So now that Gruden is out to pasture, its open season on who will replace him (and other soon to be available jobs)
Who are the "must have" guys this year?

That can’t last. No way he’ll end up anywhere close to that 83.0 rating.

He is overdue for some big games. Starting next Sunday, I think he goes on a strong run of performances that move him up at least into the mid 90s.

@mortreport: Jay Gruden has been fired by the ‘Redskins, per sources

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Do we hire him?

Patriots, Chiefs, Ravens, Saints, Eagles, Seahawks among teams already laying groundwork for frenzied trade deadline

The trade deadline is still nearly a month away, but already there has been a rush of activity to express interest in certain valuable veteran players, and a sense among aggressive general managers that there are more potential trades to be made this year than possibly ever before.

That sentiment was shared by the eight general managers I reached out to this week, all noting that the chasm between the contenders and pretenders seems more stark than in years past, and that it is no longer considered taboo for struggling teams to trade top players in-season or embrace a wholesale rebuild. The Bengals, Jets, Broncos, Dolphins, Cardinals and Washington are all winless, and there have never been more than six winless teams this late in the season since the 1970 merger of the AFL and NFL. If five teams or more remain winless entering Week 6, that will be an all-time record.

Trades have become more commonplace in general in the NFL in recent years, with younger GMs with more diverse backgrounds (and not simply scouting) having accepted a mode of transaction that was largely frowned upon in the past, given the extreme team nature of this sport and the differences between schemes and terminologies from team to team. But now, several teams have already begun laying the framework for potential deals ahead of the October 29 deadline, sources said.

The Saints, Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, Patriots and Seahawks have been among the most active teams, league sources said, hopeful of addressing roster needs to fortify what they believe can be Super Bowl runs. Many of these teams have already been in pursuit of disgruntled Jaguars star corner Jalen Ramsey, who still could be dealt ahead of the deadline; the Chiefs, Eagles, Ravens and Saints, in particular, are pushing for corner upgrades.

The Patriots have issues at the offensive line, tight end and receiver, and are expected to push for players like Bengals receiver A.J. Green and/or tight end Tyler Eifert; those players also appeal to the Saints, sources said, who made a real effort to land Denver's Emmanuel Sanders a year ago and likely would again.

The Ravens need to address a flagging defense and will attempt to do so, sources said, with Denver's Derek Wolfe making sense for them, and any other pass-rush help, too.

The Eagles tried to land star defensive back Patrick Peterson from the Cardinals a year ago, and he could be dealt when he returns from suspension as well, with Arizona yet to win and in need of future draft picks instead of 30-something players.

Washington has refused to trade holdout star left tackle Trent Williams to this point, baffling rival GMs who used adjectives like "ridiculous," "unbelievable" and "backwards" to describe the team's approach to that situation. Still, some believe owner Dan Snyder will relent at some point this month with his franchise spiraling. Could that prompt him to deal stalwart end Ryan Kerrigan as well? If so, there would be serious interest. Same with Bengals defensive standouts Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap.

It has the makings of a wild few weeks until the deadline. Traditionally, this would result in far more talk than action. But that tide may finally be changing.

Monday Night Football: Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers face the Cleveland Browns Monday night as the last undefeated team in the NFC. A 3-0 start, their first since 1998, has been keyed by the old-school tenets of football: a 1-2 punch of a rushing attack and outstanding defense, forcing turnovers and piling up points. It’s helped a recovering Jimmy Garoppolo get his feet wet at quarterback, kept healthy by an offensive line allowing a total of just two sacks in three games.

But the 49ers’ future success is far from certain given that the first three teams they beat have a combined overall record of 3-9. Their NFC West division features the playoff-caliber Seahawks at 4-1 and defending conference champion Rams at 3-2. Four games against those teams lie ahead along with matchups against the Packers, Ravens, Saints, and Panthers.

This Monday night contest is no cakewalk, either. The Browns enter Week 5 atop a wobbly AFC North, back to 2-2 after an ugly start. Running back Nick Chubb has covered up some up-and-down play from Baker Mayfield, sitting fourth in the NFL with 398 yards rushing. His ability to pierce the Ravens defense made the difference in last week’s 40-25 victory that was easily Cleveland’s most impressive game this season.

Can they keep it up with a second straight upset on the road? Or will the 49ers use the rest from their bye week to TKO arguably their best opponent thus far in 2019?

