Mark Barron is shown in uniform on day four of OTAs. Go to the Ram's official site, click on Day 4 of OTA, go to picture 103, and there is number 26. And no, nobody else has number 26.

Imagine you are in a standard PPR league (12 teams), and you selected all Rams players...how would you fare?

Of course, you’d have some weaknesses (RB2, maybe TE), but I think you’d do pretty well (except for the bye week!).

Might be an interesting experiment.

Eight NFL teams with best chance to build a dynasty
Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Rachel Wold | Last updated 5/29/18

As we prepare to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors once again square off in the NBA Finals, the idea of sports dynasties springs to mind.

The NFL has obviously boasted its own dominating franchises over the course of time.

Obviously, the New England Patriots fall into this category right now. Quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick share 15 seasons of playoff history and five championships together.


But, news flash: This won’t last forever. New franchises within the league are gaining momentum and are poised for some tremendous success down the road.

Here are eight teams that have the best chance of building dynasties of their own.

Los Angeles Rams


The Rams have constructed a crew that is going to be tough to conquer in the NFC. From the youngest head coach in the NFL to a roster loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, this franchise is trending up in a spectacular way.

Quarterback Jared Goff is proving to be worth the first overall pick the team used in 2016 to take him.

He helped the Rams become the highest-scoring franchise last season. His wide receiving group offers tons of upside and shares the field with last season’s Offensive Player of the Year.

We are talking about the young Todd Gurley, who recorded a league-high 2,093 scrimmage yards, topped off with 19 touchdowns.

On defense, the Rams are equally as impressive. A couple of bold trades scored the Rams one of the best cornerback back duos in the league, featuring Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.

The team also improved its front seven by adding defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to join Aaron Donald and Co.

This team should be in full overdrive mode by the time it settles into its new stadium in 2020.

Houston Texans


Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
When all components of this team are healthy, the Texans should not be underestimated as they pave their path for success for years to come. A defense showcasing defensive end, J.J. Watt, linebackers Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney, and new safety Tyrann Mathieu will cause opposing offenses to punch the panic button.

On offense, the Texans earned an A+ grade when they drafted quarterback Deshaun Watson 12th overall in 2017. He is on course to return healthy, and at only 22 years old, the league is his to take by storm.

Watson will look to build on his rookie campaign and his record-breaking 19 passing touchdowns, which he accomplished in only seven games. Surely, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will continue to help his quarterback out in this department. He scored a league-leading 13 touchdowns in 2017.

This is an up-and-coming Texans franchise that is heading into dynasty mode.

Philadelphia Eagles


Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Of course the winner of Super Bowl LII makes our list. The Eagles are stacked in every department, and the rest of the NFC East should be jealous. It was meant to be that quarterback Carson Wentz was thrust into the starting job his rookie year.

He has only continued to improve, passing for 33 touchdowns compared to only seven picks in 11 games prior to tearing his ACL last season. And, what team wins a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback under center? A sound offensive line in addition to a solid rushing game and talented receiver corps helped accomplish this task.

On defense, this is a unit that outfoxed the GOAT in the ultimate championship battle. This game-stopping group consists of stars such as defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Brandon Graham and safety Malcolm Jenkins.

There should not be much that slows down this gang — expertly coached by Doug Pederson — for years to come.

Kansas City Chiefs


Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Talk about an AFC team that will give its competition fits for the foreseeable future. The Chiefs are entering a new era as the young Patrick Mahomes, at the age of only 22, takes over. Mahomes, who passed for an NCAA-high 5,052 yards in 2016, inherits some amazing playmakers.

Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, who both averaged over 15 yards per catch last season, are perfect fits for Mahomes and his strong arm. On the ground, second-year running back Kareem Hunt should continue to exhaust his defenders. He averaged a stout 4.9 yards per carry in his rookie debut. We also must mention tight end Travis Kelce, who is a red-zone beast.

On the other side of the field, the Chiefs made some key offseason moves to stack their defense. They added nose tackle Xavier Williams and linebacker Anthony Hitchens. They also spent five draft picks on some defensive rookie reinforcements.

This group might easily be the franchise to beat in the AFC West starting this fall.

