http://www.footballzebras.com/2018/10/week-9-referee-assignments-2018/

Bill Vinovich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Vinovich

Vinovich's 2018 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Bruce Stritesky, down judge Phil McKinnely, line judge Mark Perlman, field judge Mearl Robinson, side judge Gary Cavaletto, and back judge Steve Patrick.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-confirms-four-games-london-135746671.html

NFL confirms four games in London in 2019
Michael David Smith

The NFL has confirmed that it will play four games in London in 2019.

Three games were played in London this season, and fan support was strong enough that the league is showing no sign of slowing down in its efforts to grow the sport across the pond.

The NFL has not announced which teams will play in London next year, although the Jaguars have already confirmed they will continue playing one home game a year in London, even after Jaguars owner Shad Khan was unsuccessful in his attempt to buy Wembley stadium.

This is a bit of a different take to my usual thread. I've not watched the game yet - work and family have been crazy this week. Tis was a game I wasn't looking forward to, I really don't like the Packers D, I've seen dirty shots and holding, but they have ARod, and a lot is "excused" lets say.

So - what should I look out for guys?

The Good. The Bad. And the down right Ugly.

Did you see his quote "man forget fantasy and Vegas, we got the win"

He is the BEST, just love the guy. What a cool dude.
Fantasy sucks giant green ones and gambling of football is for degenerates.
I mean, sure, I would have like to see him get the TD. Still 98% chance of still wining. Todd was just trying to save his teammates from crashing into other human beings at full speed on the kickoff.I would have liked to see my guy get another TD, break the record. But thats the only reason.
There is no "thug" in the guy.
And just so happens to be the best player in the game short of, our other stud. Donald.

These Rams are just a awesome bunch of young guys led by the smartest, most driven young coach in the game. The culture shift was HUGE. You had to twist FAs arms to play for Fish, not anymore !!!

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25121474/scary-trends-all-32-teams-nfl-2018-week-9-power-rankings


1. Los Angeles Rams

Record: 8-0
Week 8 ranking: 1

The Rams are the lone undefeated team in the NFL, but they are convinced that there's plenty of room to improve. And they're correct, starting with the defense. The D has come through in the clutch on several occasions, notably in victories over the Chargers and Vikings. But it is the 13th-ranked defense in the league, and at times it has been susceptible against the run and more recently against the pass.
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https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/10/30/nfl-rams-power-rankings-week-9-packers-saints/

USA Today

#1 Los Angeles Rams
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https://www.sbnation.com/2018/10/30...steelers-climb-as-top-10-teams-become-clearer

1 Los Angeles Rams
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http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/...s-patriots-steelers/xyhe65b4obi71c7mtkcw99hfx

1. New Orleans Saints 6-1 (last week: 2)

The Saints went on the road and survived in Baltimore and then thrived in Minnesota. Their reinforced running game and defense are back to supporting MVP-worthy play from Drew Brees at an elite level.

2. Los Angeles Rams 8-0 (last week: 1)

The Rams’ defense keeps springing leaks, putting more pressure on their offense not to have "off" games. Good thing Jared Goff and Todd Gurley remain up to the task.
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https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...lphia-eagles-patriots-steelers-vikings-saints

1 - Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 1) - Undefeated through the first half of the NFL season. Not totally invulnerable, though.
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https://bleacherreport.com/articles...k-9-afc-nfc-standings-and-pre-mnf-predictions

1. Los Angeles Rams (8-0)
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/10/30/nfl-power-rankings-2018

1. LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-0)
Last Week’s rank: 1
Points in poll: 319
Highest-place vote: 1 (9)
Lowest-place vote: 2 (1)
Last week: Win 29-27 vs. Green Bay
Next week: at New Orleans

The Rams are the consensus best team in the NFL, but they are currently posted as underdogs in New Orleans next week. Should be a great test for both teams. We had no change in the top four this week, but there could be a shake-up next week.
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http://walterfootball.com/nflpowerrankings.php

3.

