Damn he was fast wasnt he............

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Don’t know if you all have seen this, but:

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Last year was so exciting to be a Rams fan but the joy became bittersweet when the Rams lost their first home playoff game to the Falcons.
What do the Rams have to do to avoid the same fate this year?
It felt that aside from the costly special teams gaffes that the O-line and D-line got man handled by the Falcons. The receivers also got physically over powered by the Falcons DBs. We are basically the same team minus Kupp on offense and with Suh on the D-line now. We have to play much more physical on both lines and our receivers have to create more separation. It felt like we were a finesse team after that game ended-I hope the Rams are tougher this year and impose their will on their opponents instead of vice versa. What do you all think?

Firstly, I will list where our starters rank against other players at their positions according to PFF’s grades for the regular season. Afterward, I will offer commentary..

Donald 1
Havenstein 3
Everett 4
Whitworth 5
John Johnson III 6
Goff 8
Woods 8
Saffold 8
Robey-Coleman 9
Blythe 12
Gurley 16
Higbee 16
Talib 20
Cooks 23
Joyner 23
Suh 25
Kupp 28
Sullivan 32
Littleton 34
Longacre 51
Fowler 57
Ekubam 66
JFM 70
Brockers 73
Barron 82
Peters 96

The first thing I wish to point out is that the Rams have 9 players that grade within the top 10 at their positions in the NFL. About 17 of the 22 starters grade in the top half. That leaves only 5 sub par players on the roster and those include names like Peters, Brockers, Fowler, Barron, and Sullivan...all of whom last year were considered plus players.

Snubs... surely there aren’t 15 running backs better than Todd Gurley. Cooks and Kupp are also under valued in these rankings. Fowler may be better than 57 but his Jaguar numbers affected his grade.

Surprises? Havenstein, Everett, Robey-Coleman, and JJ III are all young, under appreciated studs.

Finally, while PFF is obviously flawed, I’d like to see what team in the NFL has this many players graded as highly as the Rams. If PFF could grade coaches...I’d say this staff would be in the top 5. These playoffs will truly tell the tale.

(1) (13-3) Saints were 3-1 against playoff teams. 1 loss was to a playoff team and 2 losses were to losers (Buccs & Panthers) (1 of 3 losses on the road)


(2) (13-3) Rams 4-3 against playoff teams. ALL 3 losses came to playoff teams, and none to losers (2 of 3 losses on the road)



(3) (12-4) Bears were 2-1 against playoff teams. 1 loss was to a playoff team and 3 losses were to losers (Dolphins, Giants, & Packers) (3 of 4 losses on the road)


(4) (10-6) Cowboys were 3-3 against playoff teams. 3 losses to playoff teams and 3 losses to losers (Titans, Redskins, & Panthers). (5 of 6 losses on the road)



(5) (10-6) Hawks are 2-4 against playoff teams. 4 losses were to playoff teams and 2 losses were to losers (Niners & Broncos) (4 of 6 losses on the road)


(6) (9-7) Eagles were 3-3 against playoff teams. 3 losses to playoff teams and 4 losses to losers (Buccs, Titans, Vikings & Panthers) (4 of 7 losses on the road)
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The Rams beat all losing teams they should have beaten this year, and all other NFC playoff teams lost to teams they should have beaten. Two of the Saints three losses were in the Super Dome, however one of those was a gimme game when resting starters. Still, the Rams can beat these teams..ANY of them, imo.

