With Wade gone, is his son still under contract with us as a TE coach? Haven’t heard any news about him lately.

He’s done an excellent job developing our TEs when we transitioned to a 12-personnel. Everett made some excellent performances, particularly vs Seattle on the road, Higbee has been phenomenal during the last part of the 2019 season, and Mundt has put up some good blocking as a 3rd TE.

If Wes picks up McVay’s offensive philosophy like a sponge, would love to take Wes into consideration as the next OC if Kevin O’Connell does well and lands an HC spot in the future.

This is all assuming Wes Phillips is still under contract with us as a TE coach.

Can we beat SF this weekend you think? Also hope you guys bounce back next season. We have always kind of loved you guys and root for you when your not playing us. I’m nervous for this game.

POLL: The Super Bowl matchup will be....

————


NFL Championship Sunday picks: Chiefs, 49ers on to Super Bowl
Gregg Rosenthal went 2-2 on his predictions for the Divisional Round, bringing his season record to 167-96-1. How will he fare on Championship Sunday? His picks are below.

SUNDAY, JAN. 19

Kansas City Chiefs 37, Tennessee Titans 27

3:05 p.m. ET (CBS) | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)

There are no right answers to the questions that Patrick Mahomes creates. On two of Travis Kelce's touchdowns last week, the Texans had the perfect play call: six defenders trying to stop two receivers and Mahomes, who finds ways to beat the math.

Derrick Henry currently resides in a similarly elevated plane of existence.His 66-yard soul-stealing scamper against the Ravens came on a play where a 260-pound behemoth Matthew Judon, untouched, had a free shot on Henry. He bounced off him like one of those pour souls in a Henry high school mix tape.

The Chiefs were weak against the run all year, even when Chris Jones was in the lineup, so the expectation will be that Henry rushes over 30 times again. Don't be so certain. Tennessee's defense couldn't get off the field the first time these two teams met in November, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel is unlikely to play to his defense like in the team's first two playoff matchups because no one plays to their defense against Kansas City. Ryan Tannehill didn't luck into averaging a league-best 9.6 yards per attempt on the season, and Tennessee's play-action game could use Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorensen's aggressiveness against them like the Titans did to Earl Thomas in Baltimore.

Tennessee, not unlike the 2018 Patriots, can shapeshift depending on the opponent. And just like in last year's AFC Championship Game, the only route to win in Arrowhead will be via a shootout. The Titans have the weapons capable of winning such a game -- just look at their 35-32 victory over the Chiefs in Week 10 -- but it's a hard path to travel because K.C. has so many ways to beat you.

Mecole Hardman, Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Damien Williams stretch the field horizontally as much as vertically. They are a track team that could go 50 yards on any play. It usually takes a drop or penalty to stop a Chiefs drive, especially against a team like the Titans that doesn't have much of a pass rush. Vrabel may play it safe on defense like he did in the first meeting -- force the Chiefs to move the ball down the field slowly and hope that Andy Reid botches game management late in the fourth quarter like he did in Nashville.

The problem with that plan is what happens in the first three quarters. Andy Reid is the most influential offensive mind of the last two decades with the greatest collection of talent he's ever coached, including the quarterback with the most ridiculous skill set in NFL history. The Titans' mid-level defense played more snaps last week than any defense played in an NFL game all year. It's the Chiefs' time.

San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 26

6:40 p.m. ET (FOX) | Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)

There are a lot of reasons to believe that the 49ers' blowout victory over the Packers in Week 12 will not be instructive on Sunday, but let's start with the most obvious one: Every game in this league of small margins is dramatically different and unpredictable.

To borrow a favorite Mike McCarthy phrase, these Packers are nobody's underdog. Aaron Rodgers played at a locked-in, accurate level last week that should concern 49ers Faithful. He showed a willingness to take shots when they were available and use his legs when necessary. He gives the Packers a decisive edge at quarterback if he plays that well again. And it's worth noting the talent gap between these two teams isn't that large.

While the Packers are stepping way up in class a week after facing the Seahawks' defense, so is Nick Bosa against Pro Bowl tackle David Bakhtiari. Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who had a terrific rebound season, will be back for this game. Davante Adams lining up against anyone other than Richard Sherman is a mismatch. I'd take Aaron Jones over any of the 49ers' running backs. Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark is Pro Football Focus' No. 2 interior lineman since Week 9, trailing only Aaron Donald. Za'Darius Smith is No. 1 among all edge rushers over that span. This isn't some plucky band of upstarts.