San Francisco 49ers


Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
If quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo plays anything like the small sample size we saw last year, the 49ers are in excellent shape. Garoppolo managed a perfect five-game record and completed an impressive 67.4 percent of his passes after taking over as the team’s starter in Week 12.

He is surrounded by plenty of receiving talent, including some second-year guys in that of Trent Taylor and George Kittle, who should only continue to flourish in the years to come. A youthful running back committee headlined by Jerick McKinnon will keep the offense balanced.

Defensively, the 49ers drafted a small army of rookies to stockpile for future success. On top of this, 49ers fans are embracing cornerback Richard Sherman’s next NFL adventure in the Bay Area.

So far, the 49ers organization deserves major kudos for giving Kyle Shanahan a chance to remold a team that was a major dumpster fire three seasons ago.

Cleveland Browns


Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of disasters, this might be the season the Browns start getting some things right. Cleveland is staged for future success if everything goes according to plan. The Browns drafted the quarterback they felt was best-suited to become the face of the franchise.

Baker Mayfield has the talent and capabilities to eventually fill the role. In the meantime, quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a suitable starter. He is significantly better than any of the quarterbacks that have been under center in Cleveland over the last several years.

Wide receiver Jarvis Landry teaming up with Josh Gordon is something even non-Browns fans can’t wait to see. There is also everything to love about Carlos Hyde headlining a cast of running backs that includes Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson.

When it boils down to the Browns defense, they scored receiving cornerback Damarious Randall in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. They also did well drafting corner Denzel Ward in the first round. Plus, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, pass-rusher, Myles Garrett, will only get better.

If the Browns cannot start gaining a leg up in the AFC North, they might as well throw in the towel for good.

Minnesota Vikings


Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Switching gears to the NFC North, the Vikings are poised for brilliant success. They sport a defense that was downright scary after it gave up only 15.8 points on average per game last year.

A major win this offseason was the team adding defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson to the mix. The Vikings also increased their depth at cornerback by drafting Central Florida’s Mike Hughes in the first round.

On offense, all the chips were moved to the center of the table when the Vikings inked a deal with the most desirable free agent in the league. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has many seasons of play left in him at the mere age of 29. He will benefit from some Vikings playmakers who rate much higher in our book than his former Washington Redskins teammates did.

Vikings fans should be very excited watching Cousins in action with receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Second-year running back Dalvin Cook returning is the icing the cake.

This franchise possesses all the components to begin a dynastic run.

Jacksonville Jaguars


Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After a tremendous season that last saw the Jags record 65 total points against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, anything is possible moving forward.

The Jaguars should not be underestimated after producing a 10-6 playoff record. Quarterback Blake Bortles should continue to improve after last completing his best percentage of passes to date. Continuing to have running back Leonard Fournette behind him will only help.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars’ defense is top shelf and runs like a well-oiled machine. It challenged any team it met last year and ceded only 16.8 points per contest. Opposing quarterbacks took hits left and right against this fierce unit, which registered 55 sacks in 2017.

Not much should change with this situation any time soon. At the same time, young defensive backs A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey will continue to be nightmares in coverage.

Look for the Jaguars to continue keep trending up in the AFC for the foreseeable future.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...t_chance_to_build_a_dynasty/s1_12680_26522729

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-khalil-mack-are-still-waiting-for-new-deals/

Agent's Take: Here's why Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack are still waiting for new deals
Will the Rams and Raiders stars become the NFL's first $20M-per-year non-quarterbacks? Let's take a look
by Joel Corry

The top of the quarterback market has seen remarkable growth in the last year. Raiders signal caller Derek Carr became the first NFL player to hit the $25-million-per-year mark last June. The Falcons recently made Matt Ryan the NFL's first $30-million-per-year player with a five-year, $150 million contract extension containing a league-record $100 million in overall guarantees.

Ryan's reign as the NFL's highest-paid player should be short lived. Packersquarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to sign an extension before the start of training camp in late July eclipsing Ryan's $30 million average yearly salary.

The same phenomenon isn't occurring with non-quarterbacks. The top of the non-quarterback market has been stagnant, comparatively speaking. In the almost seven years since the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement was ratified (in August 2011 after the lockout), the top of the non-quarterback market has grown by just over 18 percent. By contrast, the top of the quarterback market has increased by almost 67 percent. In fact, the market has escalated by 20 percent in a little less than a year.