Los Angeles Rams (8-0) - Previously: 3.

Overrated NFL Team: See why the Rams are an overrated NFL team in our new Overrated-Underrated page.

The idea Rodgers would have lead them to victory over the Rams, had Montgomery knelt down in the end-zone, is pure media fantasy. Rodgers is 0-35 when losing by more than one point in the 4th quarter against teams with a winning record. 0-35!!!
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I'm not gonna get on here and start screaming at you and start calling you names or anything but you are not good at this. You obviously have teams that you don't like and you grade on emotion and your responses on the message board makes you look like a 16 year old. I'm not saying this because you didn't rank my team high enough, you're just not good at this. Have a good one
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Hard to find someone more biased than Walter.

Jeff Fisher and his middle school offense was sacked on December 12th, 2016. Since Coach McVay took over, the Rams have gone 19-5 in the regular season, won the division title last season and are the leagues only undefeated team this season. Let's face it, in a very short period of time, the Rams went from every others team Homecoming game to their SuperBowl. Will this lead to even shorter leashes for NFL coaches who can not turn their teams fortunes around so quickly?

The San Diego Fleet !!!

OK < OK . I admit it, I kinda sorta forgot all about it

but........

with Mike Martz as head coach , and Az-Zahir Hakim as wide receivers coach. Dre Bly, defensive backs coach

and a name like The Fleet , how can ya not love it

Go NAVY !!!

I went to boot camp in San Diego

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According to McVay, during his press conference today, Cooper Kupp could've player against Green Bay, but he will definitely play against the Saints. Cooper Kupp is Back!

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Wonder who we are trying to trade for?

was just looking at some nfl leaderboard stuff...

Damn that's a high avg for this day and age.


EDIT: 18.4

I am definitely NOT a Saints Fan but I do respect them (Especially, Their QB and their Coach!)! I really think the Rams will have to play their best game of the season to beat the Saints on Sunday! A scare like the Rams had yesterday might be the best thing to happen to them! Being that I live in the South (Our local NFL coverage has been showing all the Saints games since Archie Manning!) it will really be miserable if the Rams lose this Sunday!!!

Shout out to Hekker and whomever down that kick on the one inch line.

That guys is a weapon and we should be talking about ST's more!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I had heard someone say the guy who took the kick out of the endzone and fumbled it was instructed to take a knee but came out anyway.

Anyone else hear that?

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https://athlonsports.com/nfl/monday...triots-vs-buffalo-bills-prediction-picks-2018

Monday Night Football: New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills will retire the No. 34 of Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas on Monday night. Unfortunately for the Bills, the halftime ceremony will likely be the highlight of the evening.

With the Tom Brady and the New England Patriots coming to town, even Bills fans are bracing for the likely result of the game. Brady has won 28 of 31 starts against the Bills, and in one of those losses he was pulled from a meaningless Week 17 game at halftime. The last time the Pats were in Buffalo for a night game, they routed the Bills 56-10 on a Sunday night in 2007.

There’s little reason to think this game will be any different. New England (5-2) has scored at least 38 points in every game during its current four-game winning streak. With Buffalo (2-5) on its third starting quarterback this season and lacking the firepower to keep up with Brady, it could be a long night.

New England at Buffalo

Kickoff: Monday, Oct. 29 at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Patriots -14

Three Things to Watch

1. James White and Rob Gronkowski

Since adding Josh Gordon and the return of Julian Edelman, the Pats finally have a full set of weapons on the outside. But White and Gronkowski are always a big part of the passing game, and they provide matchups that can be exploited. Rookie Bills middle linebacker Trumaine Edmunds has rare physical gifts and can cover just about anyone, but he is still a rookie who can be fooled by motion and play action. Opponents have picked on this all season, and you can expect the Patriots to do the same.

