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Breaking down the W against the Saints. Thanks for listening and the feedback. The episode can also be found on iTunes under "Rams Talk" and "Rampage Radio".

Adam Vinatieri sounds like he plans to retire

After another brutal kicking day, Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri strongly hinted that he may have played his final game.

The 46-year-old kicker continued his bad start to the 2019 season by missing two more extra points in the Colts’ 19-17 win over Tennessee. After the game, Vinatieri told a reporter that he’d “hear from me tomorrow” despite the fact that he would not typically be available to the media.

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Vinatieri’s words were taken by many as a sign that he was going to opt to retire, though it remains speculative at this point.

Vinatieri has had an incredibly accomplished career and will always be remembered for his Super Bowl-winning exploits with the New England Patriots. He has kicked in the NFL since 1996 and has made 84.3 percent of his career field goals in the regular season.

Vinatieri’s kicking issues have become a huge hindrance to the Colts, and he may recognize that it’s simply time to move on for everyone’s own good.

Monday Night Football: Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets

You could call this "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets a rather large game for both as neither squad wants to start out 0-2. These two played in the very first MNF game back in 1970, which is probably why this matchup was put on the schedule. New York has been on MNF 13 times since 2010, including last season's 48-17 win over the Lions in Week 1. It's been a lot longer for Cleveland, which has made one appearance since 2010 (a 33-27 loss to the Ravens in 2015).

The Browns were the most hyped team this offseason, and they played like they were owed a victory in Week 1. Cleveland lost 43-13 at home to the Titans as Baker Mayfield was picked off three times to go along with 18 penalties for a whopping 182 yards. Freddie Kitchens has his work cut out for him early, because an 0-2 start might lead to some early grumbling. Already, we saw Jarvis Landry get annoyed after the game due to questions about the team's lack of preseason work.

It's been quite the week for the Jets, who blew a 16-0 lead to the Bills at home in Week 1. Unfortunately, the hits keep piling up. Injuries to C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams in the opener contributed to their fourth-quarter collapse, but the biggest blow came earlier this week when Sam Darnold was diagnosed with mononucleosis. With Darnold out indefinitely, Trevor Siemian will take over at quarterback. The team also will have a new kicker on Monday night. Kaare Vedvik missed a field goal and a PAT in the loss to Buffalo so he was cut and will be replaced by Sam Ficken.

Cleveland at New York

Kickoff: Monday, Sept 16 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Browns -6

Three Things to Watch

1. Intangibles

The biggest intangible for both of these teams is the mindset entering this game. Both squads lost in difficult fashion, so whichever team can regroup more quickly is going to have the edge here. It's an early test for Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who hasn't had to deal with adversity at this level before. New York also can't afford to lose two straight at home, so expect a real sense of urgency on both sidelines. We'll see if the Jets' tumultuous week will get in their heads or will they just get out there and play.

2. Offseason acquisitions

Both of these teams added huge pieces in the offseason, and the new pieces had an impact in their team's first games. Le'Veon Bell had the benefit of a full year off from football, and he looked fresh last week, gaining 60 rushing yards on 17 carries to go along with six receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Bell is the type of versatile back that people have to account for in a lot of ways. Tennessee racked up 123 rushing yards last week against Cleveland and was able to use Derrick Henry to open things up for Marcus Mariota. He's going to need to get the ball a ton with a lesser talented QB under center.

On the other side, it's Odell Beckham Jr., who was the jewel of the Browns offseason. The former Giant had seven receptions for 71 yards and could have an absolute field day against the Jets' mediocre secondary. In theory, Beckham and Jarvis Landry were supposed to stress the opponent's corners and safeties. New York gave up 254 yards through the air to a poor Bills passing attack. Veteran John Brown had 123 yards receiving and a touchdown on 10 targets. Browns fans should be worried if Baker Mayfield can't get on track in this game, because there will be plenty of open receivers.

3. Not so special teams?

I mentioned the Jets special teams issues above, but in a game like this, both sides need to worry about their kicker. New York signed Sam Ficken on Tuesday to replace Kaare Vedvik. Ficken kicked for four games for the Rams over two years making 14-of-15 extra points and 3-of-6 field goals with his longest being from 34 yards. Good kickers are apparently really hard to find. Cleveland had its own kicking issues but to a lesser extent, with rookie Austin Seibert missing one of his two extra points. The Browns also have a rookie punter in Jamie Gillan, who had a solid debut last week. With all this youth, you don't want a big mistake to come from this area of the game.