Cleveland at San Francisco

Kickoff: Monday, Oct. 7 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: 49ers -4

Three Things To Watch

1. Nick Chubb vs. 49ers rush defense

Chubb had a breakout game last week against the Ravens, becoming the key difference maker as he rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns. That included an 88-yard touchdown sprint that’s the longest run from scrimmage in the NFL this season.

But now, he runs up against a 49ers defense defined by early success against the run. No running back has gained more than 75 yards against the Niners this season, and they have yet to give up a rushing touchdown. James Conner of the Steelers, who put up similar numbers to Chubb's in 2018, gained just 43 yards on 13 carries in Week 3.

2. Mayfield must make the most of his opportunities

If the 49ers run defense remains successful, that puts pressure on quarterback Baker Mayfield to be the difference-maker. And for Mayfield, the jury is still out in a 2019 campaign that’s seen him stumble to a middling quarterback rating of 77.2. He hasn’t thrown more than a single touchdown pass in any game, and his six interceptions are tied for second in the NFL behind Jared Goff.

A shaky offensive line hasn’t helped, although last week, they held the Ravens to only one sack. They’ll need to maintain that protection against a middling 49ers pass rush (3.0 sacks/gm) to have a chance.

How can Mayfield make a difference? Perhaps his leadership alone can help keep the Browns in check offensively. But head coach Jimmy Kitchens needs to clean up a defense that’s been sloppy.

The Browns' penalty situation has been improving in recent weeks, but their 56 in four games are twice as many as opponents during the same time period. They have piled up a whopping 161 more penalty yards than opponents, keeping drive after drive alive on defense with silly mistakes. The 49ers will take full advantage if the Browns come out and play sloppy.

3. Will Garoppolo add a missing piece to the 49ers' offense?

On the flip side, the 49ers have produced just enough offense from Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert to give Garoppolo a chance to breathe. Their 175 rush yards per game rank second in the NFL heading into Week 5; Cleveland’s defense ranks just 21st against the run. So it’s clear what the gameplan will be this Monday night.

That said, Garoppolo needs to improve upon his 2019 performance to date. Costly turnovers against the Steelers (two interceptions) nearly cost them the game and leave the 49ers at -1 in turnover margin for the year. Tight end George Kittle is off to a respectable start, but no receiver on this team has had more than 86 yards receiving in a game this season.

Final Analysis

The Browns come in hot and have reignited their playoff hopes after flaming out for much of the first three weeks. But the 49ers, fresh off a bye week, should do just enough offensively while creating the turnovers needed to keep the Browns offense in check.

Prediction: 49ers 27, Browns 24

Rams defense undeterred by recent performances

Over the last two games, the Rams' defense has seen opposing offenses put up an average of 42.5 points per contest.

Reason to be concerned? Not for safety Eric Weddle.

“It really doesn’t matter what the outside thinks," Weddle said. "I’m not really concerned with that. We fought our tails off."

Specific to Thursday's 30-29 loss to the Seahawks, some of the situations in which Seattle's offense found the endzone were out of Los Angeles' control – and much of that had to do with Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.

Going into the contest, the Rams were very aware of Wilson's knack for executing off-schedule and keeping plays alive, and it didn't take long to show up. Flushed out of the pocket with under a minute remaining in the first quarter, Wilson ran to his left, then fired a ball toward the left corner of the endzone with his body parallel to the line of scrimmage.

At first glance, it looked like Wilson was intentionally throwing the ball away, or out of bounds, in order to prevent a loss of yards. Instead, WR Tyler Lockett made a tough catch in the endzone for the store, dragging both feet inbounds with little space to work with near the back left pylon.

If the description of how the play unfolded isn't enough, consider NFL Next Gen Stats said the pass had a 6.3 percent chance of being completed – making it the most improbable completion of the last two seasons.

“That’s what he do," Rams DT Aaron Donald said of Wilson. "I have to watch the film and see what happened, but that’s what he do. At times he got out on us, and we have to be better than that.”

Weddle described it as a "crazy play."

"You can play the coverage perfect, took him, covered him up, and he throws it up and makes a play," Weddle said. "Those things happen.You just chalk it up as a great play by Russ and a great play by Tyler. I’m not going to lose sleep over a play like that. It’s an amazing play."

In spite of those acrobatic plays, the Rams still gave themselves an shot to win at the end. A defensive stand at midfield afforded L.A.'s offense the chance to mount a game-winning drive with less than two minutes remaining that ultimately came up short.

"We had chances," Weddle said. "We got a stop late and, you know, we didn’t get it done."

