Oculus set to provide groundbreaking in-stadium amenity for fans at SoFi Stadium

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A defining feature of SoFi Stadium, the double-sided Oculus video board will usher in a new amenity in fan experience when it rises toward the venue's transparent roof.

According to Skarpi Hedinsson, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park's Chief Technology Officer, it will house the first ever 4k HDR video system in a stadium.

"This is a big breakthrough," Hedinsson said during a media event held at the stadium on Jan. 22.

It's also a necessary breakthrough, too.

Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff spoke previously about tailoring everything filling the nearly 300-acre campus to what he called the experiential economy, and there is perhaps no better way to draw fans to the stadium than a 120-yard-long video board.

The only two-sided oval center-hung video board in an NFL stadium, the Oculus is the only 4k end-to-end video production in sports. It also has the largest LED content playback system ever deployed. Every face/display can be uniquely programmed with live content, statistics or animated content. The idea of having a dual-sided display is that no matter where a fan sits in the stadium, they will have a video surface in front of them.

Hedinsson said they expect between 80 and 85 professionals creating content for the Oculus, and that undertaking itself will be different from any other professional sports team.

The Falcons have a halo-shaped video board inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but it only displays content on the interior of the structure.

"Nobody has ever created content for a double-circular board like this," Hedinsson said. "So the team has been in the lab for a long time, using our VR technology to understand how best to present content and how do we make sure that all the seating sections are in play as we put our images and our replay frames on the board."

Hedinsson and his team meet weekly with members of the Rams' creative team as part of developing that strategy. They'll have plenty of technology to work with along the way.

The screens collectively have 80 million pixels, and behind them sits more than 260 speakers which handle all of the audio for the entire stadium. Additionally, the structure will house 56 5G antennas.

All told, the content displayed on both sides of the Oculus aims to be better that what fans would see compared to watching the broadcast at home.

"We're trying to create a better guest experience, a better fan experience," Hedinsson said. "How do we create content? How do we give our guests the best possible show when they come to Hollywood Park? And I think that was the primary driver. But I think having a center home board, it opens up a lot of other possibilities in the building."

The Oculus currently weighs approximately one million pounds. Upon completion, it will reach 2.2 million pounds or 1,000 metric tons.

Thanks to the 43 trucks which shipped the display to the stadium, soon it will all come together to provide a groundbreaking video experience for fans.

We do not need depth - we need starters from this draft for 2020-2021. It would help our CAP situation and, I believe, propel us back into contention

There will be top prospects at MLB OL DT available deep into round 2

We should sacrifice later picks and go get two players who can start straight away and elevate our play from last season

For me, Kenneth Murray MLB needs help with technique but has amazing physical skills that could help take our defense over the top. Ruiz would be my second pick. I would not wait until the 3rd round when he would be likely gone. Both could become +starters to my view

What do you think? Who would you pick?

So, yeah, I was going to post this mock before the Super Bowl, but I lost my progress. I'm not going to include any of the prospects I've included in the past. So, shall we get started?

Cut:

Eric Weddle
Clay Matthews
Tanzel Smart
Jamil Demby

(Both Weddle and Matthews have long overstayed their welcomes. Smart and Demby are cut for both savings and because they aren't NFL-caliber players.)

Restructure:

Jared Goff
Brandin Cooks

(Both restructures give us much needed cap space.)

Re-sign

Jalen Ramsey - five years, 84 million overall.
Cooper Kupp - five years, 65 million overall.
John Johnson III - four years, 48 million overall.
Andrew Whitworth - one year, 9 million overall.
Greg Zuerlein - three years, 7 million overall.
Dante Fowler - franchise tag.
Morgan Fox - RFA
Johnny Mundt - ERFA
Nsimba Webster - ERFA
Kendall Blanton - ERFA
Coleman Shelton - ERFA
Marquise Copeland - Practice Squad
Greg Dortch - Practice Squad.
Jachai Polite - Practice Squad
Landis Durham - Practice Squad
John Wolford - Practice Squad
Jeff Holland - Practice Squad
Adonis Alexander - Practice Squad
Nate Trewyn - Practice Squad
Ethan Wolf - Practice Squad

(Might as well get the Ramsey signing out of the way this year; pay the man to lock down one side of the field. It also makes sense to do an extension with Kupp and JJ3 because they'll be worth more on the open market. Whitworth looks like he'll re-up with us, so he's on this list. Zuerlein, for all his inconsistency, is still our best option at kicker. Morgan Fox is the only RFA who gets re-signed, and the others are ERFAs and practice squad candidates.)

Release:

Cory Littleton
Michael Brockers
Blake Bortles
Bryce Hager
Jojo Natson
Donte Deayon
Austin Blythe
Marqui Christian
Mike Thomas
Josh Carraway
Jeremiah Kolone

(Unfortunately, we can't keep everyone. That means that Littleton, as much as I hate it, will be let go, along with Brockers. Christian goes for an opportunity to start, as well as Bortles. The others, I'm fine with losing.)

Free Agency:

Forrest Lamp - three years, 12 million overall.

