So I was just in my garage and found my old 1979-80 football cards collection.
About 250 of them.
Check this one out. Wow.

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I have had it with all this Bullshit! I will just watch re-runs of Everyone Loves Raymond instead of the NFL on Sundays. I am through watching this crap every Sunday with it ending with me being angry and frustrated. I have been a loyal Rams Fan since before the color TV was invented and will continue to be. In the future I will just get all my information from the computer. I wish that everyone would be strong enough to stand together and not watch or go to any NFL games for one week in protest of how these dumb arses are ruining our beloved game. I may possibly be banned from this board after some of my post today, what is it they say, Quesera Sera. If I am banned I will miss all my Rams brothers here but to Hell with the NFL and this stupid ass commissioner.

Game Day Thread

The GDT is a live thread tradition here at ROD.

While we all get fired up watching the game, please remember our core principles; we always show respect for our team and each other.

Despite the emotional highs and lows watching a game, we will moderate this thread with that in mind, however please refrain from name calling. This applies to players, the Rams organization, and others.

This is the core rule of the GDT. Moderators are tasked to issue thread bans, at a minimum, to maintain this standard.

This is our team. Win or lose. Good days and bad. We are here for FUN, not to be dragged down.

A more loosely moderated atmosphere can be found in the chat room.

Go Rams!

———

Game Day Chat Room:

ROD CHAT

The defense seems to be killing it ever since Ramsey came over.

We are essentially healthy.

We seem to have found a combination that has worked at least last week on the oline.

McVay finally recognized that needed to change up his strategy on offense.
All the pieces seem to be really coming together.

It is time for all the Rams "family" to come together as one and ball the f*CK out for the rest of the season and win the next 6 games if they want to have a shot at the playoffs meaning 12-4.

Remember Minnesota has to play Seattle and we get to avenge our loss against Seattle. So the standings will change either way as long as we take care of our business.

We literally can't lose another game I never thought I would be saying that, but analyzing the remaining schedule of GB, Seattle and Minnesota - to me Minnesota is our best shot to overtake in the wildcard race. GB's remaining schedule is really easy except for Vikings. Seattle only has 2 loses but that can change if we/Minnesota beats them and they still got SF as well. Which leaves Minnesota they have Seattle and GB which be no easy task. But this is all predicated on us winning every game.

Let's go Rams - Goff needs to put the team on his back, the Defense has to dominate like they have in the last 4 games, Gurley has to run like the old Gurley no two backs it is Gurley's team and the oline must stay strong and beat up on every opponent. The coaches must get everyone focused and on the same page this is a gargantuan "family" effort and it starts tomorrow night!!!

That “tripping” call in the Pats-Cowboys game was obvious BS.

They got us in the Super Bowl on the phantom holding call.

I honestly believe the refs favor certain teams as dictated by the League office.

When the game has no integrity, it’s no fun to be a fan.

We’ll see tonight if they lets the Packers hold the whiners pass rushers all game.

Cameron DaSilva

2 hours ago

The Los Angeles Rams’ season hasn’t gone exactly as planned, with two ugly losses and an underwhelming record of 6-4. The Ravens, on the other hand, are 8-2 and have absolutely rolled over their last four opponents.
Monday night’s matchup is huge for both teams, but the Rams desperately need a win to keep pace with their foes in the NFC playoff picture. Ahead of this Week 12 showdown, we talked to managing editor Matthew Stevens of Ravens Wire about the state of Baltimore’s team.

We discussed Marcus Peters, whom the Rams traded to the Ravens at midseason, as well as Lamar Jackson and the improved Baltimore defense, among other topics.

How has Marcus Peters played since arriving?
Peters has been stellar for Baltimore. It’s not a coincidence the Ravens’ defense has jumped up the rankings after trading for him, holding the No. 1 DVOA since Week 7, when they traded for Peters. He’s been physical and aggressive without being too much of either thing to draw penalties or get burned deep. In return, that aggressiveness has netted him two interceptions, returning both for touchdowns. He’s the perfect complement to Marlon Humphrey, who has arguably been the best cornerback in the league this season, albeit not putting up a ton of interceptions of his own.
Perhaps the best thing about having Peters is that he allows defensive coordinator Don Martindale to be a little more inventive with how he manufacturers pressure. By knowing the cornerbacks have things locked down fully now, he can send blitzes from different spots and at different times to throw off offensive lines and quarterbacks.

What has changed about the Ravens defense the last few weeks?
The biggest change has obviously been Peters, but quite a lot has changed outside of that, actually. The Ravens have added six players since Week 5 that have turned into impact players playing a high percentage of snaps.
Outside of Peters, I contend the biggest and most important defensive change has come at linebacker, seeing Baltimore switch out Kenny Young and Patrick Onwuasor for Josh Bynes and L.J. Fort. That change immediately saw improvements, most importantly in coverage, with Bynes grabbing an interception just a few days after being signed. Much like with Peters, the improved play at linebacker has allowed the rest of the defense to take added responsibilities off their shoulders and just do their individual jobs better. The secondary hasn’t had as many lapses, the run defense is in much better shape and the Ravens have generated more consistent pressure.
Another big reason the defense has improved has simply been because everyone’s getting more comfortable with the playbook and each other. A large portion of the starting defense is made up of newcomers that weren’t with the team just last year — some being signed as recently as last week. As guys like safety Earl Thomas have jelled with the coaching staff and their teammates, the play has steadily improved with it. It both helps and hurts that the Ravens run a more complicated scheme that includes a bigger playbook than most others.
That takes time to digest and turn into muscle memory, but once they get there, there’s a lot to dig your teeth into and play with on the fly. We’re seeing the defense come out on the other side now and putting in performances similar to what we saw last year with their No. 1 ranking.

