent packing.

As Ralph Vacchiano reported back in December for SNY, the Jets are expected to explore dealing both running back Le'Veon Bell and safety Jamal Adams during the offseason.

The Jets signed Bell only a year ago, but he's not a great fit in Adam Gase's offense. Trading Adams is a puzzling move n the surface, but the young safety made no secret of his displeasure when the Jets nearly dealt him to the Dallas Cowboys near the trade deadline last year.

Given that he's one of the NFL's better safeties and could (if his option's picked up) be under contract through 2021, interest in Adams should be robust.

And the Jets could be sitting on a mountain of picks by the time April rolls around.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

In a perfect world, the Jacksonville Jaguars would be over the moon if a team came calling about veteran quarterback Nick Foles. If his first year with the team was any indication, Foles' four-year, $88 million contract was a boondoggle.

But this isn't a perfect world, and there are just too many other quarterbacks who could be available in 2020 for Foles (and his salary) to draw a lot of interest.

Still, the Jaguars may yet send a high-priced veteran packing. The Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks were both able to net a significant return last year by applying the franchise tag and then trading a young edge-rusher. Given how well that worked and the annual desire for so many teams to upgrade the pass rush, there could be a significant market for the services of Yannick Ngakoue.

Trading Ngakoue could add extra meat to an already beefy array of draft picks for the Jaguars. Compliments of the trade that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams, the Jaguars own two first-rounders in each of the next two drafts, including picks No. 9 and No. 20 in 2020.

If the Jaguars have their hearts set on a high-end prospect, they have the capital to go after him.

6. Cincinnati Bengals

To be clear, it's highly unlikely the Cincinnati Bengals will use their most valuable trade asset in 2020 to do anything except select LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the draft.

Yes, Burrow recently made comments that some have construed as potential reluctance to play in Cincy. But it would take a true "Godfather" offer to dissuade the team from taking a player who could transform the franchise for years to come.

With that said, drafting a quarterback isn't going to fix all that ails a team that went 2-14 last year. The Bengals are in the opening stages of a full-on rebuild.

And that could mean a fire sale.

Assuming the Bengals do draft Burrow, Andy Dalton would become expendable, and his sub-$20 million cap hit could be attractive to a number of franchises. Veteran defensive players like tackle Geno Atkins, end Carlos Dunlap and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick could all be flipped for future draft picks.

It's going to be a very interesting offseason in the Queen City.

5. Carolina Panthers

What a difference a year makes.

At this point in 2019, there was talk of the Carolina Panthers getting back to the playoffs after a miserable second half in 2018. Now, after a second straight second-half collapse, the Panthers are staring at a ground-up rebuild.

Head coach Ron Rivera was fired. Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly shockingly retired. And while Cam Newton may be sure that he'll still be in Charlotte in 2020, not many other people are.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Panthers aren't just going to give Newton away; the team is holding out for a "large" deal before trading the former NFL MVP. But all it takes is one team to offer the Panthers a package that could accelerate the rebuild.

The Panthers could also avail themselves of some of that draft capital, package it with their own seventh overall pick and make a play for a quarterback like Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa.

The first season for Matt Rhule as head coach in Carolina is going to be an interesting one.

4. Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have come to a fork in the road, one that could be a massive game-changer for the franchise. That could shake the Lions to the foundation of Ford Field.

On February 2, Dave Dameshek of the NFL Network sent out a tweet that certainly caught the attention of Lions fans.

"I don't know about you," he wrote, "but I'm interested to see where Matt Stafford gets traded in the next month or so."

Trading arguably the best quarterback the team has ever had while he still has (in theory) quite a few years left in him would be a true blockbuster. It would also essentially lock the Lions into drafting a quarterback with the third overall pick in 2020.

And there it is. The fork in the road. Do the Lions stick with the 32-year-old Stafford and use that third pick to build around him? Trade down and stockpile selections? Or blow things up, send Stafford packing and begin a new era in Lions history?