(Apparently, the Los Angeles Chargers have a voodoo curse upon them that gets all of their players hurt. Let's pick up Lamp from the scrap-heap after he gets cut by the Chargers. The contract is six million in the first year and three million in the next two, in case his injuries follow him here.)

Trades (sorry @den-the-coach ) :

Dante Fowler to the Atlanta Falcons for 2020 second (Falcons) and 2020 fourth.

(You hear the rumor that Fowler wants to go to Atlanta because of Dan Quinn? Let's send him there...for a price. The Falcons lack an edge presence like Fowler, especially since Vic Beasley busted. They're competitive, and want to go up against the Saints. It makes sense.)

Robert Woods to the Indianapolis Colts for 2020 second.

(The Colts have nothing behind T.Y. Hilton. That, along with trying to compete in a division that's basically anyone's game, makes them able to send one of their two seconds to us for Woods.)

Nickell Robey-Coleman and 2020 seventh to the Cincinnati Bengals for 2020 sixth.

(The Bengals need a nickel corner, and NRC fits the system. Makes sense.)

Malcolm Brown to the San Diego Chargers for 2020 fifth.

(The Chargers are likely going to let Melvin Gordon go to another team, so they're going to need a power back behind Austin Ekeler. Brown could be that back.)

Rob Havenstein and 2020 sixth (ours) to the New York Jets for 2020 fourth.

(Havenstein may be sold low, but the Jets have nothing at tackle, and he'd be a perfect fit.)

2020 second (ours) to Washington for 2020 third and 2020 fourth.

(Simple trade down with Washington to get more picks.)

Draft:

2nd (Colts) - Cesar Ruiz, OC, Michigan. (6'4", 319 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Ruiz is a great center prospect that a lot of you have latched onto. Since I can't choose Biadasz or Muti, count me as one of them! Ruiz is a powerful man and is surprisingly quick for his size. And yes, size is an issue. He's got a fair bit of bad weight that should be dropped. He needs work at the technical bits of center - not his overall technique, which is quite good, but the issues of practicing against stunts and twists and the like. For those reasons, I'd rather he sit as a rookie or - if you have to play him - at guard. Overall, though, he'd be a great pick for the Rams.)

2nd (Falcons) - Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn. (6'5", 305 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Wanogho is not Greg Robinson 2.0. I have to say it because you all probably don't ever want to see an offensive lineman from Auburn drafted ever again, but the problem with Wanogho is not mental, pass-protecting, or having a mean streak. He has technique issues, and struggles with run-blocking, but those are fixable, especially since he's sitting behind Whitworth and being taught by Kromer. The finished product could be a left tackle of the future.)

3rd (Washington) - Ross Blacklock, DL, TCU. (6'4", 305 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Blacklock has the size, motor, and strength to be a force on the D-line. He missed a season with an Achilles injury in 2018, but he returned healthy and was a force for the Horned Frogs. He can play any position on the D-line, even nose (although I'd prefer him to be a 5-tech), and he's flexible and slippery as a lineman; he makes it difficult to get a hold of him. And when he gets to the quarterback or running back, he has the length to bring them down.)

3rd (ours) - Joshua Uche, OLB, Michigan. (6'1", 241 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(I wrestled between Uche and Bradlee Anae (Utah), eventually choosing the former because of his athletic traits. Uche is a freak of nature at edge. He's got Robert Quinn-like bend. Seriously. As a speed-rusher alone, he'll get his fair bit of sacks. He needs to add more weight, and he struggles with dropping into space, but he's a very talented pass-rusher who should be able to dominate in the NFL.)

4th (Washington) - Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota. (6'2", 205 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(I fucking love Tyler Johnson as a prospect. He seriously gives me Cooper Kupp vibes. He's going to be drafted this low because he doesn't have the best physical traits, and he won't blow up the Combine. I don't care; he's a stud. He can work outside, in the slot, catches almost everything thrown to him, runs routes like the lovechild of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, and thinks the game at a quarterback's level. Mark my words; if the Rams draft him, it will be a steal.)

4th (Jets) - DaVon Hamilton, DL, Ohio State. (6'4", 327 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Hamilton is a red-shirt senior who bided his time behind Ohio State's talented D-line before having a...decent senior year. That's it. He didn't put up insane stats like Young or Bosa before him. What he did do was all of the little things, in addition to his athleticism, that could prove that he'll be a better pro player than college player. Hamilton uses his strength, length, and solid first step to pressure quarterbacks, he takes on double-teams, and when he does penetrate, he can quickly engulf quarterbacks and running backs alike.)

4th (Falcons) -Robert Hunt, OG, UL-Lafayette. (6'5", 335 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Hunt is a big man with one of the biggest mean streaks in the college football world. He played tackle in college, but will have to move to guard at the next level. He moves and buries people in the run game and has underrated athleticism. He'll need work as a pass-protector, even after moving to guard.)

4th (ours) - Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame. (6'4", 229 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Claypool - hailing from BC, Canada - is a huge redzone target who would have much better stats if Notre Dame's quarterbacks weren't terrible. He has an enormous catch radius with sticky hands to boot. He knows how to keep his feet inbounds, has a solid route tree and decent route-running ability for a man as big as he is. While he's got solid size and hands, though, he's going to have issues separating himself from cornerbacks with marginal speed.)