What is Lamar Jackson’s biggest weakness right now?
I still wonder if Jackson would revert back to some of his bad habits and mechanics if a defense could find a way to throw him off his rhythm or dictate to the Ravens’ offense what they’ll do instead of the other way around. He’s had some of that happen earlier in the season but has generally been improving from Week 4 on, coinciding with his MVP argument strengthening. However, we saw a little dip in the first quarter of Week 11 against the Houston Texans before regaining his mojo and going 13-of-13 the rest of the way.
The problem with trying to replicate that success against Jackson is that it almost seems to be self-created rather than what a defense has done to him thus far. Even last week against the Texans, it was Baltimore’s miscues that threw everything off in the first quarter. Once they settled down as a team, they got right back to form and never flinched again. Part of the reason for that rhythm is that the Ravens’ offense is a pick-your-poison style that creates mismatches in a few spots and then picks apart wherever a defense is pulling from to cover elsewhere.
If you use a safety to spy Jackson, it’s going to leave passing lanes open to Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews. If you have a stout defensive line and you commit to shutting down the power rushing attack, you probably don’t have the outside speed to keep Jackson from running around you or the speed on the field to protect against the intermediate passing attack inside. If you throw more defenders into the secondary to cover everyone and keep Jackson contained, they’ll bludgeon you with running backs Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards)

What happened in the Ravens’ two losses? How did the Chiefs and Browns win?
Both of those games were before Baltimore’s defense underwent a dramatic change in personnel. In fact, those two games were the reason the Ravens made such drastic changes, starting in Week 5. In both games, the secondary had major lapses that left guys completely uncovered for touchdowns, something you can’t have against talented offenses. Combine that with little in the way of a pass rush, and it allowed two really good quarterbacks to just sit back and pick apart an already battered secondary.
On both sides of the ball, Baltimore had penalties at the worst possible times. It killed their drives while sustaining drives for their opponents, and further wore out a defense that was dealing with injuries that kept out quite a few starters. Against the Chiefs, a close loss very well could have been a win if they get a few calls their way or some questionable penalties aren’t called at all. Against the Browns, it allowed what was already set to be a close division matchup to turn into a blowout in favor of Cleveland. Losing the turnover battle that week didn’t help them either.

What’s your prediction for Monday night?
As has been the case for the last few weeks, I’m not sure if the Rams have the defensive talent to take away everything the Ravens can do. They have one of the best defensive lines in the league, which should do wonders against Baltimore’s physical power-rushing attack. But they’re going to either have to sell out to contain Jackson, which will open up the pass or they’re going to have to let Jackson run all over them and hope they can limit the damage. We’ve seen defenses try to do both and ultimately no one has been able to really shut them down yet.
So it’s going to come down to whether Los Angeles’ offense can beat the Ravens’ defense, which has been arguably their best unit over the last three weeks in spite of Jackson and the offense getting all the praise. Considering Jared Goff has more turnovers than touchdowns through 10 games this season and Todd Gurley’s usage continues to draw questions and criticism, I’m not sure the Rams have what it takes to win a shootout. And when Baltimore gets out to a two-score lead in a game, opponents have gotten desperate and only dug themselves further into the hole like quicksand.
I think that’s exactly what happens here as well. It’ll be a close one for the first half, but the Ravens take a big enough lead in the third quarter to force the Rams into abandoning the run and leaning on Goff, which only causes more problems as Baltimore’s opportunistic defense makes them pay. Which then, in turn, gives the offense a short field, and they pile on the points quickly.
Ravens 38, Rams 17

Chili here...

Trying to decide my compliments....

What about you?

they say alcohol and drugs affect your memory, but I cant remember who told me that, nor can I remember who won last weeks contest, but congrats to them any way.

on to this weeks contest. The Baltimore Blackbirds fly into the coliseum after a dismantling of the Houston Texans last week led by phenom QB Lamar Jackson . The mighty Los Angeles Rams are coming off a defensive battle victory over the Chicago Bears. Can Donald, Littleton, Ramsey and Rapp keep Jackson under control while Goff and his full cintigent of WR's score against the Baltimore defense.

Lets see those predictions

and GO

12 Players Left! All with 1 Strike!

Crunch time!

This has been a request on the table for a while....

This button takes you to the top of the page.

Nfl network’s top 100 players show began with its top 10 all time rbs. I wondered if the Rams might get 2 on the list with Marshall and ED but only ED made the list. Others named were those you might expect: Brown, Payton ,OJ, Sanders, Sayers, but I must admit I had never heard of some the guys on the list but I guess they wanted to recognize the early days of the league.
Terrell Davis and Ladanian Tomlinson we’re commenting on the selections and it was said that maybe they should’ve made it. The tough thing is if Marshall is in who’s out but I don’t think you can ignore Marshall’s work, he put up big numbers, he got to Super Bowls, he was league mvp, he took the dual threat rb to a new level.