Playing on Thursday instead of Sunday this week gave players the chance to take a couple days to relax and recover before starting preparation for next week's home game against a 49ers team which averages the fourth-most total yards of offense and third-most points per game in the NFL through four games.

However, there's no worry in the Rams locker room. They know what they need to fix and will be ready.

“We fine," Donald said. "It’s still early in the season. That’s nothing to panic about. There’s a lot more football left. All you can do is watch the film, learn, try to fix the things you did wrong and build up the things you did good and keep playing ball."

Sooooo......the chiefs offense has consistently declined since the injury to Tyreek Hill. Wonder if the media will recognize this the same way they blamed the Rams offensive “ decline”
on the injury to Cooper Kupp?

The NFL needs to get a handle on these over officiating jerks . I love watching football and my Rams , but this is getting out of hand . They need to put all the refs in a locked room and make them watch all the ridiculous calls they are making . It's almost nauseating to watch a game just hoping the flags won't determine the outcome . I threaten to stop watching even though I never would , but when you can't settle in and enjoy a good game it makes you wonder why I would keep watching. I understand the safety issues, but these are grown men playing a great game that's being ruined by flag happy officials . It's not even their full time job . Take control of it now NFL before you run off all the fans that aren't as die hard as we are . Rant over

https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angel...must-be-more-aggressive-nasty-after-3-2-start

By Lindsay Thiry ESPN
SEATTLE -- The Los Angeles Rams' offense, a well-oiled machine the last two seasons under coach Sean McVay, has been examined and scrutinized through five games and a 3-2 start.

Not enough of running back Todd Gurley, who has yet to rush for 100 yards in a single game? Too much of quarterback Jared Goff, who has passed for 912 yards and three touchdowns in two losses? An offensive line that's adapting to two first-year starters?

But on Thursday night, after a 30-29 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rams receiver Robert Woods offered a different explanation for the uneven start.
"I personally feel like we've got a lot of work to do," Woods told ESPN. "Just got to play better, play faster, play more aggressive and -- be nasty, I think, really.
"That's the biggest thing I would say. Be the aggressor. Be the hammer, not the nail."

Through five games, the Rams have yet to score a first-quarter touchdown. However, despite sluggish starts, the offense has been in position to tie or win the last two games in the final minutes. But they have not been able to capitalize.

"Is it disappointing? Absolutely," McVay said about the 3-2 start. "But it's something that is not going to be debilitating and prohibit our ability to move forward as a team."

When asked why he thought the Rams were not "nasty" enough, Woods said, "I don't know. Mindset."

In Week 4, with 1:18 to play and trailing 48-40 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Goff was strip sacked by linebacker Shaq Barrett and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh returned the takeaway for a 37-yard touchdown to seal a 55-40 victory.

On Thursday night, against the Seahawks, Goff could only watch as a pass bounced off tight end Gerald Everett's hands and was intercepted with 2:12 to play, trailing 30-29. The defense forced a Seattle three-and-out on the ensuing drive, giving the Rams a final chance to win with 1:38 remaining. But penalties plagued an otherwise sharply executed drive. Right tackle Rob Havenstein was flagged for a false start, and the Rams took a delay of game. Costly mistakes when you consider kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard winning field goal attempt, wide right.

"I just didn't swing hard," Zuerlein said after the game as he left the locker room. "Usually if I leave the ball right, I open my foot and don't swing hard, and that's what happened. I thought it had a chance to come back in, but anytime I swing like that, it's usually not a recipe for success."

Goff said he was ready to go when the Rams got the ball back a final time.
"We're rolling on offense in most of the second half. Had some things that didn't go our way where we didn't finish drives," Goff said. "But we were moving the ball really well."

Ball security and penalties have been an issue throughout the season.

Goff has turned the ball over at least once in all five games, tying the longest streak of his career, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. He has thrown seven touchdowns, with seven interceptions. In the second quarter against the Seahawks, Gurley also lost a fumble in the red zone with the Seahawks ahead 14-6.

The offensive line has drawn 17 penalties through five games. Last season, the line accounted for six penalties in five games and 25 penalties through Week 17

I love Ginger Baker. We are essentially blood brothers. In 1993 I was doing shrooms in Joshua Tree and had a traumatic accident falling 30 feet onto my stomach and was barely alive when I was air lifted to Bob Hope hospital in Palm Springs.

At the same time, Ginger Baker was riding his horse naked through Joshua Tree with his wife and had a traumatic injury with a tree.