4th (ours, compensatory) - Justin Strnad, ILB, Wake Forest. (6'3", 235 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Strnad is so underrated. He has range, blitzing and coverage skills for days, and he never gives up on plays. He needs to work on his tackling, and he had a torn biceps injury this year. Still, he flashes potential and could eventually be a starting inside linebacker for us.)

5th (Chargers) - Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis. (6'1", 223 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Another Memphis running back? You might wonder where they come from, but Gibson was actually a wideout/running back at Memphis. As such, he's good at catching the ball. Gibson's size, vision, and speed help him a ton, and he can take one to the house anytime. He sees the field differently, has numerous different gears to shift into, and he's a powerful runner. He needs work as a running back, though. He runs upright, which hurts him when he needs to break tackles. and yes, he's a tweener. But for the fifth round, I'll take him.)

6th (Bengals) - Thakarius Keyes, CB/FS, Tulane. (6'0", 190 lbs.)

Login to view embedded media
(Keyes is a great press-man cornerback. He has the length to completely knock bigger receivers completely off their routes, and is fast enough to mirror them if they manage to get past the initial press. He needs a lot of work on his ball skills; he'd have even bigger stats than he has if he just knew how to play with his back to the ball. But as a sixth-round flyer, he's a solid prospect.)

Roster: (bold = rookie, italics = starter.)

QB - Jared Goff, John Wolford.
RB - Todd Gurley, Darrell Henderson, Antonio Gibson.
WR - Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, Josh Reynolds, Tyler Johnson, Chase Claypool, Nsimba Webster, Greg Dortch.
TE - Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett, Johnny Mundt, Kendall Blanton.
OL - Andrew Whitworth, Forrest Lamp, Austin Corbett, David Edwards, Bobby Evans, Cesar Ruiz, Prince Tega Wanogho, Robert Hunt, Joseph Noteboom (PUP).
DL - Aaron Donald, Morgan Fox, Greg Gaines, Sebastian Joseph-Day, DaVon Hamilton, Ross Blacklock.
LB - Samson Ebukam, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Travin Howard, Micah Kiser, Kenny Young, Natrez Patrick, Justin Strnad, Jachai Polite, Jeff Holland, Joshua Uche.
DB - Jalen Ramsey, Troy Hill, John Johnson III, Taylor Rapp, David Long, Darious Williams, Jake Gervase, Thakarius Keyes, Adonis Alexander, Nick Scott.
ST - Greg Zuerlein, Johnny Hekker, Jake McQuaide.

Hollywood legend passes

Will focus on his life before nfl starter and the 99 season. Can’t wait, they should get Greg Kinear to play Vermeil again lol.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/wpgm_pr/status/1225053964720398337?s=21

Here are a few off the top of my head.

Will a RB be drafted by round 3?

Will Wolford be our backup QB?

Will Big Whit be extended? Should he be?

Will Boom be healthy by September?

Will Corbett possibly be our new starting C?

Will a C be drafted high?

Will Hav return to ‘18 form?

Will Blythe be extended inexpensively?

What moves will Snead make to address our OL?

Will Fowler be extended? Should he be, cost-wise?

Will Littleton be extended? Should he be?

How will Snead address DL, FA or draft? Or both?

Will Matthews be on the 53? Should he be?

If Fowler and/or Matthews are gone, is there a starting Edge on this roster? If you think so, where is your evidence?

How will Snead address ILB if Littleton leaves?

Will Ramsey be extended this offseason?

Will Weddle be released? Duh.

Will Christian be extended? Should he be, or will they draft a Safety?

Will Zuerlein be extended? Should he be?

Will coach Waldron leave for LSU?

Who will be our new ST coordinator?

Who will be our new RB coach?

Will we ever know why McVay was willing to allow Wade Phillips, Peete, and Fassel to depart?

Will Snead trade down from #52? (I practically guarantee it)


Wow! Tons of offseason fodder to discuss as we await the coming mocks.

I just wanted to say you guys have one of the classiest teams and fan base in football. Your easy to pull for when your not playing us, love you all and hope you guys represent the NFC if we don’t in the SB next year.

.

Login to view embedded media
.

Is the Super Bowl hangover real? How past losers have fared next season

Kyle Shanahan offered a confident resolve the day following his team's loss in Super Bowl LIV. Despite holding a 20-10 lead with half a quarter remaining, Shanahan's 49ers surrendered 21 unanswered points to MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who won their first Super Bowl in 50 years while keeping the 49ers at five Super Bowl wins in the process. Shanahan, who lost Super Bowl LI as a member of the Falcons' coaching staff, does not believe it will be hard for his team to rebound from Sunday's loss.

"[Bouncing back] shouldn't be a problem," Shanahan told media after the game, via Pro Football Talk. "We'll lick our wounds, we'll get over this. We'll be fired up for next year. We got a lot of people coming back.