The edge for the 49ers in this week (and most weeks), however, doesn't just come from their loaded roster. I trust Kyle Shanahan to make Packers inside linebacker Blake Martinez look lost in coverage and the running game. I expect San Francisco to target cornerbacks Kevin King and Tramon Williams. I expect George Kittle to be the best player on the field and Fred Warner to lead the best-tackling team in the NFL because that's what they've done for the last four months.

The Packers can compete if Rodgers plays near his best and they can win if their pass rush forces Jimmy Garoppolo to play too fast, but the odds still aren't in Green Bay's favor. While the Packers have proven comfortable in close games, the 49ers have overcome more adversity from injuries and brutal losses all season to get here. They are battle tested, talented and smart.

The best Super Bowl matchup on the board remains Chiefs-49ers and that's the matchup we'll get, even if the Levi's Stadium crowd has to sweat this one out.

Dan Marino: I Could Throw for 6,000 Yards and 60 Touchdowns in Today's NFL

Dan Marino hopped on First Things First yesterday and the inevitable question came up. How would the Hall of Famer fare in today's wide-open, offense-friendly game? The obvious answer is even better than he did when he was dominating in the 80s and 90s.

And Marino, smartly understanding that it's impossible for him to put his right arm where his mouth is, threw out some gaudy numbers.

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60 touchdowns and 6,000 yards would certainly be a good season. On first blush those numbers seem impossible. But you know what? If any quarterback is capable of such a feat, it is Marino.

Look at the numbers he put up without the blessing of an elite receiving corps and an offense unaware of the coming aerial revolution. In his first full year of starting (1984) Marino threw for 5,064 yards and 48 touchdowns. That's an average of 9.0 yards per attempt. In Peyton Manning's record-setting 55-touchdown campaign, he threw 105 more passes than Marino did. Applying Marino's rates, that puts him at 6,009 yards and 57 scores.

Sadly, modern medicine is not at a place where 58-year-old Marino can get back on the field and put up video game numbers, so we'll have to settle for the what-if.

Tennessee Titans: Jaw-dropping red zone and field goal stats

There’s no shortage of interesting numbers when it comes to the Tennessee Titans and field goals.

The Tennessee Titans finished the 2019 regular season as the worst team in the NFL at kicking field goals.

A combination of Cairo Santos, Cody Parkey and Ryan Succop went 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) on field goal attempts, the worst in the NFL. Only Parkey (3-for-3) was perfect on his attempts, but he was released after Succop was activated off injured reserve in Week 9.

Succop has since been placed on IR for a second time after he simply couldn’t get right, and now the kicking duties have been left to Greg Joseph, who has yet to attempt a field goal with the Titans since joining them in Week 16 (four games).

Thankfully for the Titans, since Ryan Tannehill took over in Week 7 they are scoring touchdowns on 34.6 percent of their drives (No. 2 in the NFL) and have kicked a field goal on 3.1 percent of them (No 32).

Tennessee also owns a touchdown to field goal ratio of 31:1 in the red zone in that span.

These numbers come from J.J. Zachariason of FanDuel and numberFire.

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Hey, who needs a kicking game when you can just score touchdowns on most drives, right?

Since Week 14, Tennessee has attempted just one field goal, which was blocked by the Houston Texans in Week 15. Their last make was in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts.

In their last four games, the Titans are 11-for-11 in the red zone.

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In two playoff games thus far, the Titans have yet to attempt a field goal, and there’s a good chance that will continue in the AFC Championship Game, if for no other reason than the Titans are consistently finding pay dirt.

Despite the fact that Joseph hasn’t had a chance to prove himself yet in Tennessee, the totality of what has occurred with this Titans kicking game this season has to make head coach Mike Vrabel at least somewhat hesitant about even trying.

Should the opportunity present itself this week and the Titans are faced with either a field goal from a decent distance or a convertible fourth down situation in Chiefs territory, I’d fully expect Vrabel to be aggressive and go for it on fourth down more times than not.

‎Steve Banta‎ to Los Angeles Rams Hardcore Football Fans
2 hrs ·



Steve Banta
January 16, 2016
So Ram fans My Dad Jack Banta original player L.A. Rams 1946-48----you think they might be interested in showcasing him in new stadium ??? Tickets ?? something ?? hahahah

This might have been posted before somewhere in a thread or by itself but, I don't remember reading it. Hard to talk about what the Rams will do this offseason about players without knowing they have this cap money option available.