Final Analysis

I spent a lot of the offseason saying that people needed to calm down on the Browns hype. Yes, they've got a lot of the pieces in place to win their division and/or make the playoffs, but you can't just all of a sudden develop a winning culture. It comes over weeks, months and years. They do have the talent edge in this one, though. I also said this offseason that I thought the Jets would make the playoffs, but I figured their offense would be a bit more explosive. Trevor Siemian isn't Sam Darnold so New York is going to have to play turnover-free and go ball control on offense. Unfortunately, his Jets probably fall to 0-2 as Mayfield cuts down on the interceptions and takes better care of the ball. Le'Veon Bell will score, but it won't be enough.

Prediction: Browns 27, Jets 13

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But we won't hear this reality from the media or Saints fans will we

By: Steve Rebeiro | 1 hour ago


The Los Angeles Rams got the best of the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, pulling off a 27-9 win in dominating fashion.
The much-anticipated rematch of last year’s NFC Championship lost a little bit of steam when Drew Brees exited the game in the second quarter. Still, the Rams have a lot to be proud of. Here are six takeaways from the Rams’ victory.

Defense shines against short-handed Saints
The Rams caught a lucky break when Brees suffered a hand injury thanks to a pressure from Aaron Donald and was forced out of the game. Brees was only able to play on the first two drives of the game. Teddy Bridgewater took over from there, and the Rams didn’t let the former Pro Bowl quarterback get anything going.
Wade Phillips called a fantastic game and the Rams looked much improved on defense after Week 1. Tons of players were in on the action. Eric Weddle and John Johnson collaborated on an interception early on, Clay Matthews obliterated Bridgewater on a sack, and even rookie Taylor Rapp was flying around the field making play after play.

The Rams suffocated the Saints on offense all day and didn’t allow them to get anything going. The Saints had one drive longer than 40 yards and were unable to find the end zone. They were given a tough task to integrate a new quarterback in the middle of the game. The Rams defense made that even tougher.
It should be noted that the Saints were even less productive with Drew Brees on the field. In his two drives, they threw an interception in five plays and were forced into a three-and-out.

Offensive Line struggles, but survives
The Rams offensive line suffered a crushing blow when Austin Blythe left the field in the second quarter and was replaced at right guard by Jamil Demby. It was a rough day overall for the unit. Still, considering that they didn’t have Blythe for most of the game, they were able to produce just enough to get the offense going.

It was an ugly game for the group overall. Jared Goff was sacked three times and was running for his life on plenty of plays. Robert Woods had a touchdown called back thanks to a block in the back from Joseph Noteboom. The unit was bailed out by the team’s incredible defensive performance, but they’ll need to look better than this in the future.

Right tackle Rob Havenstein was particularly terrible in this one. He struggled to contain Cameron Jordan, getting blown up on multiple occasions and being called for holding twice on Jordan. It was an uncharacteristically bad game for one of the more reliable players on the team. Having Demby next to him in the second half didn’t do Havenstein any favors, but he wasn’t playing well with Blythe out there either.

Rams receiving core has never looked better
The big three of Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Brandin Cooks were only targeted a total of 15 times this afternoon. It certainly felt like it was a lot more. All three had a major impact on this game.

Cooks got things going early with a beautiful 57 yard catch on a perfect pass from Goff. He was quiet after that, but returned into focus late in the third when he caught a touchdown on a tough slant route.

Kupp was once again Goff’s favorite target and did not disappoint, hauling in five of his nine targets for 120 yards to lead the group. His big moment came late in the game when he ripped off a 66 yard catch-and-run that was just short of a touchdown. Kupp looks like he’s back and better than ever after having surgery on a torn ACL last season.

Robert Woods only touched the ball three times, but each of his touches felt like big moments for the team. His day would look a lot better had his touchdown in the second quarter not been called back thanks to a block in the back from Noteboom.

Josh Reynolds didn’t do anything in this game, but it didn’t matter. These three guys make up one of the most dangerous receiving groups in the NFL.

Taylor Rapp shines in key defensive role
Taylor Rapp got beat on a crucial third down by former Ram Jared Cook early in the second quarter.

That’s the only negative on Rapp today. The second-round pick has played incredibly well in his role as the team’s third safety. Rapp has been taking over for Bryce Hager on expected passing downs and had a hell of a game against New Orleans.

The rookie safety had six tackles and came up huge on a third down in the fourth quarter, successfully defending a pass on Cook to help hold New Orleans to a field goal.