"I think we surprised a lot of people this year. We knew we had a really good team. I'm very proud of the guys and how much better they got throughout this year, and I expect to get almost all of these guys back and plan on adding a few more.

"We're going to rest a little bit, get over this, but we'll be very fired up for next year."

History suggests that the 49ers' road back to the Super Bowl may be daunting. Only seven teams in NFL history -- the 1972 Dolphins, the '73 Vikings, the '87 Broncos, the 1991-93 Bills and the 2018 Patriots -- have returned to the Super Bowl the year after losing the Big Game. And out of those teams, only the '72 Dolphins and '18 Patriots were able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy a year after being on the short end of the Super Bowl scoreboard.

While getting back to the Super Bowl has proven to be a daunting task for the Super Bowl runner-up, simply making it back to the playoffs is also not a guarantee, as several recent runner-ups have failed to qualify for the postseason the year after playing in the Big Game.

Here's a look at how the previous 10 Super Bowl runner-ups fared during the following season.

The 2010 Colts

After winning 14 regular season games en route to an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV, the Colts slipped to a 10-6 record in 2010. While the Colts' offense, led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, was even better in '10 than it was in '09, the Colts' defense was in rapid decline, as they went from 8th to 23rd in total defense. Indianapolis was particularly bad against the run, ranking 25th in the league in that department during the regular season.

The Colts' issues against the run came to a head during the team's wild-card matchup with Rex Ryan's Jets. While the Indianapolis defense held the Jets to just 16 points, they were unable to contain Jets running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, who combined to rush for 152 yards on 35 carries while helping the Jets control the clock for over 33 minutes. Conversely, the Jets' defense held the Colts to under 100 yards rushing while also holding Manning to just 225 passing yards. After losing to the Colts the previous year in the AFC title game, the Jets left Indianapolis with a 17-16 win in what would be Manning's final game as a Colt.

Manning would miss the entire 2011 season with an injury, as the Colts won just two games before drafting Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft.

The 2011 Steelers

Despite going 12-4, the Steelers, who fell to the Packers 31-25 in Super Bow LIV, had to play in the wild card round after finishing behind the Ravens in the AFC North division standings. Facing the 8-8 Broncos in the first round of the playoffs, the Steelers were famously defeated in overtime on Tim Tebow's 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas. The Steelers, who had appeared in three of the previous six Super Bowls, would miss the playoffs in 2012-13 before returning to the postseason in 2014.

While the Steelers boasted the league's top-ranked defense during the 2011 season, Pittsburgh's offense was just 21st in scoring. A late-season injury to Ben Roethlisberger also hurt Pittsburgh's championship hopes, as Big Ben was clearly not anywhere close to 100% health during the Steelers' wild-card loss to Denver. The hits on Roethlisberger -- as well as the offense's dip in production -- led Pittsburgh's brass to not renew offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' contract that offseason while replacing him with Todd Haley. While Roethlisberger went onto enjoy some of his best statistical seasons with Haley, the Steelers have appeared it just one AFC Championship Game since their last trip to the Super Bowl.

The 2012 Patriots

Unlike the Colts and Steelers, the Patriots would make another deep playoff run a year after falling short in the Super Bowl. Led by quarterback Tom Brady and third-year tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots would win 12 games during the regular season on the strength of their top-ranked scoring offense.

After putting 41 points up on the Texans in the divisional round, the Patriots would host the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game for a second straight year. But after taking a 13-7 lead into intermission, the Patriots would get shut out during the second half, as three Joe Flacco touchdown passes led the Ravens to a 28-13 victory. While credit should be given to the Ravens, the Patriots were clearly impacted by the loss of Gronkowski, who was inactive after breaking his forearm the previous week against the Texans.

While the Ravens would go on to defeat the 49ers in the Super Bowl, the Patriots would lose in the AFC title game again in 2013 before making it back to the Super Bowl in 2014.

The 2013 49ers

A year after falling just short in Super Bowl XLVII, the 49ers showed virtually no drop off in 2013, winning 12 regular season games while boasting the league's third-ranked scoring defense. After scoring 23 points their playoff wins over the Packers and Panthers, the 49ers' offense scored just 17 points in their six-point loss to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game. While 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick gashed the Seahawks' defense on the ground (rushing for 130 yards on 11 carries), his two interceptions, including his infamous end zone interception with 30 seconds left, loomed large in the 49ers' 23-17 loss.

While their defense was still one of the league's best in 2014, the 49ers regressed dramatically on the offensive side of the ball, ranking just 25th in scoring and 28th in red zone efficiency. San Francisco slipped to 8-8 in 2014, missing the playoffs in what was John Harbaugh's final season with the team. The 49ers won just seven games over the next two seasons before the franchise brought in Shanahan and GM John Lynch in 2017.

2014 Broncos

After an embarrassing blowout loss to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, Manning and the Broncos showed their resolve by winning 12 regular season games in 2014. Manning enjoyed another prolific season, while Denver's defense improved from 22nd to 16th in points allowed.