Lot's of comments on restructuring Goff's contract but, I didn't know much about it. The explanation is below. Basically the Rams can convert his $21 Million 2020 roster bonus to signing bonus over the five remaining years of his contract. Keep in mind they already have $5 million accounted for as signing bonus over the next 4 years. Check my math but, that would add an additional $4.2 Million to the $5 Million already on the books for a large total of $9.2 Million per year signing bonus cap hit. I understand that it fine to defer some cap hits into the future as it bowering cap space with no interest. I assume the Rams can change portions of the roster bonus money to signing bonus. It appears that's what the Rams had this in mind because he is counting $36 Million against the cap in 2020. Knock off $17 Million and you get $19 Million which is about what Carson Wentz will count against the Eagles cap. So things are not as desperate as they seemed.

The latest cap space after increasing the salaries of a player like Kupp and Johnson (playing time bonus) has the Rams at around $20Million.

Add in this $16.8 Million and it is can be around $37 Million before incentives.

Subtract the 2019 bonuses and incentives which are unknown at this time.

Don't have time to add on possible cuts and trades.


FILED UNDER:

• 2019 LOS ANGELES RAMS REGULAR SEASON
• 2020 LOS ANGELES RAMS OFFSEASON
• 2020 NFL FREE AGENCY

Los Angeles Rams can restructure QB Jared Goff’s contract to create $17m in cap space
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Are the Rams willing to make the move?
By Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP Dec 30, 2019, 3:04pm CST
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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Entering the offseason, the Los Angeles Rams are slated to be one of the more cash-strapped teams in the NFL as Over The Cap projects the Rams to have only $25.4m in cap space, with a boatload of impending free agents to re-sign. As you can see, there are multiple starters from both sides of the ball that are likely to test the market on the list of never-ending upcoming free agents:
2020 LA Rams Free Agents
Looking at the roster, the Rams have some flexibility as it pertains to creating cap space, though none can create as much space as restructuring QB Jared Goff’s deal after signing him to a mega-extension in September. Restructuring Goff would free up just under $17m in cap space, by essentially taking his massive roster bonus ($21m) and spreading it among the remaining years of the contract:

Spotrac

✔@spotrac
https://twitter.com/spotrac/status/1211490707510321153

The #Rams will almost certainly restructure Jared Goff’s 2020 $21M roster bonus, a move that will clear $16.8M of space, almost enough to cover the $17.8M of dead cap they’ll take on should they find a trade partner for WR Brandin Cooks.http://bit.ly/2KZgpFB

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It’s a weird topic to be discussing because Goff just signed his extension prior to the season, but the Rams are so cash-strapped that they may not have many options. It doesn’t help that Goff had a down year, but a move like this isn’t made unless the team plans to keep the player as there will be bigger dead money hits in later years in the event of a restructure.
Still, with a lack of options to help clear cap space, restructuring Goff may be the golden ticket to helping the Rams surround him with more talent, ensuring his play can trend upwards once again.
Outside of this potential move, there may be only one certainty as it pertains to creating cap space, and that’s cutting veteran S Eric Weddle. Moving on from Weddle would save the Rams $4.25m, and while that may not seem like much, it could be the difference between losing another starter elsewhere at a less expendable position.

well , tomorrow actually

Jan 20 , 1920

has anyone watched Ken Burns documentary on PBS

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I've been playing guitar for quite some time...about 12-13 years. I'm pretty good I guess. But I've only ever paid my acoustic Alverez. I got it from a junky for $100 all those years ago and that's where it started. I've found my alverez, I know the worth there....but I just happened into a freebie guitar last month. It's an acoustic Electric Washburn. I don't know a thing about them. I've searched the model number and i get nothing. The only thing that shows up is a simple maple bodies guitar. But this one is different.

Anyone have a clue the value, it plays great, sounds great. But I simply don't want to put down my Alverez, it just sounds better for what i play.

We all know our GM and coach like guys in this and the other bow. What do you see on this list that interests you. I’d wager about half our picks come from these two games.

Championship Sunday: Key mismatch in AFC, NFC title games

Championship Sunday is finally here. This year's final four includes a Cinderella Titans squad that advanced as a No. 6 seed, a Chiefs team fresh off an improbable comeback, a new-look Packersoffense that still has Aaron Rodgers at the helm and a Niners team looking for its 15th win after finishing 2018 with four victories.