REPORT: Minnesota Vikings offered trade for TE Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams declined
By Sosa Kremenjas

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...-higbee-los-angeles-rams-declined-draft-picks
Being how we got through the entire season with this trade never leaking, it’s interesting to hear that the Minnesota Vikings offered a 7th-round pick for Los Angeles Rams TE Tyler Higbee. The Rams asked for a 6th-round pick in return, though the talks quickly dissolved:

One more item to pass along: In the Vikings' search for an athletic TE to pair with Kyle Rudolph last year, they talked to the Rams about Tyler Higbee. Rams wanted a 6th-round pick; Vikings offered a 7th, and talks dissolved. Higbee caught 24 passes for 292 yards and 2 TDs in '18
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) January 1, 2019

Higbee was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Rams, likely slipping to the top of day three because of some off-the-field issues that proved to be an outlier. In the three years since, Higbee has totaled 60 receptions for 672 yards and four touchdowns. For a player who’s used sparingly,

Higbee is an athletic large option at 6’6” and 255 lbs. Not only that, but Higbee has developed into a fantastic blocker allowing the Rams to use him as a key piece on running downs. The addition of second-round pick in Gerald Everett likely allowed the Rams to shop Higbee, though the late day three pick offered simply didn’t possess enough upside.

He has us at 7. We’re 13-3 and he actually has the audacity to have us at 7. I used to like him but now I notice he just spits out the same narrative every single week. I don’t believe he knows much about football at all.
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https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/12/31/nfl-rams-stats-2018-season-records-history/

7 crazy stats from Rams' historic 2018 regular season
By: Cameron DaSilva


Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

As impressive as their season was, it also came with some historical significance. This team was one of the best in franchise history, setting one major record and coming close to breaking a few others.

Here are the seven best stats from the Rams’ 2018 regular season.

Rams had more 30-point games this season than they did under Jeff Fisher
In five seasons under Fisher, the Rams scored 30 points in a game just 11 times. They had one of the worst offenses in the NFL, ranking 21st or lower in points scored in each of his five years with the team. Since Sean McVay took over, it’s been a completely different story.

This season alone, the Rams scored at least 30 points in 12 games. That’s 75 percent of their games compared to 14 percent (11 times in 80 games) in five years from 2012-16.

The Rams tied a franchise record with 12 30-point games, matching the total set by the 1999 team.

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Third Rams team ever to win 13-plus games
The Rams took a huge step forward in 2017 by winning 11 games after finishing last in the division the year before. Yet, they somehow improved upon that record by going 13-3 this year, winning the NFC West for a second straight season. It’s just the third time in franchise history that a team has won at least 13 games and the first since 2001. The Rams have never won more than 14 games, but if this upward trend continues, they could do it next year.

The other two Rams teams to win at least 13 games both went to reach the Super Bowl, winning it in 1999 but losing in 2001.

Most 1st downs in franchise history, 4th team ever with 400-plus
With Jared Goff and Todd Gurley leading the offense, the Rams made moving the ball look easy in 2018. The Rams picked up a league-high 401 first downs, which was 13 more than any other team in the NFL. It shattered the franchise record of 380 which was set in 2000.

Even more impressively, the Rams are just the fourth team in NFL history to have at least 400 first downs, trailing only the Saints (405 in 2011), Broncos (435 in 2013) and Patriots (444 in 2012).

Second-most points and yards in franchise history
With 527 points scored this season, the Rams finished second in the NFL. They surpassed the 1999 St. Louis team for second in franchise history, coming up just 13 points shy of the 2000 team that scored 540 points – the most ever.

Additionally, they had the second-most yards in franchise history (6,738), passing the 1999 and 2001 teams that had 6,412 and 6,690, respectively. The team record is 7,075 yards set in 2000, which is the third-most in NFL history. The Rams’ 6,738 total yards are the 11th-most ever in the NFL.

Aaron Donald set 3 major records despite missing out on biggest one
Donald came up two sacks short of Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record, but he still made plenty of history this year. He set the franchise record with 20.5 sacks, 1.5 clear of Robert Quinn’s mark. He also holds the all-time record for sacks by a defensive tackle in a season, and is the first player at his position to reach at least 20 sacks in a single season.

But that’s not all!

Donald also set the NFL record for the most sack yards in a season with 183.5, breaking the previous record of 178. So while he would’ve liked to break Strahan’s record, Donald had a historic season in 2018.

Woods, Cooks accomplished something only Holt and Bruce have done
Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks were phenomenal for the Rams this season. They were one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL, both playing at a very high level all year long. Woods finished with 86 catches for a team-high 1,219 yards and six touchdowns, while Cooks caught 80 passes for 1,204 yards and five touchdowns.