Passers haven't always been immune to the stagnation afflicting non-quarterbacks. It took nearly three years before Ravens quarterback Joe Flaccosupplanted Rodgers as the league's highest paid player in March 2016.

Next non-QBs in line
It's been widely assumed that Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack and Ramsinterior defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who are scheduled to make $13.846 million and $6.892 million respectively this year in their contract years, would become football's first $20-million-per-year non-quarterbacks. Mack and Donald, as well as several other high-profile players, are expressing displeasure with their contract situations by skipping organized team activities. Withholding services has become old hat for Donald. The Rams won the battle in a contest of wills last preseason, when Donald ended his lengthy holdout right before the regular season began without getting a new contract.

The 2014 first-round picks, both 27 years old, didn't waste any time in making their presence felt in the NFL. Mack was the first player in league history to earn First Team All-Pro honors at two different positions during the same season (defensive end and outside linebacker) in 2015. Mack followed up that outstanding campaign by being named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2016. Mack's play in 2017 wasn't quite at the ridiculously high level of the previous two seasons, although he earned a third-consecutive Pro Bowl berth. His 36.5 sacks are second most in the NFL over the last three seasons and two more than what Broncos six-time All-Pro outside linebacker Von Miller has over that span.

Donald is the closest thing to a modern-day John Randle, an undersized interior defensive lineman who is in the Hall of Fame because of his ability to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks during the 1990s and early 2000s. Donald, the 2014 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, solidified his standing as the league's most disruptive force from the interior of a defensive line last season, when he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. According to Pro Football Focus, Donald led the league with 91 quarterback pressures (combined sacks, quarterback hurries and quarterback hits) despite sitting out the season opener because his holdout had just ended and sitting out the season finale as a precautionary measure with the playoffs looming.

Sticker shock for Raiders and Rams?
Signing players of this magnitude is supposed to be a smooth process. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Raiders and Rams are having sticker shock. I suspect that restoring the traditional financial relationship between the highest-paid quarterback and non-quarterback that's existed under the current CBA is the end game with these dominant defenders. Both have high-powered representation that has helped shape the upper portion of the non-quarterback market with player-friendly deals.

Todd France, Donald's agent, negotiated Marcell Dareus' 2015 extension with the Bills, which made him the NFL's second-highest-paid NFL interior defensive lineman behind Ndamukong Suh at $15.85 million per year. The six-year extension was worth a maximum of $100.35 million thanks to salary escalators based on All-Pro honors. Dareus' $60 million in overall guarantees was a record for non-quarterbacks. His $42.9 million fully guaranteed at signing was on par with the top quarterback contracts in existence at that time. The six-year, $102 million extension with $63.299 million of guarantees France got defensive tackle Fletcher Cox from the Eagles in 2016 also raised the bar for non-quarterback guarantees.

Mack is represented by Joel Segal. Segal made Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, who had been designated as a franchise player, the NFL's second highest-paid non-quarterback in 2015 with a six-year, $101 million contract containing $52.5 million of guarantees.

Segal also helped cornerback Trumaine Johnson play the franchise-tag game to perfection. After making slightly under $30.7 million the last two seasons with the Rams while on franchise tags, Johnson signed a five-year, $72.5 million deal with the Jets containing $45 million in guarantees this offseason. He is making a little less than $56.7 million from 2016 through 2018, which includes the first year of the Jets contract. The almost $56.7 million is NFL record compensation for a cornerback over a three-year period.

It's become a common practice for agents to adjust contracts into the existing salary-cap climate when preparing for negotiations on behalf of clients, which is something these two savvy negotiators probably have done to help formulate contract offers. How persuasive this methodology is with NFL teams varies.

Lots more at the link;

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-khalil-mack-are-still-waiting-for-new-deals/

Zac Stacy and Tre Mason together again!

Tre Mason returns to football with CFL team
https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/05/tre_mason_returns_to_football.html

St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason carries the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 29, 2015, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AP Photo)

By Mark Inabinett

minabinett@al.com

Tre Mason and Nick Marshall led Auburn to the SEC championship in the 2013 season. Now they're together again in the Canadian Football League.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Wednesday morning that they had signed Mason, who set an Auburn single-season record by rushing for 1,816 yards in 2013, when Marshall, as the Tigers' quarterback, ran for 1,068.