With so many storylines and lenses to filter these matchups through, I'm going to use my models to identify one key potential mismatch that could heavily influence the outcome of the AFC and NFC Championship Games.

I know I talk a lot about my models, but it's in the interest of better explaining how they were made, how they evolve, what they can do and how you can use them. If you want more context about my models, you can find it below the mismatch notes.

AFC Championship Game: Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs

Potential mismatch: Derrick Henry against the Chiefs' run defense.

The Titans' run-game strategy and Derrick Henry's skill set (especially his ability to earn yards after contact) helped create the first-down and touchdown efficiency that enabled Tennessee to capitalize on the Ravens' miscues and mistakes during the Divisional Round. With at least 32 touches in each of their two underdog playoff wins, Henry posted a two-game win-share number that was not just the highest individually on his team, but also outranked all but three quarterbacks (Deshaun Watson in the Wild Card Round, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson) in the eight playoff games so far.

Henry has amassed 729 of his 1,917 regular-season and playoff rushing yards when eight or more defenders have been in the box, per Next Gen Stats. This is the most yards earned against stacked boxes in the NFL by 400 yards (Sony Michel ranks second in the regular season and postseason with 329). Henry's 135 rushing attempts against stacked boxes equals the most in the NFL by 45 (again, Michel ranks second, with 90). Henry has 13 rushing touchdowns against defenses keying on him, five more than then next-closest (Dalvin Cook with eight). Henry averages 5.4 yards per attempt vs. stacked boxes, third-most in the NFL (behind San Francisco's Raheem Mostert with 6.2 and Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson with 5.9).

Given Henry's skill and the volume of run-play calls offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has been dialing up (the Titans have run on 70 percent of offensive plays in the postseason), I dug into the Chiefs' run-stopping strategy under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

In the Chiefs' and Titans' Week 10 matchup, Henry faced a stacked box on only four of his rushing attempts -- and he earned 75 yards and two touchdowns on those plays, with one touchdown run being a 68-yard gash. Over the regular season and playoffs, no defense has allowed a higher per-carry average to opposing running backs when they stack the box than the Chiefs (4.7 yards). They didn't fare any better in overall run defense, allowing 4.9 yards per carry (fourth-most in the NFL). Having a healthy Chris Jones -- the defensive tackle missed Kansas City's Divisional Round win over the Texans with a calf injury -- would be a huge help in this particular matchup.

NFC Championship Game: Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers

Potential mismatch: Aaron Rodgers vs. pressure.

I'd normally name a specific defender or tandem, but in this case, it's kind of the point that against these Niners, the pressure could come from any and every direction.

Over the regular season and playoffs, Rodgers posted the fourth-lowest completion percentage among qualified quarterbacks when under pressure at 37.8 percent, per NGS. The context to consider here is that the Packers' offense was more rushing-focused in 2019 than it has been in past seasons, meaning Rodgers was in a greater number of obvious passing situations than he had been before. But even accounting for that and injuries among his wide receivers (notably the toe injury that kept Davante Adams out for four games), it is still a major source of inefficient play. The good news is, Green Bay's O-line and overall strategy have kept Rodgers from being under pressure too often. When I use computer vision to measure how often he's been disrupted (that is, when a defender entered the 5-foot halo representing the quarterback's field of vision), Rodgers ranks fifth-lowest among 35 qualified quarterbacks in the regular season and playoffs.

Rodgers' time-to-throw figure also provides extra depth to this discussion. When under pressure during the regular season and the playoffs, No. 12 held on to the ball for an average of 3.8 seconds, the longest in the NFL, per NGS. The clue here is to look into whether he was holding on to the ball toolong. Watching and charting all of his throws under pressure (during the regular season and the playoffs) with one of my coaches confirmed that the potential pass-catchers on the field faced tight coverage on the vast majority of those throws (more than 80 percent, and about 5 percent more than the receivers faced when other playoff quarterbacks were under pressure). This isn't an excuse. Rather, it helps prove how valuable Adams is to this offense, as my computer vision also proves his presence changes the shape of defenses and provides more space to all pass-catchers.