We both arrived at the hospital at the same time and the trauma surgeon Dr Ercoli (one of the top 5 trauma surgeons in the USA) was working on me and Ginger almost simultaneously.

To this day we have that special bond of cheating death together.

But it looks like time has caught up to my blood brother.

A horrible human but great drummer and legend nonetheless.

RIP Ginger! I will see you soon

Okay... no Rams game... do you still make a football spread?

I do. It’s football Sunday.

Today;

• Meatballs in cocktail sauce... chips, salsa... for snacking
• Enchiladas for main course (chicken, homemade)
• Beer

Sunday Night Football: Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) are set to host the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) in week 5 for a primetime matchup on "Sunday Night Football." The last time these teams met in Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs jumped out to an early lead on the Colts and never looked back in a 31-13 victory in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. It marked Kansas City’s first home playoff win in 25 years.

After breezing through the competition with relative ease in wins against the Jaguars, Raiders, and Ravens, the Chiefs were finally put to the test in a sloppy Week 4 thriller against the Lions on the road. Kansas City was forced to overcome a 30-27 deficit with just over two minutes remaining. Patrick Mahomes would go on to engineer a 79-yard drive, capped off by Darrel Williams’ one-yard plunge into the end zone with 20 seconds remaining. The Chiefs would then fend off two Hail Mary attempts from Matthew Stafford to narrowly escape Detroit with a 34-30 victory and move their unblemished record to 4-0 on the season. With a win over Indianapolis on Sunday night, Kansas City would reach the 5-0 mark for the third consecutive season.

The Colts have experienced mixed results so far in the post-Andrew Luck era. Following a heartbreaking 30-24 overtime loss to the Chargers in the season opener, Indianapolis went on the road to score a 19-17 upset win against divisional rival Tennessee, before returning home to knock off Atlanta 27-24. But things took a turn in the wrong direction for the surging Colts last week. Down several key starters, Indianapolis could not overcome an early 14-point deficit en route to a deflating 31-24 loss to the Raiders at home. Still a little worse for the wear on the injury front, the upset-minded Colts will now head to Kansas City in search of redemption.

Indianapolis at Kansas City

Kickoff: Sunday, Oct 6 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Spread: Kansas City -11

Three Things to Watch

1. Patrick Mahomes looks to get back on track

It seems a little ridiculous to say that Patrick Mahomes needs to bounce back after throwing for 315 yards and rushing for an additional 54 yards against the Lions in Week 4. But when you are the reigning NFL MVP, the standards are a little higher. And despite Mahomes’ lofty yardage totals last week, he was far from being at his best, completing just 57 percent of his passes and failing to throw or run for a touchdown for the first time since making his professional debut against Denver in 2017. Ironically, the last time Mahomes did not throw a touchdown pass in a game was against the Colts in the AFC Divisional Game, although he did have a rushing touchdown in that matchup.

So, will Mahomes return to MVP form in Week 5 against the Colts?

The 13th-ranked Colts pass defense (230.5 passing yards allowed per game) has been solid in terms of limiting explosive plays. However, opposing quarterbacks have collectively earned a passer rating of 113 against them (fourth highest in the league). And the Indy pass defense did not fare well at all in its two matchups against top-flight quarterbacks, allowing both Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan to throw for over 300 yards, with three touchdowns apiece. Mahomes should be able to put up similar numbers or better.

There’s also an outside chance that star wide receiver Tyreek Hill (collarbone) could make an early return after practicing in a limited capacity this week. That would only increase Mahomes’ chances for a big performance against the Colts. But as it stands, Mahomes should have no trouble making do with Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman in his arsenal.

As a side note, the Chiefs’ running game will get a nice boost this week with the healthy return of Damien Williams, who rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown against Indianapolis in last year’s AFC divisional matchup.

2. The Indianapolis run game vs. the Kansas City run defense

The most promising aspect of Sunday night’s matchup for the Colts is that the Kansas City defense can be exploited, particularly on the ground. The Chiefs enter Week 5 ranked 31st in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (149.8) and dead last in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (5.9).

When hitting on all cylinders, the Colts’ ground attack (132.5 yards per game) is one of the most formidable in the NFL. But their success, or lack thereof, hinges largely on running back Marlon Mack, who has struggled with nagging injuries since exploding for 174 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Chargers in Week 1. As a result, his touches have decreased incrementally each week, and he has not rushed for more than 74 yards in a game since his monster Week 1 outing. Mack is currently dealing with an ankle injury that could limit him once again, and possibly even keep him out of Sunday night’s highly favorable matchup.