They’re the first Rams tandem with at least 1,200 yards each in a single season since Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce did it in 2004. Holt and Bruce also accomplished the feat in 2000, but Woods and Cooks are the only other Rams wide receiver duo to reach those numbers.

First time Rams have swept division since 1999
The last time the Rams swept the NFC West, there were five teams in the division. That was back in 1999, but the Rams hadn’t swept the West since the conference realignment in 2002 until this year. They were the only team to do it in 2018 and just the first team in the NFC to sweep its division since the Packers did it in 2011.

The 2008 Cardinals are the last NFC West team to go 6-0 in the division.

Mojo and I hang out at times at arizonasportsfans.com , and it's like death over there. Season is over, HC and staff are fired, and the team has the #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

...and the playoffs haven't even started.

Been there, haven't we? I love all of our guys, but none of them (sorry AD) are worth the team of Sean McVay and Les Snead. They have gathered and coached up the team we have today. McVay chose the Fisher guys he could use, and Snead got the rest through the draft and FA. Now, we are in a different place than the pathetic Cards, realizing that we were them just a couple of years ago....Now, we wait for the divisional round to play a home game against the Bears, most likely. Beat them, and we are one game away from the Super Bowl.

The next game is the game of your lives, boys.

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/01/nfl-rams-free-agents-2019-players-list/

Here’s the full list of the Rams’ pending free agents for 2019, via Over The Cap. That’s a lot to comb through, but with a projected $37-plus million in cap space entering 2019, the Rams are in a position to re-sign plenty of their top free agents.

After watching a dozen programs with prognosticators predicting the playoff scenarios, I’ve yet to see anyone believe the Rams are a serious threat. Suddenly, the Bears are a better team, nobody can beat the Saints in the Superdome, and the Eagles and Seahawks are playoff veterans and somehow superior.

In the AFC, the Colts and Ravens are now considered the most complete teams in the conference.

While I agree this is the most unpredictable playoffs I’ve seen in many years because of relative parity, the Ram’s recent skid vs the Bears and Eagles have defined the team in the media while the other team’s losses and flaws are glossed over as though they never happened.

If anyone believes McVay won’t have adjustments ready for the Saints, Bears, and Eagles, they aren’t paying attention. Their collective strategies are now known and in each game, it took three quarters for the Rams to overcome them. I contend that those losses and familiarity is actually the best possible scenario for the Rams and THE FACTOR hidden from the media. Beating most teams twice in a year is difficult, but beating a team this good twice is a taller order.

Frankly, I hope this next week the messages sent by the media stoke a fire and stack chips on shoulders. Football is an emotional game and often won by the team that just wants it more. They have the talent. They have the intelligence. Add a little “pissed off” and I pity the competition. Let it smolder men...

I was driving from Pismo Beach to Redding (on the way home to Oregon) during the game. How did Kelly look? If Gurley is 95%, along with CJ Anderson being signed, I see our chances much better in the playoffs. If Kelly looked good that will make me even happier.

I rewatched the Niners game tracking every snap with Noteboom and Allen.

My Observation:

Noteboom was mostly lined up on 94 Solomon Thomas. Noteboom won every snap both in pass pro and in the run game getting lots of push and quickly getting to his assignement. A highlight of course was the block for Cooks TD catch. where Noteboom and Saffold own the niners Defense.

Allen- Quick and assignment sound. A few times he got some good removal in the run game but i’m at least 4 snaps Allen was pushed in the backfield 2-3 yards. This is the same thing i observed in preseason. Allen needs to get stronger or he isn’t going to pan out in the NFl. Allen from what i could tell was mostly matched up on 99 Buckner who is a handful.

Thoughts?

It’s 2019 and all is looking good for the rams

2018 was a blast with you boys and gals and long may it continue

If the Rams don't beat themselves with penalties and turnovers, I believe we will have a great opportunity to win the Super Bowl. That and avoiding the Vinovich officiating crew in the playoffs and Super Bowl.