Yeah, that’s right! I have no problem giving the Ravens credit, but I plan on watching us punch them in the mouth Monday Night!



Yeah, yeah... Lamar Jackson is hot shit. Big deal. Good for him. Let the media salivate while they hold my beer!

We are loaded with star players too... Goff, Donald, Gurley, Ramsey, Cooks, Kupp, Woods... Weddle, Matthews... I can go on...

Time to F-ing make a statement! Are we a factor in these playoffs or not? Beat the Ravens... the league will take notice. The 49’ers... SeaPidgeons... Vikings.... yeah wussies... we ain’t going anywhere!

So... what you say Goff? Donald? Gurley? You sick of being overlooked?



Beat these freakers! Like an egg!



We are the defending champs! GAME ON!

Aaron Donald is NFL's most disruptive interior player

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NFL to reportedly reconsider possibility of implementing wild onside kick idea that was originally shot down

Back in 2018, the NFL's 32 owners voted to implement a new set of kickoff rulesthat ended up having one major unintended side effect -- the new rules basically killed the onside kick. Since the new rules went into effect, it's become almost impossible to recover an onside kick. During the 2018 season, NFL teams combined to recover just 7.69% of all onside kicks (four out of 52). This season, things have actually been worse, as teams have combined to recover just 6.25% of all onside kicks (two out of 32). To put that in perspective, in the five years before the rule change, the onside recovery rate never fell below 13%.

To add some excitement to the onside kick, it appears that the NFL's owners are going to reconsider a rule that was originally shot down back in March at the Annual League Meeting. According to the Washington Post, the league is going to revisit the possibility of implementing a pretty wild rule that was proposed by the Broncos earlier this year.

Basically, the rule would allow teams to try and convert a fourth-and-15 play from their own 35-yard line, instead of attempting an onside kick. If they get the 15 yards, the team would get a first down and keep possession of the ball. If they don't get the 15 yards, the other team would take over possession from wherever the play ended.

The original rule proposal came with several stipulations, including the fact that the fourth-down play could only be attempted once per game and that the one attempt could only come in the fourth quarter. The play could be attempted after any score, including a touchdown or a field goal. A team could also attempt the fourth-and-15 after giving up a safety. Regular onside kicks could still be attempted at any point in the game as well.

If you're wondering how exactly the play would be officiated, all normal rules would apply, so if a defense got called for defensive holding, the five-yard penalty would result in an automatic first down for the offense. Also, if the offense got penalized, they wouldn't be allowed to then kickoff after the penalty is enforced. They'd have to run a fourth-down play from their new line of scrimmage.

Although the rule got shot down by owners in March, there's definitely a possibility that it could get approved this time around. For one, the NFL's competition committee seems to like the rule. The committee actually voted 7-1 in favor of the proposal back in March, and they could try to push it through again. The other reason the NFL could approve the rule is to spice up the fourth quarter of pretty much every game being played. Since onside kick recoveries have become basically impossible, this would give trailing teams a viable way to make a comeback.

For the rule to pass, 24 of the NFL's 32 owners would have to vote on it at the next Annual League Meeting, which is scheduled to be held March 29-April 1 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Sunday Night Football: Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers

The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers have combined for nine Super Bowl wins in the modern era. Only the Dallas Cowboys have as many or more titles (5) in the NFC; just the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have more NFL championships overall.

It’s been several years, though since both the Packers and 49ers have been good at the same time. The last 49ers Super Bowl appearance was in 2013; they haven't won an NFL championship since 1995. The Packers are in an eight-year drought of their own, last capturing Super Bowl XLV with Aaron Rodgers back in 2011. It's a longer-than-expected slump for two teams that produced decade-long dynasties atop the NFL pantheon.

Perhaps it's fitting, then both teams chose to get their acts together smack in the middle of the NFL's 100th anniversary season. Entering the weekend with a combined record of 17-3, both teams clash Sunday night in what amounts to a potential January NFC Championship Game preview. Rodgers still leads the way for the Packers with a resurgent run game that's flourished in a new offensive scheme from first-year head coach Matt LaFleur. A healthy Rodgers has been the icing on the cake, seeking to win a second Super Bowl at age 35.

"It doesn't happen like this all the time," Rodgers after a Carolina Panthers win left them with an 8-2 start."We've been through rough seasons over the years, where you're just not quite in the mix. This feels different. Hopefully, those guys understand how important the opportunity is and not do anything stupid."

The 49ers, meanwhile sit at 9-1, seemingly in control of their own destiny atop the NFC. But their first and only defeat, earlier this month to the Seattle Seahawks, left them in a precarious position. Their stretch run includes five games against teams with winning records: the Packers, Ravens, Saints, Seahawks, and Rams. A lost tiebreaker against Seattle means they're just one game ahead for the NFC West lead, the difference between the conference's top seed and three playoff road games to make the Super Bowl.

The Packers, too, sit just one game ahead of the Minnesota Vikings as the NFC North remains up in the air. This game could make the difference in all NFC teams going through the frigid air of Lambeau Field, one of the league's top home-field advantages, to make the Super Bowl.

Can the Packers go out west and take care of business? Or will the 49ers continue their bounce back after a heartbreaking overtime defeat that bled into a game against the lowly Arizona Cardinals last week?