If Mack is unable to go, the Colts will turn to backup running back Jordan Wilkins to do most of the heavy lifting in the run game. Wilkins has played well in limited action, rushing for 97 yards on just 12 carries. Nyheim Hines will continue to serve as the Colts’ third-down back in more of a pass-catching role.

Regardless of who lines up in the Indianapolis backfield on Sunday night, the opportunity to capitalize on a leaky Chiefs run defense remains intact. The goal: keep the chains moving, keep the clock rolling, and more importantly, keep the Kansas City offense off the field.

The challenge: The Colts will not be able to take full advantage of this matchup if they are forced to turn exclusively to the passing game in a bid to play catch-up. Unfortunately, that seems like a more plausible scenario based on the Chiefs’ tendency to jump out to early leads.

3. Will Jacoby Brissett continue to exceed expectations in Week 5?

Jacoby Brissett has performed very well in Andrew Luck’s stead so far in 2019. His 10 touchdown passes are tied for the most in the league with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson; he boasts a healthy 102.1 passer rating; and Brissett is the only NFL quarterback to throw at least two touchdown passes in each of his first four games this season.

Brissett should be able to keep the trend going on Sunday night against a Kansas City pass defense that ranks just 20th in the NFL, allowing 259 passing yards per game. The problem: Brissett will probably need to have the best game of his career for Indianapolis to keep pace on the scoreboard. And even against a fairly generous Chiefs pass defense, that will be a tall order.

It will be an even taller order if star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is once again forced to sit out with a quad injury. Hilton was sorely missed in last week’s loss to the Raiders. Brissett did well to put up solid numbers without him. However, five dropped passes, including three by tight end Eric Ebron, did not help Brissett’s cause.

With or without Hilton, Brissett will need a much-improved effort from his supporting cast on Sunday. The good news is that Ebron should have a chance to redeem himself against a Chiefs defense that has allowed opposing tight ends to rack up 32 catches for 284 yards so far this season. That also bodes well for fellow tight end Jack Doyle.

Final Analysis

Even if T.Y. Hilton and Marlon Mack are limited, or unable to suit up on Sunday night, Jacoby Brissett and the Colts' offense should have success against the Chiefs' lackluster defense. The question is, will it be enough to keep pace with a Kansas City offense that is averaging a league-best 33.8 points per game and hasn’t scored fewer than 26 points in 22 consecutive games? The answer is no. Chiefs keep their perfect record intact in front of a raucous Arrowhead crowd.

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Colts 24

@PFF_Rams: Two #LARams players received elite #PFF grades of 90.0+ in Thursday's game versus the #Seahawks :

Tyler Higbee (92.9) and Gerald Everett (90.3)

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Everett got 30 snaps in game 1. The last 3 games, he got 56, 50, 57 total snaps. In those last 3 games, He got passing snaps of 34, 47, 40.

Higbee got 39 total snaps each of the last 2 games since returning from injury. In those last 2 games, He got passing snaps of 31, 21.

Seems fairly clear what’s going on here.

We have witnessed our rather slow 3-2 start to the season. What record do you think we will finish with in the regular season?

Coach film is up already on NFL.com so that's one advantage to a Thursday game eh? Got some time today to play around so going to kick things off with some of the key down/distance snaps to see where plays were made and lost. So let's go to a situation of the game following two excellent snaps by our defense (the latter resulting in a holding call on Iupati who held Fowler on a near-sack)...

14:16 1st Quarter
Seattle on their 17
2nd and 18

Pre-snap Rams in their 2 down lineman look up front:


Pre-snap coverage, NRC moves with 82 who is in motion:


Protections at the snap:


Coverage at the snap things look good for the Rams, but NRC has 82 in the flat and Peters despite a 10 yard cushion is bailing out:


Protections at the drop (a beat later) are falling apart almost immediately, and Fowler flushes Wilson with an inside move:


Coverages at the drop we see Brown settle in the soft spot while Peters continues to bail out for no good reason (he finally stops 5 yards PAST the first down marker). Note all the other coverages are working like clockwork, the TE is covered, Weddle hands off his guy seamlessly to JJ in the middle, over/under on 14, etc:


Wilson bails from the pocket, AD keeps contain at the top, Clay pursuing from behind but we can see Brown is wide open:


Huge pickup for most of the yardage BUT not so fast as NRC makes a clutch strip of the wideout on the sideline:


Peters giveth and Peters taketh away:

GZ has now missed 3 of 6 FGs in the 40-49 yard range this year. He missed in Carolina, Cleveland, and Seattle. But he’s perfect from every other range, including 2 for 2 beyond 50 yards.