2. The myth of the Bills' running game

It’s easy to fall back on the cliche that the Bills are a team that tries to win with great defense and a strong running game. Fact is, that’s only half true. The defense has been great most of the season, but the running game has never been any good. Until some garbage-time draw plays in a blowout loss to the Colts last week, Buffalo’s best running play was rookie quarterback Josh Allen running for his life. Now Allen is hurt, and Derek Anderson lacks the ability to make plays with his feet. Oh yeah, and top running back LeSean McCoy may also miss the game with a concussion.

3. Second-half success

The Bills actually did a very good job frustrating Brady and the Pats during the first half of both meetings last season. But both times, whatever adjustments New England made blew the games wide open. In the first meeting, the Pats scored touchdowns on consecutive long drives to start the second half on their way to a 23-3 win. The Bills actually led the second game 16-13 before New England got the ball in the second half, only to watch the Pats score on four straight drives and win easily, 37-16. This one may be close when Thomas gives his halftime speech, but it likely won’t be at the end.

Final Analysis

It’s possible the Bills are inspired by playing a rare home game at night on national television and give the Patriots a game. But even against lesser teams this season, Buffalo has needed huge performances from its defense forcing multiple big mistakes from opposing offenses just to have a chance. Brady rarely makes big mistakes.

Prediction: Patriots 30, Bills 10

According to OddsShark Sean McVay is the favorite to be the Cleveland Browns next coach. What the hell am I missing here? How would this even be possible???

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...own-and-1-million-gambling-swing-in-rams-win/

Todd Gurley reacts after causing fantasy meltdown and $1 million gambling swing in Rams win

It's not easy to cause NFL fans across America to melt down on one play, but that's basically what Rams running back Todd Gurley did on Sunday with his final carry of the game during Los Angeles' thrilling 29-27 win over Green Bay.

With 1:05 left to play and the Rams clinging to a two-point lead, L.A. decided to give the ball to Gurley on a huge third-and-10. If he converted, the game would be over. However, if he failed to get the first down, the Rams would have to try a field goal and then give the ball back to Aaron Rodgers.

The good news for the Rams? Gurley converted.

The bad news for fantasy players and gamblers around the world? Gurley purposely decided not to score a touchdown.

Let's watch the play.

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Ouch. That play was a dagger through the heart for millions of fantasy players who were hoping that the Rams star would get in the end zone. It also led to an estimated $1 million swing in at the sportsbooks in Las Vegas.

Let's start with the gamblers. The Rams closed as a 7.5-point favorite at most sports books, and most of that money was on the Packers, so bettors DIDN'T want Gurley to score. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Gurley's decision not to score caused a roughly $1 million swing at sportsbooks in Sin City. Of course, the twist here is that the house lost as the swing worked in favor of the thousands of bettors who took the Packers to cover the spread.

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Although Gurley's decision helped out bettors, it didn't work out so well for fantasy players. Gurley's decision to stop short of the end zone cost fantasy players roughly six points and left many of them sad.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/nkets/status/1056693900759482369


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So what was Gurley's reaction to all of this? He's definitely not concerned about Vegas or fantasy owners.

"Man, forget fantasy and forget Vegas today. We got the win, so that's all that matters," Gurley said after the game, via the team's official Twitter account.

If anything, everyone should be thanking Gurley. For bettors, he won most of them money. On the fantasy end, he racked roughly 25.5 points in standard scoring leagues and if you can't win with that kind of production from your running back, then maybe you didn't deserve to win.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/10/29/18038634/los-angeles-rams-chances-going-undefeated

Can the Undefeated Rams Really Make a Run at 16-0?
Sean McVay’s team is overflowing with talent, and pulled out a tough win over the Packers to improve to 8-0. At the midway point of the NFL season, it’s time to examine whether the league’s best team has a chance at perfection.
By Robert Mays


AP Images/Ringer illustration

Before we get too far down this path, let’s all agree that the Rams’ chances of going undefeated this season are slim at best. That’s not a knock against them; the team sits at 8-0 after a 29-27 nail-biter win over the Packers on Sunday, in which Todd Gurley racked up 195 yards from scrimmage and Aaron Donald looked unstoppable.