But despite their defensive improvement, the Broncos' defense was still not good enough to stop Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who led the Colts to an upset win over Denver in the divisional round. The Broncos' loss was a team effort, however, as Manning completed just 56.5% of his throws in Denver's 24-13 loss.

The Broncos' defense saw a rapid improvement in 2015, as Broncos GM John Elway replaced former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio with Wade Phillips. While Manning battled age and injury in 2015, Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos' fourth-ranked defense led the Broncos to a victory over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

2015 Seahawks

Statistically, the Seahawks, who won the Super Bowl in '13 before losing a classic to the Patriots the previous season, were even better in 2015. While their defense, led by Richard Sherman, was ranked first in the league for a third straight year, their offense, led by Russell Wilson, finished 4th in the NFL in scoring after being 10th and 8th in that department the previous two years.

But after edging the Vikings on the road in the wild card round, Seattle was blasted by the Panthers, who went 15-1 during the regular season, in the divisional round. After allowing a 59-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, the Seahawks found themselves trailing 31-0 at halftime. While Wilson's three second-half touchdown passes helped close the gap, the Seahawks ultimately fell to the eventual NFC champs, 31-24.

While Wilson continued to develop into a top-tier quarterback, Seattle would fall again to the eventual NFC champion in the '16 playoffs before missing the playoffs altogether in 2017. While the Seahawks have rebounded with consecutive playoff appearances, they haven't advanced past the divisional round since 2014.

2016 Panthers

The 2016 Panthers were unable to shake off their dismal Super Bowl showing the previous season. A year after winning league MVP honors, quarterback Cam Newton suffered a down year (that was partly due to an injury he sustained in Week 14), completing less than 53% of his pass attempts. Carolina's defense -- after losing All-Pro cornerback Josh Normanin free agency -- also took a major step back, as the Panthers' secondary went from 11th to 29th in passing yards allow. The regressions of Newton and the defense contributed largely to the Panthers' 6-10 record in 2016. Carolina enjoyed a brief resurgence in 2017 before missing the playoffs again in 2018 and in 2019. Ron Rivera, who led Carolina to three straight division titles earlier in the decade, was relieved of his duties late in the 2019 season. He has since resurfaced in Washington with the Redskins.

2017 Falcons

Like the Panthers, the Falcons, who famously squandered a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI, endured a Super Bowl hangover, winning just half of their first eight games of the 2017 campaign. But after a slow start, Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the rest of the Falcons rebounded by going 6-2 down the stretch to clinch a wild card berth. But after defeating the up and coming Rams in Los Angeles in the wild card round, the Falcons' red zone issues that season (they were 23rd in the NFL in red zone efficiency that season) reared its ugly head in the divisional round, as the Falcons scored just 10 points in their road loss to the eventual champion -- the Philadelphia Eagles. Atlanta has yet to return to the postseason, posting 7-9 records in each of the past two seasons.

2018 Patriots

After rallying from behind to defeat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, the Patriots surrendered 41 points in their loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. And despite a (for them) modest 11-5 record, the Patriots regained their swagger in the playoffs, dismantling the Chargers in the divisional round before needing overtime to defeat the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC title game.

In Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots' defense held the Rams to just three points, tied for the fewest total allowed by a team in Super Bowl history. Offensively, New England was led by game MVP Julian Edelman, whose 10-catch, 141-yard effort keyed the Patriots' 13-3 win and sixth Super Bowl win during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.

2019 Rams

Unlike the '18 Patriots, the Rams were unable to rebound the year after losing the Big Game. Injuries at the skill positions, a slip in production on the defensive side of the ball, and playing in the NFL's toughest division took its toll on the Rams last season, as Los Angeles missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. The Rams have already begun making changes in order to get back to a Super Bowl, replacing former DC Wade Phillips with 37-year-old Brandon Staley, who served as the Bears' LB coach from 2017-18 before assuming the same position in Denver last season.

Chiefs, 49ers near the bottom of the league in 2020 cap space

It won’t be easy for this year’s Super Bowl participants to stay on top of the NFL.

The Chiefs rank 24th in the NFL in available cap space for 2020, with $16.1 million available to spend, while the 49ers rank 26th, with $13.9 million, according to OverTheCap.com.

For the Chiefs, the top offseason priority is likely to be a new contract for Patrick Mahomes. That contract can be structured in a way that doesn’t give him a huge cap hit for 2020 but given that his cap hit is currently slated to be just $5.2 million, his cap hit is likely to grow. The Chiefs also have some important players, such as defensive lineman Chris Jones and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents.

The 49ers have less cap space than the Chiefs and unrestricted free agents they’d like to re-sign including defensive end Arik Armstead, safety Jimmie Ward and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Keeping their roster together won’t be easy. If the 49ers want to make the kind of radical move that Super Bowl teams rarely make, they could move on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s set to have a cap hit of $26.6 million in 2020, but the 49ers could save $22.4 million of that by getting rid of him.

Both Super Bowl teams have some tough decisions to make this offseason about keeping as much of their rosters together as they can while facing the realities of the salary cap.

And a lot of other pieces and teams involved tonight in this blockbuster

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/foolishbb/status/1224889368139247617?s=21

Just heard live...will post when I can find it online.