It's a situation that the rest of the league will be watching with immense interest.

Never mind that, according to reports, veteran cornerback Darius Slay could be hitting the market as well.

3. Washington Redskins

The 2019 season was a miserable one for the Washington Redskins. But whether it was the surprising rookie year of wide receiver Terry McLaurin, the improvement of young quarterback Dwayne Haskins or the ammunition the team takes into the offseason, there's room for a healthy measure of optimism in 2020.

For starters, the Redskins possess arguably the most sought-after player in this year's trade market—at least among non-quarterbacks. Offensive tackle Trent Williams didn't play at all last year while embroiled in a dispute with the team, but the 31-year-old is a seven-time Pro Bowler.

If the Redskins want to move Williams, there will be no shortage of suitors.

The same can be said about the second overall pick in the 2020 draft—a pick that many have surmised the Redskins will use on Ohio State edge-rusher Chase Young. But there's also been more than a little speculation that Washington could look to move back and stockpile picks, going with the quantity over quality approach.

Just as with Trent Williams, there wouldn't be any shortage of suitors.

2. Las Vegas Raiders

It's the dawn of a new era in a new city for the Las Vegas Raiders, who begin their tenure in Sin City in 2020. With the draft also in Las Vegas this go-round, the Raiders will be one of the most talked-about teams in the league over the next few months.

They have the ammunition to drive the trade conversation as well.

The biggest chip the Raiders hold is a pair of first-round picks inside the top 20. With Las Vegas in possession of picks No. 12 and No. 19, the Raiders have the capital to move up in Round 1 if the team sets its sights on an elite prospect. Las Vegas also has a pair of picks in Round 3, although it doesn't own a second-rounder and isn't expected to pick up any compensatory selections.

Also, if the Raiders decide to make a change under center (a real possibility, according to some reports), Derek Carr could become one of the most sought-after trade commodities in the league. The 28-year-old is coming off his second straight 4,000-yard season, is under contract through 2022 and carries a relatively modest (for the position) cap hit of $21.5 million in 2020.

If the Raiders don't want Carr, some team(s) will.

1. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins aren't especially likely to trade any more veterans this offseason, if only because they already dealt just about everyone who had any real value.

To be fair, Miami would no doubt love to find a team willing to take Reshad Jones off its hands. But the veteran safety's level of play wasn't anywhere close to his salary in 2019, and the 31-year-old will likely be released outright.

However, the deals that sent Laremy Tunsil to Houston and Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh also equipped the Dolphins with more first-round capital than any team in the league.

In addition to their own pick at No. 5, the Dolphins also own picks No. 18 and 26. That's not all, though. As part of their 14 picks in the 2020 draft, the Dolphins also own two second-rounders and could have two in Round 3 if the compensatory pick for tackle Ja'Wuan James comes in on the high side.

That's at least six (and possibly seven) selections over the first two days in Vegas—more than enough firepower to move up if necessary and obtain a potential franchise quarterback.

Year 2 of the Brian Flores era in Miami is going to feature a lot of new faces.

Salary-cap and compensatory pick information courtesy of Over the Cap.

5 underrated free agents to watch in NFL free agency

Everyone is talking about Tom Brady, Jadeveon Clowney, and Byron Jones heading into NFL free agency, but the underrated signings are sometimes just as important.

Some guys are going to be signed that not many people talk about, and that could be the difference in teams making the playoffs or being one of the first picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Let’s break down five underrated free agents to watch heading into free agency.

5. Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota is a big name, but he is underrated in terms of free agents this offseason. All the talk is about Phillip Rivers and Tom Brady, but the better long-term option very well could be Mariota.

There is no doubt he was a disappointment with the Tennessee Titans, but maybe a change in scenery is all he needs.

He could potentially be a great fit with the Chicago Bears with Matt Nagy calling the plays.

4. Devin Funchess

Devin Funchess broke his collarbone during Week 1 for the Indianapolis Colts, which was a big disappointment.