Green Bay at San Francisco

Kickoff: Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Spread: Packers -3

Three Things To Watch

1. Can Aaron Rodgers slice through the 49ers' defense?

The 49ers lead the league, allowing just 142.5 passing yards per game while picking off opposing quarterbacks 11 times. Only Carolina has more interceptions in the NFC as the 49ers' 22 takeaways overall ranks third in the league.

No quarterback has been immune to their defensive front. The Rams' Jared Goff passed for just 78 yards, fumbled twice and was sacked four times in a 20-7 loss. Carolina Panthers starter Kyle Allen turned in a three-interception, seven-sack, 51-13 rout at Levi's Stadium. Even MVP candidate Russell Wilson was sacked five times, fumbled once and got picked off in the Seahawks' narrow 27-24 victory two weeks ago.

The key, then for Rodgers is not perfection, especially with an underperforming receiving corps still struggling to get healthy. (Top target Davante Adams remains questionable for Sunday night with a turf toe injury that's bothered him much of the year). It's minimizing the mistakes that will come against this defense and making sure they don't hurt this team in crunch time.

Chance are, Rodgers will become the 49ers' stiffest challenge yet. Consider he went without a touchdown throw in the Packers' last game on Nov. 10; he's never gone back-to-back games without a TD pass his entire career. Don't expect that to change now the way the Packers' offense is thriving entering this game; their seven turnovers overall are second-fewest in the NFL.

2. How will the 49ers' injuries shake out?

Both teams enter Sunday night beat up a bit but the 49ers are hurting more after a short week. Among the players who could be game-time decisions are tight end George Kittle, placekicker Robbie Gould, running back Matt Brieda, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders.

One player who looks to be sitting for certain on the 49ers is starting tackle Joe Staley (finger). That's a tough loss against the Packers' 1-2 combo of Za'Darius and Preston Smith (no relation).

Gould's absence, despite seven missed kicks this season, also presents a stiff challenge. Replacement Chase McLaughlin hit a pressure-packed field goal to send the 49ers to overtime against the Seahawks but then missed an overtime winner so bad the ball bounced inside the tunnel. In a game likely to go down to the last possession, it's hard to place your full trust in a temporary replacement.

3. Can Jimmy Garoppolo carry the load?

All the injuries on offense mean this game will be defined by the 49ers' signal-caller. Everyone knows what Rodgers will bring to the table; the Packers are averaging 25.0 points per game.

But Garoppolo and the 49ers are throwing up 29.5 points per contest; only the Baltimore Ravens (34.1) generate more offense each week. The knock is that Jimmy G has piled up the score against hapless teams like the Bengals (41-17), Buccaneers (31-17), Browns (31-3) and Cardinals (36-26 last week). Just one of the 49ers' nine wins this season have come against teams with winning records.

Garoppolo, then, has an opportunity to change the narrative with many of his top weapons hobbled or sitting on the sidelines. Last week, this team produced just 34 rushing yards with Brieda sidelined; Garoppolo responded with a season-high 424 passing yards, four touchdown passes and throws to 10 different pass catchers.

The Packers' defense will be a much stiffer challenge, a team that feasts on making the big play (16 takeaways producing a +9 turnover margin). Garoppolo is going to need to take care of the football and continue to find a variety of targets with last week's savior Samuel (134 receiving yards vs. Seattle) potentially not in the lineup. How you see this game is likely influenced by how much you feel Garoppolo can overcome, living up to the hype when the 49ers acquired Tom Brady's one-time future replacement.

Final Analysis

Expect a close game that's back-and-forth straight through to the final possession. It does give me pause Rodgers and the Packers struggled the last time they were out in California, an embarrassing 26-11 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

But chances are, they're well aware of the impact this game will bring to their playoff seeding. In a squeaker, I think Rodgers hands Garoppolo the type of tough loss good quarterbacks go through on their way to becoming great.

Prediction: Packers 27, 49ers 24

Okay... This post is a day early... but this time of year, maybe something to talk about with these.



MOD EDIT: 2 games? Way to go schedulers!

Okay... This post is a day early... but this time of year, maybe something to talk about with these.

Will MNF produce NFL Game of the Year again?

It’s been a while since it felt like the Rams were a true underdog. Particularly in the regular season.

Going to New Orleans last year? Sure, the Saints were favored in that NFC Championship Game. But we knew the Rams could win it based on the comeback they made in New Orleans during the regular season. Plus, the top-seeded Saints weren’t exactly setting the world on fire last winter.

The 2019 Ravens, however? They’re gangbusters.

Baltimore has scored 30-plus points in four straight games, and 37-plus in their last three.

This must be what it felt like to face the Rams for the better part of the last two seasons.
Now, the shoe is on the other foot.

How Baltimore Is Built

By this point, you know the Ravens have the MVP front-runner and a historically good rushing attack. But here’s a bit more detail on how they go about it, since the Rams have not faced this version of the Greg Roman – Lamar Jackson scheme.

First, they’re in the pistol more and under center less than any team in the NFL. Second, if you thought Sean McVay used pre-snap motion, wait until you see the Ravens for four quarters. They’ve taken offensive eye candy to the nth degree.

The good news for L.A. is the Rams defense is allowing 3.3 yards per rush this season, second-fewest in the NFL. Even more relevant to this matchup, they’ve been disciplined against pre-snap motion, allowing an NFL-low 2.9 yards per rush when opposing teams use it against them, according ESPN research.