The Rams decision to draft a safety in the second round has aged like a fine wine. Rapp looks like he’ll be a great player in this league, and played a crucial role against the Saints this afternoon.

Gurley remains the clear RB1
After failing to even receive a red zone carry last week, Todd Gurley found the end zone for the first time this season on a four yard pitch. He finished the day with 63 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Like last week, the Rams chose to spell Gurley for Brown for entire drives rather than a few plays here and there. Gurley played the first three drives and Brown took over on the fourth. Gurley then played another three and Brown hopped in for back-to-back drives late in the game. Gurley finished out the game for the Rams on their final offensive possession.

McVay clearly has a plan for both of these guys, but Gurley remains the primary running back in Los Angeles. Brown will continue to steal touches and touchdowns from Gurley as the season goes on. The Rams don’t seem like they’ll sub out either guy in goal line situations. It just depends on who is in the game.

Rookie running back Darrell Henderson did not record a snap for the Rams in this game.

We’re never going to stop talking about the officiating
Mid-way through the second quarter, Jared Goff fumbled the ball and Cameron Jordan picked it up and returned it for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Jordan, the play was ruled as an incomplete pass on the field, and when it was reversed the Saints were not awarded the touchdown, just possession.

After last year’s much-discussed controversial no call in the NFC Championship, it feels like we’re never going to stop talking about officiating woes for the Saints against the Rams.

The Saints would have gained some momentum and the lead from that touchdown, but were still heavily outplayed during the game overall.

Sunday’s officiating crew had plenty of work outside of the blown call. There was a total of 19 penalties in this game. The Saints were flagged 11 times for 87 yards, while the Rams received 8 penalties for 65 yards. It was a sloppy game for both sides. But the Saints were sloppier, and they paid the price for it.

Our great 60's/70's rockers are dropping fast these days.

Its to NEVER hi-five Aaron Donald.

Even with a sloppy performance, the Rams come away with a sizable win.

By Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP Sep 15, 2019, 6:58pm CDT



Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

Even after a rough and ugly performance, the Los Angeles Rams reeled in their second win of the season, improving their record to 2-0. The Rams knocked off the New Orleans Saints 27-9 in their home opener.

Let’s jump into the stock report:
Stock Down
Offensive Line
The offensive line needed a better performance than this against an average defensive line. Right guard Austin Blythe was lost to an injury that looked pretty serious as he needed to be carted away. Jamil Demby stepped in his place. Right tackle Rob Havenstein got abused by defensive end Cameron Jordan, simply put. Quarterback Jared Goff wasn’t given much time to get comfortable and the running game just didn’t have many holes at all. The OL also had multiple avoidable penalties.

PR JoJo Natson
JoJo Natson actually pulled in a big return (32 yards) later in the game, though his fielding of a ball on the two-yard line showed his decision making continues to be shoddy at best. Natson needs to know when to field punts and when to let them go. His play leaves something to be desired.


Stock Up
S Taylor Rapp
Taylor Rapp drew some tough assignments in this contest as he routinely covered running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Jared Cook in man coverage, excelling at both. Rapp is a gamer who uses his tremendous football IQ and incredible angles to maximize his defensive output. Rapp registered six tackles and a pass deflection in the contest.

WR Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp had himself a tremendous performance, reeling in five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown that was overturned as he was inches short on one of the most incredible catch and run’s you’ll ever see in your lifetime. There are no words, just watch and enjoy:
Kupp is the king of finding zones and sitting in between them, converting third downs and moving the chains as well as anyone in the league.

RB Malcolm Brown
Most might feel inclined to put Todd Gurley here (and I wouldn’t blame them), though Malc deserves some love for how hard he runs. Brown had multiple runs that should have resulted in lost yardage or minimal gains, instead gaining 37 yards on six carries for an average of 6.2 yards. Brown also chipped in another reception of ten yards. The drop-off in play from starter to backup isn’t visible now, and that’s exactly what the Rams imagined when putting Gurley and Brown in a timeshare.

S John Johnson III
John Johnson is the best Rams defender not named Aaron Donald. JJ3 was asked to cover Jared Cook in man on many occasions, completely shutting him down. JJ3 also had an incredible interception on the first drive of the game as he was laying on the floor and the ball bobbled it’s way into his hands.

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Michael Thomas getting called for offensive pass interference.

What did everyone think about #55 Allen and #64 Demby today??!?!
Thoughts on OL moving forward?