In the 49ers' and Packers' Week 12 matchup, San Francisco sacked Rodgers five times, and he only completed one of three attempts under pressure for 15 yards. Overall, the Niners defense allowed just a 47.9 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks when applying pressure (third-lowest mark in the NFL) in the regular season, with Nick Bosa (60 pressures, 46 hurries, nine sacks), Arik Armstead (35 pressures, 28 hurries, 10 sacks), DeForest Buckner (35 pressures, 22 hurries, 7.5 sacks) and Dee Ford (15 pressures, 17 hurries, 6.5 sacks) making life tough on signal-callers. And while they rank in the middle of the league (15th) in average time to hurry when the QB is under pressure, the Niners' mark of 3.02 seconds is still significantly below Rodgers' average time to throw, meaning Rodgers will have to work on an accelerated pace to keep this mismatch from hampering Green Bay's Super Bowlhopes.

How my models work

This season, before each game every week, I ran 100,000 simulations of each remaining regular-season game. For the playoffs, I upped it to 200,000. Using data from 15 prior completed NFL seasons, organized by how each of the past games were won or lost, I then compared this season's contextualized data (updated after every game to reflect personnel, play-calling and trends) to the historical model, to find look-alikes, or comparables. These comparables exist on a lot of levels: whole team, phase of the game, unit and player. The comparables from the past create a foundation of what happened in the past.

What makes my models different is that my formulas reflect input and logic from actual NFL coaches, players and front-office executive, many of whom were actually a part of what happened in the past ... and why. The math and statistical formulas that I piece together are also vetted by my former professors and mentors (Ph.Ds mostly ... overachievers). The point is to make sure I am giving you the best objective logic and subjective "real football" context. The marriage of different thinking styles creates value and allows my models to provide intel that is as realistic and unbiased as possible.

Does this site have a dark mode? I can't upgrade to OS X 10.14.x so I can't get a system wide version, but there are apps like Twitter that have a dark mode and some websites offer the alternative.

Can we do that?

I mostly look at the site at night and even turning my screen brightness way down, i feel like I'm getting treated for Seasonal Affective Disorder...

Sorry if it's been posted about already.

I remember the majority of ROD was thrilled w/ the hiring of Kromer. Shit goes sideways and the peeps want to grab the pitchforks and lantern and chase him out of the building. All I recall is McVay hired the best OL coach in the biz.
Now our OL looks like crap from the LG to the RT spot, and the LT might not be back on a 1-2 year deal.

So what is your thoughts on Kromer, and why or why not should he stay or be replaced by Callahan?

What says you!?

I sure did enjoy watching this RB play ball Monday evening & he sure would look good teamed with Gurley on our backfield.

2020 NFL Draft's Biggest Risers and Fallers from National Title Game

View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2871305-2020-nfl-drafts-biggest-risers-and-fallers-from-national-title-game#slide10


Stock Up: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU


Clyde the Glide was magnificent again Monday night, much like he has been all season. A first-year starter, Edwards-Helaire was the difference once Clemson settled into a 3-1-7 look on defense that flooded the field with defensive backs. The LSU coaching staff wisely turned around and handed off to its bowling ball of a running back.

It's easy to love what Edwards-Helaire does. He's tough, powerful, versatile as a receiver and slippery when running on the edge. He might not have Etienne's home run speed, but his all-around game projects as that of an NFL starter.

With 110 yards rushing and another 54 as a receiver, Edwards-Helaire's likely curtain call was a good one.

Larry has been a pillar in AZ and around this league for the last 15 or so years...but 11 million dollars to sign a one year deal? That's crazy. There are teams he wouldn't even make if they couldn't see the name on the back of his Jersey.

His time has passed, I hope to see him move onto other things after this year...shit I wish we had 11m to throw at a player.

What a crock of shit. Jimmy Johnson gets in despite sucking with Miami.

JJ won on a loaded team. Sure he built it but had lots of inside info from his college coach buddies. If he’s that good then why couldn’t he repeat what he did in Miami?

Bruce was great from start to finish

In my opinion the NFC West has become the Best & Most Competitive Division in the NFL so winning the that Division won’t be easy! And, to add to the fact that other teams in the Division have all gotten much better it does seem like the Rams will need to improve in some areas (OL, LB, etc) before the start of next season. But, I do have faith in McVay and Snead and think they will get the necessary players to be ready to compete before the start of next season!

We have a thread going on the Packers / SF (which we could change the title):


Let’s talk Titans / Chiefs, build up to the game?

Sure.

Wow.

I put this in a new thread in part because the guy who did it is so dang thorough that I wanted to make a space to have this kind of high level analysis. And while a fair bit is spent on what a stud Stephon Gilmore is (and he is, no question) it also goes into how since Brian Flores left, they've gotten into some tendencies that teams exploited and I think Tennessee used those very well to run all over them.