Down and Distance

A couple other traits you’ll want to know when the Ravens offense is on the field: they’re superb on early downs and lethal on fourth down.

Per a Pro Football Focus deep-dive this week, Baltimore moves the chains on first-and-second down more often than any offense in the league. So, while they rarely find themselves in third down, much less fourth down, John Harbaugh has suddenly developed a reputation as one of the most data-driven decision makers in the NFL. As a result, no team has converted more 4th down attempts than the Ravens.

This may sound like stating the obvious, but for the Rams to find success defensively, they have to knock the Ravens off schedule on first down, in the hopes of eventually putting them in “fourth-and-too-much-to-go-for-it.”

Eagle [Raven?] Scout

Not that it’s any surprise when a practice squad quarterback runs the scout team offense, but it did feel noteworthy when Sean McVay answered a query about who would play the role of Lamar Jackson this week.
John Wolford, of course.

Didn’t you see what he did to the Texans in late August?

Even better, Wolford actually has bragging rights, having outdueled Jackson in their college days (h/t Conor O’Neill). In October 2017, the record-setting Wake Forest quarterback orchestrated a 42-32 win over Louisville by passing for 461 yards, accounting for six total touchdowns, against just six incompletions.

So after a few days of getting carved up by the Wolford of Wall Street, the Rams defense will undoubtedly enjoy a sense of relief when it’s only the MVP front-runner across the line of scrimmage.

ESPY Repeat?

Unlike the 2018 Game of the Year, the Ravens and Rams may not combine for 54 points on Monday Night.
Why?

Since Week Seven, Baltimore and Los Angeles are the top two defenses in the league in defensive efficiency and points allowed. Neither has surrendered more than 20 points in five straight games, since October 3. That’s the Ravens longest such streak since six consecutive in 2010. Similarly for the Rams, who have not done six in a row since 1999.

The Old Todd

In last week’s win over Chicago, the Rams went with designed runs on 62% of plays, their highest rate in the last two years. And those plays were successful, much to the delight of Todd Gurley, in part because of a season-best 81 yards rushing before first contact, according to ESPN Research.

With a more robust receiving corps at his disposal in Week 12, and some confidence in that retooled offensive line, it will be fascinating to see McVay’s blend of play selections.

Against the Ravens, the Rams may not have as much time and score circumstances in their favor throughout Monday Night Football, as they did on Sunday Night Football a week prior.

Steep Climb

Here are the Rams remaining opponents' offensive rating, courtesy of Football Outsiders:

BAL - 3
ARI - 9
SEA - 4
DAL - 1
SF - 16

So, yeah, L.A. is going to have to score some points before the New Year if they intend to play in January.

Quarterback Quartets

Another way of making the same point: Over the past four games, the Rams first-team defense has held offenses quarterbacked by Matt Ryan, Andy Dalton, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky to 30 points…combined.

Over the next four weeks, however, they'll face a quartet that figures to stress them a bit more (and differently): Jackson, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, and Dak Prescott. Those signal-callers are currently third, tenth, first, and second in QBR.

Showdown in the Slot

It’s been an interesting couple weeks for Cooper Kupp, who in Pittsburgh was held without a catch in a game he finished, for the first time in his career. Then, after a bout with an illness between games, he served as a lead blocker for most of the win over Chicago, momentarily breaking out of that role to catch a 50-yard pass that was nearly a touchdown/touchback.

Anyway, I digress.

Kupp has 584 receiving yards from the slot this season, tied with Seattle’s Tyler Lockett for most in the NFL. Pair that with the Ravens allowing over 100 yards per game to slot receivers, and the Rams may have a matchup to exploit.

The question becomes, will Kupp see Marlon Humphrey (PFF 24) or Jimmy Smith? Or, is it possible that his biggest fan, Marcus Peters, could ask for the assignment?

Update to previous posting:

Below is an updated version of a post I made a couple weeks ago after the Nats won the World Series. Put it in the category of... "Obnoxious Forest Gump Moment" if you must, but I thought it was a cool story to share with some of you baseball types...



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Back in the mid-nineties, my brother interned for the SF Giants while getting his Masters from SF State. As timing would have it the Giants started their public relations "Ball Dude" program, employing senior citizens to patrol the foul territories for foul balls.

As you could anticipate, hilarity ensued....





Being an "insider" my bandwagon-Niner-loving brother was able to get my dad in as one of the original Ball Dudes.

Dad had some of his greatest memories getting to know the players, then-Manager Dusty Baker, and especially the announcers Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, who would tease him mercilessly, as he displayed his, ...ahem... skills on the field. I've got some great stories I could tell, maybe another time.

But one of the cool stories I wanted to tell today actually involves the new World-Series Champion Washington Nationals.

Dad enjoyed 13 years as a ball-dude, and once was featured on ESPN Plays of the Week, you got it, for doing a full face-plant. Chris Berman slowed down the footage and did his best Cosell, "Down goes Frazier!" as they showed my poor dad's face bouncing off the Pac-Bell grass.

Well, when the Giants left Candlestick for Pac-Bell in 2000, PR Director Sue Peterson opened up the Ball Dude program, including allowing the old dudes to work with their sons.