Last 3 games vs Rams
189 total yards 2 TDs
116 total yards 3 TDs
110 total yards

Today: 60 total yards, 3.5 ypc

Leave a quick message for us. We will choose the best ones and post them on our podcast that will post tomorrow night. Make it brief and to the point on what you liked or didn't like.. LEAVE YOUR HANDLE SO I CAN RECOGNIZE YOU! Thanks guys!!

307-622-9119

This is going on now and I expect it to be the headlines this week.

Good : goff tightening up in the 2nd half that defense and cooooooooop

The bad : Gurley attitude I love you dude but time to start running angry . The called dead fumble and Brees injury means no credit for the rams

The ugly : Blythes injury .. hope it’s not too bad not sure I can handle Demby next week

What ya got boys

Wow. Done deal.

Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta

It’s hard to believe that the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles met in a divisional playoff game as recently as January of 2018. Since then, franchises that combined for two of the past three NFC conference titles have gone in markedly different directions.

The Eagles went through a difficult 2019 but bounced back late to make the playoffs, making the divisional round before losing as the No. 6 seed to New Orleans. They struggled early in their season opener before putting together an impressive second half to knock out the division rival Redskins 32-27.

The Falcons, meanwhile, have gone 7-10 since that playoff meeting with the Eagles and were blown out on the road against the Vikings in their season opener, falling behind 28-0 by the third quarter before losing 28-12. Their defense looked dreadful, allowing running back Dalvin Cook to rush for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Ryan led an inconsistent offense that didn’t kick into gear until the game was well out of hand.

That makes this weekend’s game already a must-win for Atlanta. An 0-2 start could be disastrous in a conference packed with quality teams; the Falcons could also conceivably fall two games behind the Saints, making them an underdog in the division race. Homefield advantage certainly helps, but this former Super Bowl contender has its work cut out for it to turn things around.

Philadelphia at Atlanta
Kickoff: Sunday, Sept. 15 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Spread: Eagles -2

Three Things To Watch

1. Can the Falcons figure out how to score in the red zone?

An ESPN.com article this week paid special attention to how the Falcons have struggled in the Red Zone in their last three games against the Eagles. They were 2-for-9 in their three losses, with Ryan going 4-for-17 for 19 yards, a TD, an INT, and two sacks. Clearly, those aren’t the stats a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback should be putting up in scoring territory.

But those lousy numbers go far beyond the Eagles. The last time the Falcons converted all their Red Zone opportunities in a game was a woeful 1-for-1 effort in a Dec. 2 loss to the Ravens last year. They’re 10-for-17 in their last five games, a 58.8% average that’s below expectations for what used to be one of the league’s most explosive offenses.

Some of the blame has to be placed at Ryan’s feet, although a makeshift offensive line hasn’t helped (rookie guard Chris Lindstrom was placed on IR this week with a broken foot.) Ryan had a costly interception in the first quarter that led to a touchdown last week and wound up getting sacked four times.

Now, the Eagles defense could provide Ryan an opening to get his feet back on the ground. They allowed 380 yards to Case Keenum last week in a home game and sacked him just once without any picks. Can Ryan step up?

2. Which running game will get going?

Both offenses have a running back by committee system of sorts to start the 2019 season. And both systems showed flaws in the season opener. Yes, the Eagles totaled 123 yards rushing in the end with Darren Sproles, Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders the key contributors. Sproles looked great after choosing to put off retirement after two years filled with injuries.

However, Sanders showed he was no Saquon Barkley. Posting just 25 yards rushing on 11 carries (a 2.3-yard average) was a letdown after a preseason filled with a few encouraging runs. Howard was also used more sporadically than expected (six carries, 44 yards) for a guy who has limited pass-catching upside. Expect Howard to get more involved in the offense Sunday night.

The Falcons, meanwhile, had Ryan as their second-leading rusher in Week 1. Devonta Freeman totaled just 19 yards on eight carries, while Ito Smith added 31. That’s not enough to open up the offense and establish manageable 2nd and 3rd-down situations for an offense that should be racing down the field with its talented receiving 1-2 punch of Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.

The worry for the Falcons is that their defense really struggled to stop the run last week, while the Eagles did not (limiting the Redskins to 28 yards on 13 carries; it was so bad that an inactive Adrian Peterson appears to have regained a major role for Washington’s offense for Week 2). Another bad performance for the Falcons on the ground would make it nearly impossible to pull out a victory.