Ripped him bigtime.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1224731873873735683


Man, it feels like Jacksonville is slowly losing their team.

Cool story.

———

'Ghost wagon' appears in Oregon lake

A mysterious 19th-century “ghost wagon” has appeared in an Oregon lake.

www.foxnews.com

'Ghost wagon' appears in Oregon lake

A mysterious 19th-century “ghost wagon” has appeared in an Oregon lake.

Salem, Ore.-based photographer and Marine Corps veteran Jeffrey Green posted an image of the wagon to Instagram on Jan. 23. In the post, Green explained that, for a couple of weeks in December 2019, the lake had to have its water drastically drawn down for dam maintenance.

“I headed up and searched 3 times while the water dropped day-by-day until I found this ‘historic utility wagon’, which had been left behind at the normally underwater site of the original town (site submerged in 1952),” Green wrote in the post. “Needless to say, it was an amazing experience to see it!”
Green added that the lake’s water level has returned to its normal winter levels. The wagon, he explained, “is safely 20-25 feet underwater and far from shore.”



On Facebook, Green provided more details on the discovery, which was made in Detroit Lake, a reservoir near Salem. Water conditions in the lake have helped preserve the 19th-century utility wagon, he said, noting that “over the decades, the (low oxygen) cold water has done an amazing job of preserving it.”

After using binoculars to locate the wagon, Green attempted to get as close as he could. “I had trouble getting closer than about 15 feet to it, because the ground all around it was the consistency of whipped cream with nothing solid under it. I tried to get through it, but quickly sank and got stuck nearly up to my waist,” he wrote. “Once unstuck, and covered in mud from head to toe, I snapped several images and simply gazed at in awe. Several days later the water level started going back up.”

The Salem Statesman Journal reports that the wagon was also spotted during a drought in 2015.

Other mysterious artifacts from bygone eras occasionally appear in other parts of the U.S., typically on beaches. A shipwreck linked to a mutiny and murder mystery, for example, recently emerged from the sands of a North Carolina beach.

Other North Carolina shipwrecks have also been garnering attention. In October 2019, a mysterious shipwreck emerged on a Hatteras Island beach in the wake of a storm before being swallowed up by the sand.

Earlier in 2019, the creepy skeleton of an 86-year-old shipwreck was also revealed by the shifting sands of Hatteras Island.

This is kind of a combination of what I think will happen and what I would do. I've made it clear in other threads I'm not a fan of Sherff for the money he'll command with his recent injury history. Some of the other G free agents are appealing but there are a lot of OLine needy teams with a whole lot more money than we have.

Waive/options not picked up:

Malcolm Brown We had high hopes for him as our #2 but he just can't seem to be healthy enough to occupy that role.
Eric Weddle Enough has been said.
Clay Matthews Another cost cutting move. We have a lot of youth at the position and I plan on adding a draft pick there.

Resign:

Greg Zeurlein I've stated before I think his inconsistency will make him relatively cheap for a 2-3 year deal and we'll have enough turn over in other areas I don't think we do that here as well.

The usual suspects are brought back as well Morgan Fox (who could see more PT in rotation at DE with Brockers walking), Donte Deayon and Marqui Christian. Carraway, Mundt, Shelton and Webster are ERFA brought back as well.

Free agents:

Patrick Onwuasor ILB I've seen his name thrown around a few times and he makes sense. We have an obvious need at ILB since I'm letting CL walk and I've seen it suggested Patrick's market will be in the $5 million per area. I think that's light but I'm gonna go with that number for now.

Danny Shelton NT He's been talked about as a free agent that makes too much sense to not mock him here. Like Onwuasor he should see something in the $5 million area which makes him a value as well. I see him coming in and rotating with Greg Gaines while Sebastian Joseph-Day moves to Brockers spot and rotates with Morgan Fox

Trades:

Dante Fowler It's something that's been talked about for days and days now but it makes too much sense to tag and trade him. I see Miami a lot but I'll add another target for this mock and say the Houston Texans. They have an obvious need for a pass rusher and a ton of cap space. Without a 1st round pick and picking late in the 2nd they make the move feeling Fowler has more upside than what they can get at this pick. The only reluctance I have with this team is they are limited in picks but they're a playoff team with an obvious need and trading pick 2-#26(58) and a 2021 day 3 pick. The obvious choice of Miami still stands and another dark horse could be Atlanta. They've just announced today they won't pursue a contract with Vic Beasley. Carolina is rebuilding, Tampa is a ways off and while the Saints are the favorites of that division they have some serious cap issues and a glaring opening at QB. Our relationship with them is well known and we could talk them into making the move with an eye to competing while the division is down and Matt Ryan isn't getting any younger. They've invested big in the offense and could try to add a proven pass rusher.