It’s weird, but I’ve always been more worried about his 40 yarders than his 50 yarders.

Through five games, Rams’ Darrell Henderson has zero yards

Over the summer, Rams rookie running back Darrell Henderson was a fashionable fantasy football pick, viewed as a player likely to get a solid workload with Todd Gurley expected to see reduced playing time. It hasn’t happened.

Although Gurley is playing a little less this year than he did last year, Henderson is not getting on the field even when Gurley gets plays off. In fact, Henderson has done exactly nothing this season: He has one carry for zero yards rushing, and despite talk that he could be a playmaker in the passing game and on special teams, he has still yet to catch a pass or return a kick.

So far this season Henderson has played two snaps on offense and nine on special teams. On Thursday night he played one snap, on special teams. It’s as if the Rams put Henderson on the field just once to show that he is healthy and available, but don’t trust him to do anything that makes a difference in the game.

If Gurley can stay healthy enough to play 16 games, this may be the story for Henderson all season. But if Gurley’s bum knee sidelines him, the Rams will need to count on Henderson more than they have through five games.

NFL's crowded basement: With six teams still winless, here's what it means for coaches, the trade market and the future

The bottom of the NFL standings are, arguably, worse than ever. The difference between the haves and have nots, in this league, seems more extreme than ever before.

You can see it on the horrible game film and in the lopsided boxscores, and in the bizarre lines Vegas is concocting each week, where two-touchdown point spreads are something of a norm and three-touchdown spreads are becoming shockingly frequent. We are on a record-setting pace for NFL futility, with some wondering if multiple teams may flirt with 0-16, with teams who just made coaching changes already falling dangerously off the pace just a quarter of the way through the season.

It is already drawing attention around the league, with whispers turning to chatter about how woefully noncompetitive the bottom quarter of teams in this league are, and what sort of drastic measures some owners might be considering to try to reverse course. We are barely in October, but the Dolphins, Bengals, Broncos, Skins, Cardinals and Jets are already cooked.

The bleak landscape is already begging questions about whether this could become the Year Of The One-And-Done Head Coach, and it's setting up what could be one of the most interesting trade deadlines ever, with football – the sport of parity – now suddenly mirroring sports like baseball, basketball and hockey with the stark dichotomy between contenders and pretenders.

We enter Week 5 with six teams still searching for a win. I went back in the standings every year since 1970, when the American Football League merged with the NFL, and this is as bad as it gets. Only twice before (2009 and 1998) have this many teams been winless entering Week 5 (last year there was one winless team at this point; there were four in 2017). And, since the merger, entering Week 6 there have never been more than four winless teams.

Sizing up the scary six

The winless Dolphins (0-4) are on the bye. Arizona (0-3-1) faces Cincinnati (0-4); could another tie loom? The 0-4 Jets (at Eagles) and the 0-4 Skins (hosting New England) are massive underdogs and the Broncos (0-4) travel to the Chargers reeling from another crazy loss at home. Since the merger, there have never been five or more teams winless entering Week 6. And the saddest part is, if some of these teams did not face each other, the situation would look even worse. Because the first month of the season would portend they are not capable of beating anyone else.

The teams that made coaching changes in 2019 are a combined 5-21-1, and all of that winning is confined to two teams. Matt Lafleur's Packers are 3-1, and are winning after outspending everyone else for defensive players and sinking a ton of draft assets into that side of the ball, but getting little production from $35M future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offense overall. And Bruce Arians, who has been a head coach twice before, has the upstart Bucs at 2-2.

As for the rest of this bunch … well, see for yourself.

The Dolphins are clearly rebuilding for the future, have gutted the roster and are loading up on picks. Rookie head coach Brian Flores has had his share of issues, but is in an untenable spot as well in terms of actually winning (-137 scoring differential!). Adam Gase will be under pressure to improve an ugly 0-3 start (-37 scoring differential) with the Jets once quarterback Sam Darnold returns. Vic Fangio's defense in Denver (0-4; -23 scoring differential) somehow has no bite and pass rush despite abundant talent.