Funchess probably isn’t a number one receiver on many teams, but this is a guy who can come in a be a true number two.

This is a guy who will come in and quietly be an impact player for whatever team brings him in in NFL free agency.

3. Mackensie Alexander

Mackensie Alexander was often overshadowed by Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes, but there could be an argument made that he was the Minnesota Vikings’ best cornerback during the 2019 season.

He mostly covered the slot and did it at a high level. Pro Football Focus gave him a ranking of 65.7 for the last season.

Alexander should be highly sought after during free agency if the Vikings can’t agree to a long term deal.

2. Tyler Eifert

When Tyler Eifert is on the field he is a solid tight end, but the biggest issue is keeping him on the field.

He has dealt with all kinds of injuries during his career, but in 2019, he appeared in all 16 games. He caught 43 passes for 436 yards and three touchdowns.

Some team that needs a tight end is going to get a great deal by bringing in Eifert.

1. Greg Zuerlein

Greg Zuerlein is a big-name player, but he’s still underrated since he’s a kicker. Zuerlein wasn’t as consistent during the 2019 NFL season, but he still has one of the biggest legs in all of football.

Having a kicker is ultra important, and he still has a great career ahead of him with either the Los Angeles Rams or someone else.

Well, it is officially the off-season. The Chiefs are Super Bowl champions. It's time to get the Rams back on that track!

Cut
OLB Clay Matthews
HB Malcolm Brown

With Brown, we expect Henderson to take a leap in Year 2, so we can let Brown walk. We let Matthews go to get younger at EDGE.

Restructure
QB Jared Goff ($10 million from roster bonus converted into a signing bonus)
DT Aaron Donald ($4 million from base salary converted into a signing bonus)

Re-sign
K Greg Zuerlein - 4 years $12 million
OT Andrew Whitworth - 1 year $10 million
OLB Dante Fowler Jr. (Franchise Tag)
QB Blake Bortles - 2 years $5 million
All Practice Squad Players
All ERFAs

Yes, we're letting Littleton walk. I don't take pleasure in that, but we have to make hard decisions. Littleton's price tag is too high for me. He's a good but not elite ILB. Whitworth has announced that he wants to return. It makes logical sense to bring him back. It'll give Noteboom additional time to recover from his injury. We franchise Fowler with the plan to extend him.

Trades
Rams trade WR Robert Woods
Jets trade Round 3 Pick #4 and 2021 5th round pick

The Jets badly need a WR and have three third round picks. I know some will disagree with the trade, but I think this is the time to make it. With Kupp, Cooks, Higbee, Everett, Reynolds, Gurley, and a rookie WR, we have plenty of options in the passing game.

Rams trade CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
Bengals trade C/OG Billy Price

The Bengals' slot CB, Darqueze Dennard, is a FA. NRC is still a quality slot CB who fits Cincy's scheme. With Ramsey, Hill, Long, and Darious Williams, we have enough depth and talent at CB to trade NRC and save a few bucks on his salary. Price has been a failure for the Bengals, and they have replaced him with Trey Hopkins at Center. We take a shot on him as a reclamation project.

Raiders trade Round 3 Pick #16, Round 3 Pick #17, and Round 4 Pick #15
Rams trade Round 3 Pick #4 and Round 3 Pick #20

Raiders trade up in the third round.

Free Agency

Stephen Weatherly OLB - 2 years $10 million

Weatherly has been stuck behind Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter in Minnesota, but I think he's an underrated player. At 6'5" 265, he seems big for a 3-4 OLB at first glance, but he's an athletic big man who played 3-4 OLB in college. Personally, I think he's an underrated player who could break out if given a larger role. He's a really good run defender on the edge who has the athleticism to drop into coverage when needed. His pass rush potential isn't entirely clear at this stage, but he has shown flashes when given PT in Minnesota. I think he has the potential to be a real bargain for us.