I don't really care per se about the Pats D since we're long past the Super Bowl, but i do hope it stimulates the real high level analysis seeing as we're in the off-season for us and we know we're getting a Vic Fangio 3-4 D.

Thus I'm more interested in things like

- how is the Fangio D different from Wade's D?

- how does Fangio use the various units? Press man, off man or zone for the DBs? How are the LBs used? Does he prefer Blitzes or Dawgs? How and when? Does he prefer a robber type ILB or a thumper? Questions like that?

- what does that D call for personnel-wise? Are the 5T and NT markedly different than what Wade preferred? Are his ILBs different?

And so many more questions. In the mean time, enjoy the video and let's have fun this off-season.

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Let’s take a look at the offense’s performance throughout the season.


By Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP Jan 14, 2020, 11:26am CST


Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports


The 2019 season didn’t go as planned for the Los Angeles Rams, but with the help of in-depth statistics, we can begin to see where things went right, and where they went wrong.

With the help of a great resource such as Pro Football Reference, I’ve gathered five interesting offensive stats from the 2019 season.
Here they are:

YAC City
If you’re looking for the best support system for a quarterback — at least in terms of receiving, there probably isn’t a better situation than the Rams. The team is absolutely loaded with weapons ranging from receivers, to tight ends, to running backs. If you don’t believe me, well, look at their ability to create yards-after-catch (YAC). The Rams led the league in YAC yardage with 2,106 yards, clearing the next-closest team by 50 yards.
WR Robert Woods led the team with 576 YAC, with Cooper Kupp (538) and TE Tyler Higbee(396) rounding out the top-three.

Poor Throws
If you’re squeamish, look away. QB Jared Goff (and the Rams as a whole) was 2nd in the league in “poor throws” with 124 of his attempts registering in this category, trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions by one attempt.
Clearly, the year didn’t go as planned for the signal-caller that just recently led his team to a Super Bowl, but that can be attributed to a myriad of factors. Goff’s regression is at the forefront, though his offensive line’s ability — or lack thereof — to pass protect and the inactive state of the running game provided little help.
For reference sake: Goff only had 93 “poor throws” in 2018.

On-Target Throws
The raw number of on-target throws (would have hit the intended receiver) for Goff seems like a great amount as he had 438 on-target throws — which was good for 5th in the league, but he only registered 71.2% of his throws as on-target throws, a figure that places him at 28th in the league.

For an offense that was built on staying ahead of the chains and routinely picking up chunk plays, this figure isn’t great.

Pass Pro
Even though most would agree the Rams didn’t have optimal pass protection, they were tied for 2nd (with five other teams) for the average time the QB had in the pocket between the snap and throwing the ball or pressure collapsing the pocket with an average of 2.6 seconds per throw.
Now, that figure doesn’t necessarily mean the pass protection was good, but it does make you think twice about why the Rams weren’t more successful offensively. Some of the teams tied with the Rams were rather successful throwing the ball, though a lot of teams in the league do employ mobile QB’s who are capable of maneuvering pockets, scrambling, and buying time/space to create different launch points at a superior rate to a prototypical pocket-passing QB like Goff.

RPO’s
RPO’s — or run-pass options as they’re formally called — are exactly what they sound like. The QB receives the snap in a shotgun formation, and then has the option to either hand the ball off to his running back or to pull the ball out of his RB’s gut (sort of like a quick play action) and then throw a quick pass. The offensive line blocks the play as a running play regardless, which means the onus is on the QB to pull the ball and release the pass in time prior to offensive lineman working too far downfield.
There are different ways of deploying RPO’s, such as pre-snap box-counts or post-snap reads, but it doesn’t really matter at this juncture because the Rams ran the 2nd least amount of RPO’s (5 plays) in the league this season. The Rams topped only the last-placed Minnesota Vikings by one RPO.
Now, this offense will never evolve into an RPO-based one, and it shouldn’t, but with how much success some teams have had around the league using RPO’s, why not at least incorporate them more? It becomes much easier to run an RPO if you have an RB threat and WR’s who can create YAC (the Rams have both).
For comparison’s sake, the Oakland Raiders ran the 4th least amount of RPO’s with 22 and the San Francisco 49ers ranked 7th least with 34 RPO’s. The reason these two teams were singled out? Well, Head Coach Sean McVay’s scheme was based on the Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan trees.