Zac Taylor has, literally, no NFL caliber offensive linemen with the Bengals (-53 scoring differential) it seems and a team that is getting pummeled pretty much each week. Kliff Kingsbury's offense in Arizona (-41) is hardly taking the NFL by storm, his decision-making in the red zone has come under scrutiny and the roster has massive holes due to wasted draft picks. The Skins (-52) will fire head coach Jay Gruden at some point, likely this month, perhaps reaching new lows under owner Dan Snyder, which is saying something.

For those scoring at home, the Dolphins, Bengals, Skins, Cardinals, Broncos and Jets have allowed a combined 343 more points than they have scored, in just four weeks of work. Let that sink in. And imagine what these point spreads will look like once these teams, inevitably, suffer injuries to key players or turn over the reigns to quarterbacks before they are ready to play. Yikes.

Are changes, more trades on the way?

There are nary any signs of hope across the board for this group, and, by and large, ownership and management in those franchises have grossly misjudged the direction of those teams and ability to compete. They should have started gutting older players and bigger contracts and began preparing for the future long ago.

The Dolphins, say what you want about them, have an actual idea about where they are going and how bad it might be before they get there. The Raidersloaded up with draft capital a year ago by opting to trade Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper rather than pay them top-of-the-market deals. The Browns are finally on the other side of a stripped-down rebuild. And, whether they want to admit it or not, or believe it or not, the Broncos, Bengals, Jets and Cardinals are behind those clubs when it comes to being able to manipulate the draft board and be in position to secure whichever players they assess are the best at any position of need in the upcoming drafts.

Those developments have led general managers of contending teams (the "haves," if you will) to consider if this is finally the year that the trade deadline is in full bloom, though they particularly doubt whether the Bengals and Broncos, with more old-school mentalities, will fully embrace the opportunity at hand. (The Dolphins are already picked through; the Jets, Cardinals Skins have almost nothing to offer outside of Washington hold-out left tackle Trent Williamsand Cardinals suspended stud defensive back Patrick Peterson).

"When is the last time the Bengals made any meaningful trade?" one skeptical GM asked. "Ever? Do you remember one? And (John) Elway hasn't been willing to really go there, either. They absolutely should, but I'm not sure if they will."

Another NFL personnel executive said of the Bengals and Broncos, after studying their bevy of attractive trade chips: "I agree they absolutely should be shopping players (ahead of the deadline), but I have my doubts. We're applying reason and logic, but I'm not sure those teams will fully embrace what needs to be done."

It's led owners and general managers who may be considering changes to their coaching staff to ponder where the heck the next batch of coaches will come from, with many in the 2019 class seeming overwhelmed at times already. Hopefully, it will lead them to consider a more diverse group of candidates, both in terms of race and football background.

It has some executives wondering if, like baseball where there was an extreme number of 100-win and 100-loss teams, there is a growing reality about the need for mismanaged teams to tear-down (or tank, if you will), despite the NFL's hard salary cap and massive revenue-sharing model (which separates it from most other sports). It will not, I don't believe, lead to any measures from the league office to try to curb it, however, despite occasional lip serving to the contrary, as owners are able to make trades and transactions as they see fit.

Perhaps, in terms of competitive imbalance, this is rock bottom. Though it is certainly going to get worse for many of these bad teams before it ever gets better.

8 things about Malcolm Brown

Each week during the season, we interview a different Rams player to find out about their lives on the field as well as off of it. Team Reporter, Sarina Morales, asks the questions fans want to know, in a fun and conversational interview. This week, running back, Malcolm Brown spoke to Sarina about sounding like Barry White, looking like 50 Cent and about the misconception about being a running back.

Sarina: What was your favorite Halloween costume growing up?

Malcolm: I didn’t really do Halloween like that… Last year, I did 50 Cent.

Sarina: Oh yeah, you did! That was good.

Sarina: Where did [your twitter handle] Malley Cat come from?

Malcolm: Malley Cat. It was [from] a movie. There was a movie called The Aristocats. Old school movie. My uncle, he started calling me that when I was younger. I really set it up [as my Twitter handle] because I couldn't think of [anything] from my [childhood] when I first made it in college. And then some of the fans started calling me that, so I just kept Malley Cat.

Sarina: What's your favorite thing about being a professional athlete, but as it relates to your life outside of football?

Malcolm: Dang. See, I started thinking about my little camp but that's a football camp. Let me see. I'm trying to think of one.

Sarina: Going to the supermarket and carrying extra grocery bags. You know, having a six-pack all the time.
Malcolm: Oh! Having a beach bod. That's a good one.