That is all.

ODDS TO WIN 2018-19 SUPER BOWL LIII (2/3/19)

As I've posted before, Las Vegas has no emotions or favorite teams to impair their judgement. This is their current odds as of 12/31/2018

New Orleans Saints 5/2
Kansas City Chiefs 9/2
Los Angeles Rams 5/1
New England Patriots 6/1
Chicago Bears 8/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Los Angeles Chargers 16/1
Dallas Cowboys 25/1
Houston Texans 25/1
Seattle Seahawks 25/1
Indianapolis Colts 25/1
Philadelphia Eagles 25/1

Ugly in Pittsburgh

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I think we are looking at a guy on the short list for the best WR in the game and possibly ever.

It’s a full on meltdown.

Los Angeles Rams
Home:Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Away:Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers

Looks like a fairly tough schedule next year.

Technically if you look at the replay his shin hit, which is the same as the knee/shoulder/backside. Technically this was a catch, but McVay didn't challenge it - did anyone else notice that?

One knee = two feet, and the shin = knee (which we've learned from fumble/non-fumble calls).

These are excerpts. To read the whole mess click the link below.
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https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...7-wild-card-playoffs-black-monday-peter-king/

By Peter King

The Envelope, Please

Defensive Player: Aaron Donald, L.A. Rams
Hard to imagine a player—without a training camp, with a slew of new defensive mates to get accustomed—having a better year on the fly than Donald. Once he got used to his surroundings, Donald had 16.5 sacks in his last 10 games, and threatened Michael Strahan’s NFL sack record of 22.5. Donald finished with 20.5.

Next: 2. Fletcher Cox, 3. Khalil Mack.
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The Best of 2019

Los Angeles Rams at Pittsburgh. Aaron Donald’s a proud Pittsburgher, and played his college games at Heinz Field, and will be supremely motivated to play for the first and perhaps only time on home turf. Ben Roethlisberger might want to have a very quick release in this game.
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“Best three-technique I’ve ever seen … He’s the best defensive tackle I’ve ever seen, period.”

—Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long, on Aaron Donald, on FOX’s NFL pregame show Sunday.

Target on his back. From Michael M.: “What Aaron Donald has done this season is incredible. Every team knows what he brings and targets him, and he still produces game after game.”
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Interesting relationship between Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth and Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who played his last NFL game Sunday after 13 pro seasons.

They played football at arch-rival high schools, Williams at Ruston and Whitworth at West Monroe, in northern Louisiana. Out of season, Whitworth played on the West Monroe basketball team and Williams and his football mates would heckle Whitworth when their two teams met; Williams played on the Ruston baseball team, and Whitworth would heckle Williams in the field and at bat.

As a redshirt freshman at LSU, Whitworth hosted Williams on his official campus visit. Williams chose LSU. Whitworth and Williams roomed together at LSU and played on the same team for four years. Whitworth was a first-team all-SEC tackle as a senior. Williams was a first-team all-SEC defensive lineman as a senior.

They were NFL draft choices three rounds apart in 2006, Whitworth in the second round (Bengals) and Williams in the fifth round (Bills).

They played on the same pro football team twice in 13 NFL seasons: the AFC team in the 2012 and 2016 Pro Bowls.

Williams made five Pro Bowls. Whitworth has made four.

Williams has five children. Whitworth has four.

Williams lives in a home on a golf course in Ruston. Whitworth lives in a home on the same golf course in Ruston.

Their front doors are about 500 feet apart.
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Intelligent Football

Players in the top five at their positions that you might not expect: wideout Robert Woods (Rams), tackles Ryan Ramczyk (Saints) and Rob Havenstein (Rams), defensive end Myles Garrett (Browns). There are some eyebrow-raisers at tight end, such as San Francisco’s George Kittle routing the field and being the top-rated guy, and Trey Burton having a better year, per PFF, than Rob Gronkowski.

Rams can play either the Bears, Cowboys or Seahawks.