As a Dodger fan, it was a bit nauseating donning the Giants uniform, but the experience was awesome! I did a 3-game series against the Texas Rangers July of 2000 with my dad.

I was able to talk to JT Snow for a while, and tell him his dad Jack was one of my first Ram heroes. JT, of course, is a Rams fan, by the way! So we talked some Rams, as they were newly crowned SB champs at the time. (This was July 2000)

Dusty Baker was another guy I was able to talk to about the old Dodger teams. Dusty talked baseball with my dad a lot. He later remembered my name and said "Hi, John." after just meeting him the day before. I was pretty blown away.

Anyway, I was working the second game of the series down the visitors side (first base) and sitting on my little stool. Between innings the bullpen catcher had to run out from the main dugout and warm up the right fielder. The design of that stadium is pretty crappy, and the bullpen consists of a small dugout cage. Guys only come out there if they are actually warming up.

Around the 4th inning the Rangers bullpen catcher approached me with a ball, and said, "Hey man, do you mind warming up my right fielder?" I jumped at the chance. "Sure, no problem!" So for the next 5 innings, and the whole next game, between innings, I got to warm up....

Newly crowned World Series Champ, Manager Dave Martinez!







And for a couple innings - when the Ranger left fielder was slow to get out there, the center fielder flagged me down to toss him a couple balls. That was a pretty long throw, too! But I was still in pretty good shape and able to make those throws. I even overthrew him once and he had to run to the fence to retrieve the ball.

And who was the center fielder? None other than the new SF Giants manager....

Gabe Kapler!



It was a pretty cool experience at the time, but little did I know, I was warming up two future MLB managers.

For most of a year our streaming services on the Smart TV have worked flawlessly. My kids on line gaming rarely had a glitch. Then suddenly about a month ago my TV starts buffering and my kids Xbox is lagging to the point where it is unplayable. My iPhone also.

I called my cable company and they say there is no trouble on their end and that our router is working as it should. They say it is my WiFi router. So I reinstall the router and it works great for about three hours, then starts lagging again. It’s an Orbi. I purchase a new router, a Linksys AC2200. After installation it’s working great. About three hours later it is lagging Lincoln’s games and the TV is back to buffering every fifteen minutes.

I call the cable company and tell them what’s going on and they say my speed is only 40m and a boost to 100m would be a huge improvement. So they boost it and it’s a noticeable improvement on my desktop, but my son still has lag, only less and the tv still buffers just as much along with our iPhones.

I don’t understand where the problem is. Could it be malware? Or a virus? Could someone be using our WiFi? Or could some signal be causing interference?

It worked flawlessly at 40m for months.

Oddly enough Netflix and Prime don’t buffer at all. I’m currently streaming YouTube TV. The problems occurred about two weeks after I switched streaming services. But the lag happens on my kids Xbox even with the TV off.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Ranking the NFL's 10 most improved defenses: Why you might be surprised

The anatomy of a defensive improvement can have many different roots, because defense is less predictive from year to year than offense is. Defense can be driven by high turnover rates. It can be improved by players, by new schemes, by better fits. New coaches can bring in all of the above. Player health can be a big portion of the improvement. There's just a lot of ways for a defense to improve or decline in one year.

All you need to know about defensive improvement in the NFL can be summed up in the New England Patriots. They were our 31st-ranked defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) defense in 2017. They were 16th in 2018. And now they are No. 1.

1. New England Patriots

2019: -32.1% (1)
2018: 0.4% (16)
Gain: -32.5%

Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson started to emerge as a tandem last season. Jackson was on fire throughout the playoffs, and the Patriots allowed negative pass defense DVOA in four of their last five games. (Negative DVOA is good for defenses, because it means less scoring.)

The Patriots have simply upped the overall aggressiveness of their defense, bumping the blitz rate to 35.5% from 30.9%, and they feel they have the ability to play man-to-man and not get beat.

The only major addition this offseason was free agent Jamie Collins, who didn't even cost the team a compensation pick to bring back after wearing out his welcome in Cleveland. In fact, the Patriots lost their best 2018 pass-rusher, Trey Flowers, to free agency. It hasn't mattered at all. Collins leads the team in sacks, and former undrafted free agent defensive tackle Adam Butler is tied for second. The Patriots and Baltimore Ravens look to be trailblazers in several ways in the current NFL -- chief among those is getting more and more aggressive with more and better quality defensive backs.

Looking ahead: New England's defense hasn't shown any real signs of slowing down yet. They even made some solid in-game adjustments on Lamar Jackson's Ravens.

2. San Francisco 49ers

2019: -25.1% (2)
2018: 5.7% (23)
Gain: -30.8%

The 49ers mostly have improved by improving the talent. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh didn't have a true edge rusher last season, now he has Nick Bosaand Dee Ford. San Francisco's pressure rate of 34.2% (per SportsRadar data) leads the NFL by almost four whole percentage points. Second-place Pittsburgh is closer to ninth-place Chicago than it is to San Francisco.

A less-heralded secondary outside of Richard Sherman -- as well as Kwon Alexander, who is out with a torn pectoral -- might take a little air out of the tires here, but this has been quite the turnaround from one of last season's more forgettable squads.