NFL Draft
Round 2 Pick #20 - Tyler Biadasz C/OG Wisconsin
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Analysis: I continue to see him falling to this part of the second in mock after mock. If he does, we should sprint to the podium. Biadasz is exactly what we need on the interior. He's a country strong technician who just consistently executes and wins. The closest things to weaknesses he has are average length and athleticism.

Round 3 Pick #16 - Tyler Johnson WR Minnesota
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Analysis: I think Tyler Johnson could be the Cooper Kupp of this class. He's not going to blow the doors off in the 40, but he's a polished technician with a high football IQ, great quickness, and strong hands. He understands the nuances of route running and how to create throwing windows for his QB. I think he's a guy who can produce from Day 1.

Round 3 Pick #17 - David Woodward ILB Utah State
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Analysis: I've watched a lot of LBs in this class, and I think Zack Baun is the only LB projected outside of the first round who offers the three-down skill-set that Woodward does. Woodward has some areas of the game to polish up, but his ability to cover, run sideline to sideline, and play through blockers in the running game make him a rare commodity. I'm shocked by the lack of hype around him.

Round 4 Pick #15 - Antonio Gibson OW/KR Memphis
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Analysis: Gibson is the first big risk I'm taking in this draft. The plan would be for him to play HB. He split his time between WR and HB at Memphis. He's an explosive player who is very dangerous with the ball in his hands. I think he has the potential to be a David Johnson (before the injuries) type talent if he develops at HB. But he'll need some time. Until that point, he's a gadget player and a KR.

Round 4 Pick #20 - Devin Asiasi TE UCLA
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Analysis: Asiasi is really flying under the radar right now. In his only year in college as a starter (as a junior), he posted 44 catches for 641 yards and 4 TDs. Listed at 6'3" 260, Asiasi moves like a guy 20 pounds lighter. He runs crisp routes and shows no fear in traffic. As a blocker, the potential and attributes are there, but his motor ran hot and cold in college.

Round 4 Pick #34 - Evan Weaver ILB California
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Analysis: Weaver is expected to fall down the board on draft day because of his physical limitations. He posted 181 tackles as a senior at Cal after starting his career playing DE. At 6'2" 235, Weaver has the size and strength to bang between the tackles. He possesses outstanding instincts and is a reliable tackler. He's also an alert zone defender. What he lacks is sideline to sideline speed and the athleticism to hold up against HBs in man coverage.

Round 6 Pick #20 - Josiah Coatney DL Ole Miss
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Analysis: Coatney has a lot of intriguing tools and could play all over our front (from 0-Tech to 5-Tech). He is quite strong and heavy-handed. He shows a more diverse set of pass rush moves than you expect, and his push-pull move can be quite devastating due to how jarring his punch is. He needs to play with more consistent leverage and work not to get washed out in the flow on zone-stretch plays, but the kid has a lot of potential and versatility.

Round 7 Pick #20 - Bravvion Roy NT Baylor
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Analysis: Roy is an intriguing player at 6'1" 332. He posted 61 tackles, 13 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks as a 3-4 NT for Baylor. Roy has the quickness and motor to move horizontally and disrupt zone stretch plays. He's strong, heavy-handed, and has surprising first step acceleration off the LOS. The problems I saw in his film were his lack of consistency with his pad level, tiring late in games, short arms, and struggles finding the ball at times. I think he's a worthwhile developmental NT.