It’s just that it’s nearly impossible for any team to go undefeated in the NFL, especially one that faces a second-half schedule like the Rams’. The emotional toll and pressure of an undefeated run, combined with the drive each opponent has to hand the team its first loss, makes it a treacherous road. There’s a reason the ’72 Dolphins get to pop champagne once a year.

But the halfway mark of the season feels like a natural point to start discussing the possibility of the Rams going 16-0. And before writing off their chances, it’s worth examining the specific reasons why this particular team can—or can’t—win out the rest of the way.

Let’s start with the marks in their favor. The margin of victory against the Packers may have been only two points, but it was yet another game in which the Rams took control during the second half. Three of their past four victories have been by three points or fewer, but in two of those wins (over the Broncos and Packers), the Rams held a double-digit lead at some point in the second half.

The only win that required a fourth-quarter comeback was their Week 5 victory against Seattle. Their season-long point differential is plus-109; no other team in the league is above plus-85 (the Chiefs). This team isn’t happening upon victories.

Over the past month, the Rams have also been winning games when their play hasn’t been spotless. Todd Gurley finished with 114 yards on the ground against Green Bay, but it took 25 carries to get there. Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, but consistent pressure from the Packers defense hurt the overall efficiency of L.A.’s passing game. The Rams continue to have issues in the secondary (which we’ll get to); it’s safe to pencil in at least one broken-coverage touchdown per game against them.

Yet even on a day when L.A. looks far from perfect, it still has enough talent to pull out wins against quality opponents. Gurley supplemented an unremarkable day on the ground with 81 receiving yards, including a spectacular catch off a tipped pass along the left sideline.


John McCoy/Getty Images

Typically, much of Gurley’s pass-catching production comes on screen passes that need plenty of open field to develop, but against Green Bay, he did most of his damage running routes from all over the formation. Goff completed just 54.3 percent of his passes, but the Rams were able to gain yardage from chunk plays.

Four different receivers hauled in passes of at least 20 yards. The Titans have 11 such plays on the season. (The Rams lead the league with 40.) And Sunday saw a lack of pass protection from a team that typically does an excellent job insulating its quarterback; the Rams gave up five sacks and still pulled out a win.

It also helps that the Rams boast the league’s best pass rusher. After a slow start to the season in sack production, Aaron Donald has been on an outrageous tear over his past five games. He sacked Aaron Rodgers twice Sunday, bringing his season total to 10 and putting him on pace for 20 sacks.

Only seven interior players have ever finished a season with 15 or more, and only two of them—Reggie White and Robert Porcher—were full-time defensive tackles in the same way that Donald is. He is playing at an astounding level right now, and he’s good for one or two game-changing plays per outing.

The issue for the Rams is that, with the way their cornerbacks are playing, those plays are going to be necessary every week. When he was in Kansas City, Marcus Peters’s high-risk play rewarded the Chiefs with plenty of turnovers. But he’s played hurt for most of this season, and those positive plays have disappeared. He’s a liability for the Rams right now, and, with Aqib Talib still sidelined after ankle surgery, replacement cornerback Troy Hill is a concern as well.

The defense has had to rely on a few scattered Donald sacks and other creative means of getting pressure because of its struggles in the secondary and lack of edge-rushing talent. For all the fawning over the Rams’ unblemished start, Rodgers should have had one final drive to win Sunday’s game. If Ty Montgomery hadn’t fumbled after inexplicably bringing a kickoff out of the end zone in the fourth quarter, there’s a chance that this entire conversation would have been moot.

That’s where the real concern about the possibility for 16-0 creeps in. Beating teams like the Packers week in and week out just isn’t easy, and, unfortunately, Green Bay is a worse squad than many of the clubs the Rams will face in the second half of the season. L.A.’s next six games include matchups with the Saints (on the road), the Seahawks (with a red-hot Russell Wilson), the Chiefs (in Mexico City—oh boy, will that be fun), the Bears (in Chicago), and the Eagles (who may have found their groove by mid-December). That is a perilous stretch.