Sarina: Right. You're always beach-ready.

Malcolm: Always beach-ready.

Sarina: What's a misconception about running backs?

Malcolm: I feel like a lot of people… watch, but they don't really know what's [going on]. [We’re] not just out there getting the ball and running. It's a lot of schemes…

Sarina: It’s not as easy as just running through an Olinemen and being like, "Oh look, there's a gap there."

Malcolm: Right. It's harder than what people think. We feel those hits. It's not just getting the ball and running with it. [There’s] a lot of stuff going on out there.

Sarina: To follow up with that, fill-in-the-blank. Sean McVay's offense is...

Malcolm: Sean McVay's offense is... I want a good word, let see. I might have to phone a friend. (Calls Tyler Higbee over)

Sarina: Phone a friend.

Malcolm: Sean McVay's offense is...

Tyler Higbee: Spectacular. I got another one for you. I got another one for you. Sensational. (says he’s impersonating the rapper Future)

Malcolm: That’s the one I want to use right there, sensational.

Sarina: So, there's a lot of boys, actually your boy [Tyler Higbee]. Florida boys. And they're like, "Ah, Florida's f..." (Malcolm cuts in before Sarina can say ‘football’.)

Malcolm: Right.

Sarina: Exactly. You know where I'm going with this. Texas football, then...

Malcolm: Texas against Florida? Come on now, it's Texas. Come on man! That ain't a question.

Sarina: [I’m] from New York. Help me understand…

Malcolm: They probably got some more speed out there and some more raw talent…

Sarina: So, what is Texas football?

Malcolm: I feel like a Texas football player [is] going to be structured. He's going to be disciplined. He's going to know exactly what to do because we start so young out there. You're learning when you're so young. But Florida, they definitely got the raw talent. The raw athletes.

Sarina: So you get the athlete [from] Florida, but you get the overall, I-know-everything-going-on [from] Texas.

Malcolm: And don't even put [California] in that. No. Don't even put it that. If you want to argue against Texas football, it's only Florida. If you really want to argue, but Cali… nope.

Sarina: Who was a hero growing up for you? I know that you do your camps and stuff, and the kids are like, "Oh my God, Malcolm Brown!” So, who was that guy for you? Or girl?

Malcolm: Oh man. My favorite professional athlete… Vince Carter. I just loved him. He was just explosive.

Sarina: And he's still playing!

Malcolm: Yeah, he's a highlight reel. Yeah, Vince Carter that was my favorite.

Sarina: That NBA dunk contest.

Malcolm: Yeah, for sure. For sure. Iconic.

Sarina: Finally… a skill you have, that you wished you used more.

Malcolm: I just might have a little secret talent of singing. Maybe.

Sarina: Oh word? In the car?

Malcolm: Yeah, in the car, in the shower and all that.

Sarina: But it's just a secret… that maybe you would like to use if you were in a boy band?

Malcolm: Oh yeah. For sure, For sure.

Sarina: Like R&B? Or are we going full-on Backstreet Boys?

Malcolm: Oh, no no no. I can't. See, because they [are] dancing too.

Sarina: You're just the singing.

Malcolm: Just smoothing and...

Sarina: Are you like in the back for Boys to Men? Like, "Doo-do-do, Baby, you know it's been a long time."

Malcolm: Barry White or something.

Sarina: Oh, Barry White. Okay!

Malcolm: I can knock. I can get up there now. I can get hit a couple notes.

Sarina: Karaoke?

Malcolm: Maybe. But we ain't... You can't ask me. I might be walking past you and you might just hear it.

Sarina: And I'll be like, "Is that the voice of an angel? Your voice is like a combination of Fergie and Jesus.”

Been so hot here in east TN that our highs the last few days have been hotter than Phoenix, AZ and Death Valley, CA. Today the high temp was only in the mid 80s. Monday forecast for the low 70s with rain!
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I was thinking of this one before the Seattle game that due to its importance in the division, a loss by the Rams would make the team a solid 3rd place in the NFC West

A loss next weekend would mean that it's almost time to be checking out Olinemen in the 2020 draft. Are we deeper in talent than most teams? Yes. But it doesn't matter in a sport where your record defines who you are. If we lose....

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Help us Obo Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

I didn't actually know that she was still alive.

A classic beauty, with talent too.

One of the most beautiful women on TV back then.

I had a massive horndog crush on her. Pre-fap days but I was enthralled in that pre-fap day way.