Projected Starters
QB: Jared Goff
HB: Todd Gurley
WR: Brandin Cooks
WR: Cooper Kupp
WR: Josh Reynolds
TE: Tyler Higbee
LT: Andrew Whitworth
LG: Tyler Biadasz v. Austin Corbett v. Bobby Evans v. Billy Price
C: Tyler Biadasz v. Austin Corbett v. Billy Price v. Brian Allen
RG: David Edwards
RT: Rob Havenstein

SDE: Sebastian Joseph-Day
NT: Greg Gaines
UT: Aaron Donald
OLB: Dante Fowler Jr.
ILB: David Woodward v. Evan Weaver v. Micah Kiser v. Kenny Young v. Troy Reeder v. Travin Howard
ILB: David Woodward v. Evan Weaver v. Micah Kiser v. Kenny Young v. Troy Reeder v. Travin Howard
OLB: Stephen Weatherly
LCB: Jalen Ramsey
RCB: Troy Hill
SLCB: David Long Jr.
FS: John Johnson III
SS: Taylor Rapp

K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide

I'm only requesting that boardies pay shipping and postage.

1) Three Rams towels used at games:

A) Two from the Rams/ Ravens Game played in November 2019

B) One Pac-Man Rams Towel probably from the 1980s . Pac-Man Ram is festooned with Rams Horns. It's a yellow towel and Los Angeles Rams printed at the bottom.

C) Los Angeles Rams 1994 pennant, their last year in Anaheim before moving to St. Louis. (On E-Bay it's selling for around $8.50 plus a few bucks for shipping.) Near-Perfect Condition)

D) Official 1999 Super Bowl XXXIV Championship plaque--mounted and ready to display on the wall above the TV. Contains a great photo of team, coaches, trainers, equipment guys and gals and of course Georgia Rosenbloom (Frontiere) On E-Bay it goes for $100.00 plus $15.00 shipping and handling. Near-Perfect Condition

I would love that these Ram Goodies go to a youngster who is a die-hard Ram fan. This way he or she can enjoy them for life.
Anyway I hope some board members are interested. LMK and we'll go from there.

Thanks
Steve L. Roberts Go Rams! Rams Forever!

It's actually been several years since I was actually interested in who wins the Oscar

but it's been several years since I've actually see some of the films that are nominated for best picture

where this year , the wife and have have actually seen 7 of the 9 films nominated

the only films we haven't seen were Parasite and Marriage Story

which I've heard good things for both , so it's going to be a tough decision

I'm predicting 1917 , only because it won the Golden Globe

but I'm not even sure where I would vote ,

anyone got a 9 headed coin ?

of the 7 films we have seen , Little Women was probably my so-so film , but that may be because that movie has been made like 100 times before

Best Actor , I'm going to with Joaquin Phoenix for Joker

Best Supporting Actor , I'm going with Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Actress , I'm going with Renée Zellweger, for Judy

Best Supporting Actress , No clue on this one , the only one I've seen was Scarlett Johansson, in Jojo Rabbit , but I don't think she will get it

Best Director , I'm going with Sam Mendes, for 1917

my dark horse for Best Picture will be Parasite , this film has been getting alot of buzz lately , we'll see if it's enough to carry it to Best Picture

JoJo Rabbit is my favorite of the bunch , every now and then a movie comes along that you resonate with , and this one did for me , this film might not be for everyone , but it worked for me

Where do I go to bet on this?

The Rams are definitely going to be higher than 8.5 wins.

Vegas Win Predictions for 2020 Season

Wanted to start a thread for discussion on this class, which is stacked with options. And in fact I feel like come 52 in this draft there's a good chance an edge is sitting there as BPA. Will start off with some discussion vids then will work through the options who fit as 3-4 edge types...

For this discussion if you aren't familiar with the names I suggest opening a draft site so you can check and know who they're discussing. And keep in mind some of these guys are better fits for a 4-3:
Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nvjwCo0aZs

I doubt there'd be much cap relief from trading him as he's on his rookie contract and in the last year but I'd be curious if they could get a late pick. Mundt is a restricted free agent and an easy resign.

With all the money going elsewhere this season and next (not to mention, Higbee's new contract), it's not like we're going to keep him. Would it be a benefit to recoup something for him?

I guess the question is: is it possible now that a two-te set with Higbee and Mundt is more productive than Higbee and Everett?? Does Mundt's blocking offer more versatility than Everett's receiving ability? Or was it all about his injury last year??