You don’t even have to look past next week to talk yourself into a Rams loss. Drew Brees and Co. should have an easy time picking apart those cornerbacks, and Donald isn’t likely to have same the impact against the Saints offensive line that he does against other units. With guard Andrus Peat back in the fold, New Orleans has one of the most complete pass-blocking lines in football.

Brees is also getting rid of the ball in 2.38 seconds on average, tied for the sixth-quickest time in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Even for the best team in football, this is a bad matchup in a historically tough road environment. It’s not hard to imagine the Rams offense scoring 40 points against the Saints, but it’s just as easy to see New Orleans turning the game into a shoot-out that favors whichever quarterback gets the ball last.

And therein lies the problem with going undefeated while playing a first-place schedule. Facing such a daunting regular season, Sean McVay may not even care about going undefeated. The head coach rested his starters in Week 17 a season ago, something he may decide to do again this year, and, considering the Rams lost in the first round of last season’s playoffs, his sights are almost certainly set on an extended playoff run than a flash-in-the-pan regular season.

The Rams are the NFC favorites through half a season, and by many metrics they’ve been the best team in the league. But there’s a difference between being the league’s best team and one that has a real chance of pulling off what only two teams in NFL history have done. The Rams’ road to 16-0 may not be realistic, but their road to the Super Bowl has already started coming into view.

We owe Ty Montgomery a big thank you and an early christmas present,he did us a big favor. One of the players said it very well there saying-Our defense was playing well.Goff had gone 3 for 12 on third down.Number 12 has done it so many times,just kneel down and let him give us a chance.

Not the EXACT words of course but close enough.

Remember Rodgers visably upset and yelling at that Packers player on the sidelines? I do,well thats why and thats what it was all about.:rolllaugh:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/ty-mon...angering-aaron-rodgers-packers-141933668.html

And still went for 295 and 3 Tds !
He got banged around, missed open guys, did not see open guys and still got it done.
Kinda saying something.

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This is the bittersweet, but you have to win in this league.

Bold prediction: If McCarthy keeps losing in Green Bay, he could be going to Cleveland. I do not think GB will be for two losing seasons in a row.

Especially that 1st half. Not gonna sugarcoat it.

Not saying that the sky is falling, mind you, just that I thought that the game was humbling.

I haven’t re-watched it yet, but here are a few general lowlights for an undefeated team that’s been #1 in everybody’s power rankings.

We looked outcoached.
The Packer dime was smothering our passing game.
Yet we couldn’t punish them with our vaunted running game ranked #1.
Where was the pass pro for this game from our #1 ranked OL?
Nary a Ram score in the 1st half from this high flying O? And then by a safety? Are you KIDDING me?

I mean, I didn’t recognize my team. It was as if I had stepped into the twilight zone.

The good news is that Wade made adjustments by mid 2nd quarter that put the brakes on the Rodgers train down to a reasonable number.

And McVay made his adjustments shortly thereafter.

Adjustments that good coaches with talented rosters can make. But make no mistake. Our coaches and team were blindsided early and often and this game had all the earmarks of a trap game and we barely managed to dodge a bullet.

More good news is that the Rams might benefit from this scary pre-Halloween wake up call. Better to see the new strategies employed and weaknesses exposed by the Packers than the surging Saints.

I sense that we’re not as good as we fans and a lot of pundits were thinking we were. We’re good, but maybe not THAT good, you know? The Saints will require our A game in all phases if we want to achieve HFA this season.

Like I said, it was humbling. But could be a blessing in disguise when we look back on this season.

Asshole Face has proved himself to possess very little resistance to the same dubious win-at-all-cost philosophy — including cheating — as Bill Belichick...

Double check all necessary tech equipment; change around some signals and play calls; watch for peripheral spies, and bring your own team chef (lol...jk on the last one)...

Main point: be hyper vigilant going into Asshole Face’s Superdome.