3. Who will step up for the Eagles offense this week?

No question about it, DeSean Jackson saved the Eagles after they started off slow against the Redskins. His 154 yards and two touchdowns showcased a deep threat for Carson Wentz after the quarterback's two injury-prone seasons. It also reminded us to always, always trust Jackson when facing a former team; the 32-year-old appears to have found new life now that he’s back at a place where some say he always belonged.

However, Jackson’s age makes it unlikely he’ll have two great games in a row. The rest of the Eagles offense appeared sluggish, and more options need to emerge. Will Alshon Jeffery be the one to stand out in Week 2? He did have a crucial touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and totaled 49 yards receiving. Or what about Zach Ertz? He had only 54 yards, a letdown after a record-setting 2018. But as the game wore on, he appeared to adjust to the Redskins defense, and Wentz reestablished the connection these two showcased throughout 2018.

The bottom line is that the Eagles offense is filled with plenty of Pro Bowl pieces to choose from — and that’s why they’re so dangerous. Any one of them can put the Eagles over the top.

Final Analysis

The Eagles are soaring while the Falcons feel like their wings got clipped sometime last season. There’s hope for Atlanta in that the Eagles struggle to start off quickly; they’ve scored 41 points in the first quarter in their last 17 games, dead last in the NFL.

But if the Falcons defense lets them down early? This one could get ugly.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Falcons 13

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.

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

Go Rams!

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/14/business/saudi-oil-output-impacted-drone-attack/index.html

Abu Dhabi (CNN Business)Drone strikes on key Saudi Arabian oil facilities, among the world's largest and most important energy production centers, have disrupted about half of the kingdom's oil capacity, or 5% of the daily global oil supply.
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday took responsibility for the attacks, saying 10 drones targeted state-owned Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah news agency.
In a statement on Sunday, Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that 5.7 million barrels a day of crude oil and gas production have been affected. The latest OPEC figures from August 2019 put the total Saudi production at 9.8 million barrels per day.
The energy minister said the "company is currently working to recover the lost quantities" of oil and will update the public within the next two days. "These attacks are not only aimed at the vital installations of the kingdom, but also on the global oil supply and its security, and thus pose a threat to the global economy."


The Saudi interior ministry had confirmed that the drone attacks caused fires at the two facilities. In a statement posted on Twitter, the ministry said the fires were under control and that authorities were investigating.
"Abqaiq is perhaps the most critical facility in the world for oil supply. Oil prices will jump on this attack," Jason Bordoff, founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pinned the attack directly on Iran, which backs the Houthi rebels. "Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen," he said on Twitter.
The development comes as Saudi Aramco takes steps to go public in what could be the world's biggest IPO. Aramco attracted huge interest with its debut international bond sale in April. It commissioned an independent audit of the kingdom's oil reserves and has started publishing earnings. Over the past two weeks, the kingdom has replaced its energy minister and the chairman of Aramco.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has cut back on production of crude and other energy products as part of an OPEC effort to boost prices. Saudi Arabia produces approximately 10% of the total global supply of 100 million barrels per day.

The International Energy Agency, or IEA, said on Saturday it was monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia. "We are in contact with Saudi authorities as well as major producer and consumer nations. For now, markets are well supplied with ample commercial stocks," it said on Twitter.
If the disruption in Saudi Arabia is prolonged, "sanctioned Iran supplies are another source of potential additional oil," Bordoff said. "But [US President Donald] Trump has already shown he is willing to pursue a maximum pressure campaign even when oil prices spike. If anything, the risk of tit-for-tat regional escalation that pushes oil prices even higher has gone up significantly."
US Energy Secretary Rick Perry "stands ready" to tap the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserveto steady oil markets if necessary, a department spokesperson said in a statement. The country's emergency oil supply — a series of storage tanks and underground caverns created after the oil crises of the 1970s -- holds 630 million barrels of crude, an Energy Department official said.
Oil prices fell on Friday, with Brent crude, the global price benchmark slipping 0.3% to close at $60.22 per barrel.
-- CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Matt Egan and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I expect a major short term spike in oil prices, so I would recommend filling up before it hits. Be ahead of the panic, basically. It shouldn't last long, unless there are other attacks - which are entirely possible.

I found this article. If you are in L.A. and six other cities you can get Sunday ticket on Direct TV Now (AT&T Now ) for 2019, with their $55 month plan.

https://tvanswerman.com/2018/12/10/will-directv-now-carry-nfl-sunday-ticket-in-2019/


Sorry if this was covered in the other thread. I couldn’t remember the title to check.