Looking ahead: As long as the pass rush continues to succeed, this will be as good a unit as there is in the NFL.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

2019: -12.2% (3)
2018: -0.9% (13)
Gain: -11.3%

This is really about the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Since the Steelers brought him in, they've had a negative defensive DVOA in every game. The highest single-game pass defense DVOA allowed was last week against the Browns, at 20.3%. In 2018, the Steelers had eight games in which they allowed positive DVOA to an offense.

The Steelers were a good pressure defense last year, and they even did a good job of limiting yards after catch. But it has been the coverage that has improved and put them as one of our top three defenses through 11 weeks.

Looking ahead: Pittsburgh appears likely to keep this up, though it is worth noting they have played a really easy schedule of offensive opponents and will continue to do so until Week 14 against Arizona.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2019: 4.5% (22)
2018: 14.8% (32)
Gain: -10.3%

Intriguingly, this is almost all driven by a huge change in run defense DVOA. The Bucs have, by far, the best run defense DVOA in the NFL at -35.0%. Last season, they were at 3.0%, which was the second worst in the NFL. The Bucs overhauled defensive schemes in bringing in Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles.

Bowles has run an aggressive pass defense, blitzing at a 47.7% rate on dropbacks that has almost doubled the rate Tampa ran last season. Of course, that has barely touched their bottom-line pass defense DVOA, but their coverage players haven't been very good, and Vernon Hargreaves was actually released. Vita Vea deserves a lot of praise for his role in buffing this run defense.

Looking ahead: The run defense appears here to stay. Now the question is whether moving on from Hargreaves and some turnover in the secondary can help the pass defense to get better.

5. Kansas City Chiefs

2019: -2.7% (12)
2018: 6.9% (26)
Gain: -9.6%

The Chiefs are the opposite-world Bucs: They have improved one of the league's worst run defenses by only the slightest amount. They've gone from 32nd in run defense DVOA last year to 31st this season.

All of the improvement has come from a better pass defense. Nobody else is really in the league of San Francisco or New England as a pass defense this year, but Kansas City is in fourth place, right on Baltimore's heels for third. The Chiefs haven't allowed more than a 15.4% single-game pass defense DVOA since Week 1 against the Jaguars. While they have 32 sacks, the Chiefs have one of the lowest pressure rates -- 27th, per Sports Info Solutions data -- some indication that with better play from Frank Clark and a healthy Chris Jones they still might have some untapped upside.

Looking ahead: The Chiefs seem likely to remain a solid pass defense for the rest of the season, but they've shown no real indications that they're getting any better at stopping the run. They have faced one of the hardest schedules for a defense in the NFL this season, with their average opponent having a 6.3% offensive DVOA, which is fourth highest in the league.

6. Green Bay Packers

2019: 2.1% (18)
2018: 10.1% (29)
Gain: -8.0%

The Packers are another team that has mostly improved only as a pass defense, as they went from a 20.1% pass defense DVOA in 2018 (28th) to a 3.1% pass defense DVOA in 2019 (16th). Green Bay actually has lost some luster over the past few weeks, with the Raiders, Chargers and Panthers all putting up big scores on them. Before that, the Packers had started the year with five of their six single-game DVOA scores in double-digit negative numbers.

This is, obviously, a lot about better personnel. The Packers spent heavily on Adrian Amos, Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith this year, and the latter two already have combined for 18.5 sacks. Jaire Alexander has made a big performance leap, and rookie Darnell Savage has flashed some special skills when healthy.

Looking ahead: The Packers appear to have a defense that can hang with good teams; however, as with the Chiefs, there's really no reason to believe the run defense will get better. And like the Chiefs, they've played a tough schedule of offensive opponents that has masked their improvement. Their average opponent has a 6.4% offensive DVOA, third highest.

7. New York Jets

2019: -4.0% (11)
2018: 3.3% (21)
Gain: -7.3%

This year, the Jets have taken the leap from solid run defense to elite, as they currently are second in the NFL with a minus-27.3% DVOA while defending the run. Last year, they were only at minus-3.9% (21st). Their run defense was a big factor in their upset of the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the season, perhaps one of a few good memories Jets fans have had this season. Steve McLendon is doing work this year. Imagine if the Jets could keep a middle linebacker healthy.

New York's pass defense DVOA actually has gone up a bit; boy, that Trumaine Johnson contract sure wound up being silly, huh? The only negative (that is, better than average) pass defense DVOA games the Jets have generated this year have been against Buffalo and Washington and during the second New England game, in which they were down 20-0 before they could even blink.

Looking ahead: It is worth noting that the Jets have played a fairly easy schedule and haven't had the sort of talent investment that would make you think this will be something that continues going forward. It also is worth noting that Gregg Williams' defense with the Browns last year was 25th in run defense DVOA allowed .

8. Philadelphia Eagles

2019: -7.2% (6)
2018: 0.0% (15)
Gain: -7.2%

It's a modest improvement, but the Eagles have gone from a 6.7% pass defense DVOA last year (15th) to -0.5% pass defense DVOA this year (12th). They've blitzed a bit more than they used to under Jim Schwartz, currently at 27.2% per SportsRadar, as compared to a league-low 16.0% in 2018.

After getting torched by Case Keenum's Washington outfit in Week 1, the Eagles have allowed just two other teams to hang a positive pass defense DVOA on them: Detroit in Week 3 and Minnesota in Week 6. The cornerbacks are still not elite, but the additional pass rush has largely mitigated some issues.