Bears IMO have the worst offense but best defense.
Cowboys and Seahawks IMO have the same caliber offense, but IMO Dallas has the better D.

From that perspective, I want Seattle. In reality, I want to win a playoff game, so right there I'm rooting for Philly and Seattle. I think Philly has the best shot to beat New Orleans.

Over in the AFC, I just don't like Baltimore. So I'll be rooting for Chargers. I want the Patriots to lose, and I don't think Houston can do it, which means Indy has to win.

So from that perspective, I'll be rooting for all four road teams - which probably means I'll be in for quite the disappointment.

In no particular order...

Hanging 48 points on the 49ers is always a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

And joining the GSOT with a 500+ point season was glorious.

After a few early “off” throws, Goff settled down and threw quite well, building confidence for the playoffs.

The OL played great. Period.

Boom looked very solid when replacing Big Whit. Did NOT look like a rookie at all. Knew his assignments, threw good blocks on both run and pass plays, looked strong, too.

What a signing CJ Anderson was. He’s gotten 300 yards rushing in 2 games, combined? Plus the receiving and pass pro? Are you kidding me? Not to mention the invaluable rest for Gurley that he’s provided. Makes Snead look brilliant.

Well, Reynolds is back in the picture as an O weapon, huh? A very welcome sight, indeed. Nice to have both Reynolds and Everett as effective weapons in addition to Cooks, Woods, and Higbee.

Really liked the way our O converted turnovers into quick points. Always nice to see red zone effectiveness.

The D enjoyed a turnover orgy right from the start. What a wonderful way to start a 49er game. Sure hope to see some of that in the playoffs. If we do, we’re gonna be VERY difficult to beat.

Fowler is blossoming in this D. More and more plays every week. Might be a good extension this offseason, if he’s halfway reasonable. He sure helps our rush and scoring D, that’s for sure.

Barron really came to play, didn’t he? Been missing that all year. Very nice to see.

Littleton is a playmaker. Easy guy to root for on either ST or on D.

Good game from AD. Didn’t get the record, but he had a huge impact on the game. What a stud.

Talib makes a difference on our D. He just does. And he seems to make Peters more effective in the process.

I simply LOVED it when McVay kept his foot on the pedal into the 3rd quarter. No getting conservative for him with the run, run, pass, punt crap. I love that in my HC. I suspect that the players do, too.

I also loved it when McVay and Wade cleared the benches as they rested many starters from early in the 4th quarter on. Smart. Very, very smart.

Another outstanding afternoon by Hekker and GZ. These guys just spoil us every week, don’t they?

Now, here’s a couple of asides.

First, don’t be misled by the final 49er score. For one thing, a bunch of that was after Ram backups were in during the whole 4th quarter. The game outcome was never in doubt.

Secondly, yeah, AD’s refusal to come out was a bad look and he showed up Westbrooks in the process. Then again, a big part of AD’s greatness is his incredible drive to be the best of the best. It is behind his unbelievable training program, for example. IOW, AD is different. And in a very good way. It’s very hard for him to shut that down during the game. Not bad qualities or a bad example for his teammates, don’t you think? So I’m gonna give him a pass on it. This time, anyway.

Another thing that I think is worth mentioning about this. Somehow, the Ram coaches were able to quietly handle AD and without making a big scene, convince him of the “wisdom” of coming off the field. That was deftly done. My compliments to the Ram coaching staff there.

All in all, this was a dream finish to a wonderful Ram season. We all have plenty of reasons to look forward to the playoffs. If the Rams can somehow get their O and D firing on all cylinders simultaneously, then I don’t see any team that can stop them, frankly

2018 16. Rams vs 49ers FULl msall.mp4
2.46 GB https://1fichier.com/?ght2v2vwkz0c4jf1ftr7

IF anyone wants any games....let me know...got them all

Wife and I got a wild hair and decided to pop down to Tampa for New Years. Any ROD Rams hanging out in the area get bored and want a cold beer, look me up! I might even pop over to the Outback Bowl New Years Day just for the heck of it!