Cameron DaSilva
6 hours ago


Navigating the waters of free agency this year could prove difficult for the Los Angeles Rams, who not only have several players on expiring contracts, but also a lack of spending money available to keep them all.
As a result, the team – specifically the defense – could look very different in 2020. Dante Fowler Jr., Cory Littleton and Michael Brockers are three of the Rams’ biggest free agents, and it’s possible all three will be playing elsewhere next season. Sure, Los Angeles could get compensatory picks in the 2021 draft for losing them, but there’s another way the team can get compensated for one of those players.

As we saw last year with three edge rushers, the tag-and-trade route is one approach that can prove to be effective in getting a draft pick (or two) in return for a player bound to leave in free agency. In 2019 alone, Jadeveon Clowney, Dee Ford and Frank Clark were all franchise tagged and then traded by their respective teams.

Here’s how each trade broke down:
Jadeveon Clowney
Texans receive: Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo, 2020 third-round pick
Seahawks receive: Clowney

Dee Ford
Chiefs receive: 2020 second-round pick
49ers receive: Ford

Frank Clark
Seahawks receive: 2019 first-round pick, 2020 second-round pick, 2019 third-round pick
Chiefs receive: Clark, 2019 third-round pick


After looking at those trades, it’s hard not to imagine the Rams taking a similar path with Fowler. He doesn’t have the track record that Clark had, posting 32 sacks in the three years before being dealt. Fowler also doesn’t have the versatility or potential that Clowney had when he was with the Texans. He’s probably closer to Ford, but two and a half years younger at the time of hitting free agency.
So, could the Rams tag Fowler and trade him to a team willing to give up a draft pick or two? Absolutely, especially with the price difference between a defensive end and linebacker, which will make Fowler’s one-year tag much cheaper than it could have been if he were playing defensive end.


(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

According to Over The Cap, the projected franchise tag value for a DE is $19.32 million. For a linebacker, which Fowler technically is, it’s $16.27 million. Considering the Rams gave Fowler a one-year, $14 million deal last year after he only had four sacks in 2018, it’s absolutely reasonable to think a team would be willing to pay him $16.27 million for the 2020 season.

Because he’s only 25 and won’t turn 26 until August, Fowler is still entering his prime. He posted a career-high 11.5 sacks, 58 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits this past season, proving to be the player the Rams thought he’d become when they extended him last offseason.
A player with those numbers is going to be coveted on the free-agent market, so it’s likely a team would be willing to part with a second- or third-round pick in a tag-and-trade scenario.
That would also give the team trading for Fowler the ability to negotiate a long-term deal with him, too – assuming the trade happens before the July 15 franchise tender deadline.
Ford and Clark both did, but Clowney’s trade came in September, so the Seahawks only got him for one season. Ford’s extension with the 49ers was worth $85 million for five years, while Clark’s was for $105.5 million over five years.

Fowler’s value is probably going to be somewhere in the range of $16 million per year, which after seeing the contracts Ford and Clark got, doesn’t seem like an inflated price. It’s also one a team will absolutely be willing to pay.
The Rams adding a second- or third-round pick would be a huge help for their draft haul, since they don’t have a first-rounder in 2020 (or 2021). It would give them another top-100 selection, and allow them added flexibility if they want to move up from their first selection at No. 52.

If they begin to realize they can’t afford Fowler, there’s no question they should consider tagging him and trading him elsewhere.

Ouch

Music is great, we all agree to that.

But mainstream music...in my opinion is mostly garbage anymore. I can't stand over produced music and singers that lack talent to do more than be auto tuned.


So...I wanna know who have you found on YouTube or any other place that captures your attention?

I'll start

These three have gotten me through a ton of mental issues as of late. Something about their music. It touches me. Its genuine and I'm enamored by it.

Zack Bryan
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/d9bmS1UkFBs




Benjamin Tod
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/4ErHNWzJPI4




John Moreland
Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/MXDfrHzIzmQ

Just talking top 3 here (Head Coach, OC, DC) it is intriguing to see the direction McVay has taken, with two hires of sub-40 coaches to run the two sides of the ball. I find this rather amazing...

Sean McVay: 33 years old.
Kevin O'Connell: 37 years old.
Brandon Staley: 37 years old.

Just wow. Our head coach has a pair to do this, hope both those moves work out for us. Oh and the Special Teams position is still unfilled... Another sub-40 coach being considered?