Picks:

Round 2 pick 20:

Julian Okwara EDGE Notre Dame

He comes in and starts immediately in Fowlers spot.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gGL7h8nkPA


Round 2 pick 26:

Ezra Cleveland LT Boise St

He comes in and competes with David Edwards and I think as a rookie wins the LT position. I'm aware people are going to have an issue, this might be the biggest issue people have with the draft. I don't think the Rams can wait to see how Noteboom is recovering and in this mock I'm not bringing Whitworth back.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K18wK7MFMx4


Round 3 pick 20:

Lloyd Cushenberry C LSU:

Another rookie starting on the OLine? Yeah and no problem with it. Cushenberry had a very good season that he punctuated with a good week at the Senior Bowl. Allen will be allowed to compete in camp but ultimately I think loses out.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBykSvGojR0


Round 4 pick 20:

Quientez Cephus WR Wisconsin:

This is a pick a year early. He comes in as our #5 WR as we could see Cooks gone next year as well as Reynolds with Woods following them out the door in 2021. He gets a year to learn the offense and contribute on special teams.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFsCfiJT30w


Round 4 pick 34:

Larrell Murchison DE/DT NC State

We all know we need more bodies up front and here we add a guy who will come in to add that.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbuBC8oBUHw


Round 6 pick 20:

Tremayne Anchrum OL Clemson

I say OL because he has started at both RT and RG, limited center snaps. He was a good RT but it's thought he'll have to move inside possibly even Center in the NFL. At worst he could be an emergency RT. Played on some good OLines and has some very good college tape.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9LgrMJnY-8



Round 7 pick 20:

Tavien Feaster RB South Carolina

I let Brown go and here we take a 3rd string back to come in behind Gurley and Henderson.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAN1yiAK-OA


Free agency I added a NT and a starting ILB upgrading our run defense then added depth in the 4th with Murchison. Bring in Okwara who I think starts day 1. The other OLB position is a competition with Ebukam, Okowronkwo, Patrick Holland, Polite and Carraway. The other inside spot is again competition on the roster already with Kiser, Patrick, Howard, Reeder, Young and Hager.

I know I know I'm rolling the dice with the LT spot. I think we'll be good with Cleveland as a rookie.

I like the playmaker addition of Cephus and Feaster is nice depth on the OLine.

Depth Chart

Depth Chart:

QB: Goff, Wolford (vet?)
RB: Gurley, Henderson, Feaster, Kelly
WR: Woods, Kupp, Cooks, Reynolds, Webster, Cephus
TE: Higbee, Everett, Mundt, Blanton
LT: Cleveland, Edwards, Brewer (Noteboom)
LG: Corbett, Edwards Ancrum, Brewer
C: Cushenerry, Allen, Shelton
RG: Edwards, Corbett, Brewer, Demby, Kolone
RT: Havenstein, Evans

DE: Donald, Murchison
NT: Shelton, Gaines, Smart
DE: Joseph-Day, Fox Murchison
EDGE: Okwara, Polite, Obo
ILB: Onwuasar, Howard, Reeder
ILB: Kiser, Young, Hager, Patrick
OLB: Ebukam, Holland
CB: Ramsey, Hill, Long, Deayon, Williams, NRC
S: Johnson, Kupp, Christian, Scott, Gervase

Ok it's out there. I had a thought of a different free agent to add and I may still have cash to add him with a restructure(small one) of Goff I'll look at that later. Hit me with it.

Of course I hoped the 9ers would lose but it ended up being so much more. Ideally they would’ve gotten shut out but losing a game you were in a position to win is just as good. And even better to have the genius coach’s game management questioned, and even better to have their incredibly handsome qb come up small when it mattered most.
Next year should be really interesting, McVay had some of the shine taken off his boy genius label after gettin schooled by Belichek, now how is “ the best play caller in the game” perceived after pissin down his leg, AGAIN, in the super bowl, and the cherry on top was Sherm gettin roasted after screaming about being disrespected by those questioning his greatness.

What are the most memorable songs from the 90s?

Jared Goff is 100/1 in Vegas for next years MVP and Todd Gurley is not even on the board. Looks like to me Vegas has completely written off the Rams.
What’s amazing is the names that are bigger favorites...like Kyler Murray at 20/1, Matt Ryan at 30/1, Josh Allen 40/1, Tua Tagovailoa who hasn't played a down in the NFL and has a blown hip is 80/1.
Maybe it’s my Rams fandom but it sure seems like the Rams get no respect.

I wonder if we were waiting for coaches on sb teams. maybe we will hear something now

Login to view embedded media

View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2874393-2020-nfl-mock-draft-matt-millers-post-super-bowl-complete-7-round-predictions#slide38


Rams:
52. IOL Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
84. LB Logan Wilson, Wyoming
123. OT Ben Bartch, St. John's
137.(comp) EDGE D.J. Wonnum, South Carolina
174.(BAL) RB Lamical Perine, Florida
200. S J.R. Reed, Georgia
235. OT Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas

It was a common theme this year (and since his arrival for that matter) that McVay's playcalling has been questionable.

After this Shanahan Meltdown 2, I sincerely hope he will have his epiphany.