Looking ahead: Philadelphia has had the league's most variable defense this year, a figure that is largely driven by games like their pummeling of Luke Falk in Week 4. That could lead to this improvement being a bit of a mirage, though we think the extra blitzing will help in the long run.

9. Los Angeles Rams

2019: -6.7% (8)
2018: 0.5% (18)
Gain: -7.2%

A Wade Phillips unit that can stop the run! That's what we have here. The Rams are third in run defense DVOA, at minus-22.9% DVOA. Last year, they were at 1.1% DVOA in that area, 27th in the NFL.

Los Angeles hasn't actually changed up most of its front seven personnel; Clay Matthews is new, and Dante Fowler Jr. is here for a full season. Ndamukong Suhis with Tampa Bay. But the most impactful move for the Rams' run defense has probably been acquiring Eric Weddle, who is second on the team in tackles and is thriving in Phillips' scheme.

The pass defense actually has declined a little bit, which is to be expected given the shuffling around of what essentially became a Marcus Peters-for-Jalen Ramsey swap, in addition to Aqib Talib and John Johnson missing significant time this season. The Rams still have shown plenty of high-upside games, with three pass defense DVOA single-game scores better than -24%. But they've also been torched by Seattle and Tampa Bay.

Looking ahead: Phillips' defenses haven't normally been this good against the run, and the Rams have played an average opponent offensive DVOA of -5.3%, 28th in the NFL. This could be a bit of a fluke.

10. Atlanta Falcons

2019: 7.7% (25)
2018: 13.3% (31)
Gain: -5.6%

So, this is a fun one because it's almost all based on the results of the past two weeks. The Falcons' defense was scorched-earth bad before the bye. It had allowed pass defense DVOA ratings above 36% in seven of Atlanta's first eight games. But since coming back from the bye, with Dan Quinn giving more playcalling power to his assistants, the Falcons have posted back-to-back games of minus-19.9% and minus-48.2% pass defense DVOA scores. They've sacked Kyle Allen and Drew Brees 11 times during the past two weeks, more sacks than they had over the first eight games of the season.

It was very easy to see a path for Quinn to be dismissed before the past two weeks. Now, on the upswing and with the potential of a solid defense, maybe the Falcons will get hot enough to convince everyone to give him another year in charge.

Looking ahead: The Falcons are always out to tease us, but there are real reasons to believe that the playcalling and coverage have improved coming out of the bye week. We're more encouraged by this than we are the random six-week stretch of good play they sometimes put together.

Fred Cox, former Vikings kicker and NERF co-creator, dies at age 80

Former Minnesota Vikings kicker Fred Cox, one of the last of the straight-on placekickers and a standout on several conference championship teams, has died. He was 80.

Cox’s wife, Bonnie, notified the Vikings’ alumni affairs office of his death. Cox had had been in hospice care at his home in Monticello northwest of the Twin Cities because of kidney and heart problems.

“My health is not good, obviously,” Cox told the Pioneer Press on Saturday in an interview at his home. “I have kidneys that don’t work and a heart that doesn’t function, but other than that I’m great.”

Cox, who also co-created the Nerf football, scored a Minnesota-record 1,365 points in his 15 seasons, often kicking in nasty conditions because the Vikings played outdoors during his career from 1963-77. When he retired, he was second in NFL history in scoring behind George Blanda — who also played quarterback — and had made 282 field goals.

Cox was one of 11 Vikings to play in all four of the team’s Super Bowls, all defeats. He kicked in 18 postseason games.

The Vikings called Cox “one of our proudest legends, a respected teammate and friend. Fred's football career as the Vikings’ all-time leading scorer set the stage for a life where he went on to achieve great things in business and in his community. Fred's positive energy, strength in his faith and passion for life will be missed."

During his playing days he also got a chiropractor’s license.

An All-Pro in 1969, Cox twice led the league in scoring while using a square-toed shoe to do his kicking. On a team with several Hall of Famers, including Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page and Paul Krause, Cox also was a standout.

But he never earned a Super Bowl victory, and once said:

"The fans have never been able to live with the fact that we lost four times,” Cox said. “But the bottom line is that for any team to get there four times is an amazing feat."

Cox played fullback as well as kicked at Pitt. Drafted by the Browns in the eighth round in 1961, he sat out a year because of a back injury. But he learned about NFL kicking from another Hall of Famer, Cleveland’s Lou “The Toe” Groza, also a straight-on kicker.

Minnesota acquired Cox in 1962, but cut him. He made the Vikings the next year and stuck for 15 seasons.

Bud Grant, who coached those Vikings squads, told the team’s website that "Fred was the ultimate team player for us. He took part in all of our scout teams, playing running back or whatever we asked of him. He was a great asset to our team, a true credit to the team and his community. If you saw those games, he always stood right next to me on the sideline because he was such a big part of what we were doing with field position and knew the game so well."

Cox is survived by Bonnie and four children.

Get them up to speed ASSP. We have some Ravens to fry up. Hear it tastes like chicken !

I'm just wondering what your hearing on the West Coast. Dennis Dodd keeps talking about James Franklin being a major target for USC.

I'm not particularly worried if he leaves. He's a good recruiter but is too tied to his assistants and the team doesn't seem that well coached compared to some teams with less talent like Minnesota and Baylor. His half time adjustments are non existent and he has trouble closing games in the second half. I think Penn State could do better.