Here is the entire 49ers fanbase's summary feeling at the moment (from their forum):

Year 1:

Wins: Colts, @Niners, @Cowboys, @Jaguars, Cardinals (London), @Giants, Texans, Saints, @Cardinals, @Seahawks, @Titans
Losses: Redskins, Seahawks, @vikings, Eagles, Niners*, Falcons

W/L vs. teams with a winning record (final standings): 5-3; record against 8-8 teams: 2-0; record against final 4 teams: 1-2

Year 2:

Wins: @Raiders, Cardinals, Chargers, Vikings, @Seahawks, @Broncos, @Niners, Packers, Seahawks, Chiefs, @Lions, @Cardinals, Niners, Cowboys, Saints
Losses: @Saints, @Bears, Eagles, Patriots (SB)

W/L vs. teams with a winning record (final standings): 5-3 (7-4 counting playoffs); record against final 4 teams: 2-2 (counting playoffs)

Year 3:

Wins: @Panthers, Saints, @Browns, @Falcons, Bengals (London), Bears, Cardinals, Seahawks, @Cardinals
Losses: Bucs, @Seahawks, Niners, @Steelers, Ravens, @Cowboys, @Niners

W/L vs. teams with a winning record (final standings): 2-4 ; record against 8-8 teams: 1-2; record against final 4 teams: 0-2



Looking at these three years, it feels like a missed opportunity in 2019: we only played 6 games against teams with a winning record, and 2 of those were Seattle, which should have been 2 wins. We only played the Niners as a final four team. Overall we went 3-6 against teams that were .500 or better and 6-1 against teams 7-9 or worse - the loss being to the Bucs.

Overall against teams with a losing record McVay is a sparkling 20-3, with one of those losses coming to the Niners in week 17 of 2017 when we rested our starters. The others were the aforementioned Bucs game and then McVay's 2nd career game as a HC against the Redskins. All in all McVay can say he's never lost to a team worse than 7-9 when playing starters.

The bigger problem comes against the "good" teams - but digging deeper, it's actually just good defensive teams. McVay destroyed the Chargers and Vikings in 2018, but both early in the season before their defenses started to play better - I mention this because if you look at their final rankings it looks like a feather in McVay's cap. But the reality is, those defenses weren't playing well at the time of those games. I don't believe the Saints and Seahawks have very good defenses, although the Saints are probably McVay's best accomplishment(s).

Overall the record against winning teams is respectable for McVay: 12-10 in the regular season and it goes to 14-12 if you count the playoffs. But 7 of those 14 wins come against the Saints and Seahawks - overall McVay is a combined 7-3 against those two teams. If we remove that his overall record against winning teams drops to 7-9. The wins against the Chargers and Vikings I outlined above - so I'll remove those two for now as well because their defenses weren't playing well at the time of that game. The Chiefs had a very bad defense last year, so we'll remove that game too.

This leaves us with a record of 4-9 against winning teams. Let's take another look now that we've sorted it some:

Wins:

2017 - @Cowboys, @Jaguars, @Titans
2018: Cowboys

Losses:

2017: @vikings, Eagles, Falcons
2018: Eagles, Patriots (SB)
2019: Niners, Ravens, @Niners



This paints a different picture - the teams across all three season that we lost to share one characteristic: they dominated our offensive line.

So why do all this? I wanted to see what the common issue was between all of these games - to tell us something we already know, right? WRONG.

Most people seem to want to have their cake and eat it too - not going to happen. We hitched our wagon to Goff, so now we need an elite offensive line - with the knowledge that the OL has NOT YET BEEN GOOD ENOUGH under McVay - not in any season, because as you can see above, our OL was the undoing in all three seasons. We won games without Kupp and with Gurley hobbled - but I haven't seen a game yet where our OL got dominated and we won. So trade anything and everything - from Kupp to Woods, any player on defense save for Donald - to make this OL the best in the NFL. Getting it back to what it was is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

.

here in australia espn was running the mnf crew commentary.

so, the whiners had the chance to get the ball back with 1:30 left on the clock in the first half. ratboy refused to take a timeout on the chiefs 4th down punt and his first 2 downs in possession, happy to go in at halftime level with the chiefs. he only goes for it once the chiefs took a timeout, maybe they made him angry. i dunno.

now booger said he didn't like it, it's a wasted possession, blah, blah, blah. what he didn't say was the obvious - ratboy doesn't trust jimmy g to throw exclusively.

earlier in the year when the rams played the ravens on mnf the rams were 3rd and 15 in the first quarter inside their redzone. mcvay calls a run for gurley. standard practice at that stage of the game. booger, the jerk, then says, "this is what they think of their qb". as in they don't trust him to make a play. seriously i couldn't scream out shut the fuck up any louder at the tv. that was a pre planned insight the producer of the show wanted booger to blurt out during the game. booger was just too dumb to say it at the right spot so he said it the first time they didn't pass the ball.

i don't get what the media has against jared goff. i just don't get it. sure he wasn't the best this season but that was a ridiculous statement they wanted booger to slip in there during the game. they've been trying to undermine jared his whole career and i'm sick of it.

sick of it i tell ya.

rant over.

.

I told my friends it was over with about 12 minutes left. I'm so glad I was wrong. I'm assuming this will be merged somewhere else. But for me, it's the not 49ers celebration thread