Mason hasn't played since he served as Todd Gurley's backup during the 2015 NFL season for the St. Louis Rams.

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Mason has joined the Roughriders in training camp as they prepare for the 2018 season. Saskatchewan dropped its preseason opener 35-12 to the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday.

Marshall is a defensive back for Saskatchewan, but he's taken some snaps at quarterback, too, during training camp.

The Rams moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. But when training camp started for the relocated team, Mason did not report.

Mason entered the NFL as a third-round draft choice in 2014 after he'd led the SEC in rushing and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting for the 2013 season.

As a rookie, Mason led the Rams with 765 rushing yards and earned a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team.

But the Rams selected Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the 10th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. While Gurley went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, Mason's production plunged to 207 rushing yards in the 2015 season.

Mason didn't participate in Los Angeles' offseason program in 2016, excused for "personal reasons" after being arrested during a March 5, 2016, traffic stop in Hollywood, Florida.

According to the police report of the incident, Mason would not identify himself after being pulled over for going 75 mph in a 35-mph zone, and he would not get out his car when asked to do so. A Taser was used to remove Mason from his car, and the Taser was used on Mason again after he was out of the vehicle.

Mason was charged with resisting an officer/obstruction without violence, reckless driving, failure to register a motor vehicle, possession of marijuana in an amount less than 20 grams and failure to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle.

The charges were resolved in the Broward County Court of Judge Robert F. Diaz on Nov. 3, 2016. Mason entered nolo contendere pleas on the resisting, possession and failure-to-register charges. In a nolo contendere (or no contest) plea, the defendant does not admit guilt or responsibility for the charges, but does agree to accept punishment. In Mason's case, the punishment was "fine and/or costs," which amounted to $293. The failure to yield the right of way charge was dismissed, and the prosecution of the reckless-driving charge was abandoned.

Law-enforcement personnel visited the home of Mason's mother at least five times between his traffic-stop arrest in March and an ATV incident on July 27, 2016.

On July 23, 2016, Tina Mason called police because of her son's "unusual" behavior and "irrational statements." According to the police report, Mason told officers who responded to the home that "he was going to call the White House and we were all going to lose our jobs" and "the police were responsible for teaching al-Qaida how to fly planes."

In the four-wheeler incident, Mason was riding an ATV in a public park when deputies, responding to a complaint of an ATV being operated recklessly, tried to stop him. Mason drove from the park to his mother's home in Lake Worth, Florida. Deputies followed Mason. At the home, a dash-cam recorded Mason's mother telling the responding officers: "He's 22 in a 10-year-old's mindset right now."

According to the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts website, the July 27, 2016, incident was resolved on Feb. 27 with Mason receiving a 12-month probationary sentence for resisting an officer without violence.

Earlier this year in a video announcing his intention to return to football, Mason said about the reporting on his off-the-field incidents: "I feel like sometimes the media, they don't want to be correct, they want to be first. 'Oh, he's crazy,' or 'He went missing.' I made a mistake off the field, and that's brought me to being out of the league. I'm not going to sit here and say that, 'Oh, I'm a perfect human being,' because I'm not perfect. But I've learned from a lot of things."

Mason is one of five running backs on the Roughriders' active roster, which includes the player that he replaced as the Rams' leading rusher.

Former Bibb County High School standout Zac Stacy ran for 973 yards as a rookie for the Rams in 2013. But in 2014, when Mason became the NFL team's top ball-carrier, his production dropped to 293 rushing yards. As with Mason, Stacy hasn't played since the 2015 NFL season.

Saskatchewan also has former Alabama running back Trent Richardson on its suspended list. The Roughriders transferred Richardson from the active roster when he did not report for training camp.

Richardson ran for 259 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries in four games for Saskatchewan during the 2017 season.

The Roughriders' other running backs are Jerome Messam, Marcus Thigpen and Bryce Vieira. With seven carries for 32 yards and a touchdown, Thigpen is the only one of the five running backs on Saskatchewan's active roster who ran the ball for the Roughriders last season.

Saskatchewan plays its next preseason game on June 8, when the Calgary Stampeders visit. The Roughriders kick off the CFL regular season on June 15 with a home game against the Toronto Argonauts.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.

Greg Zuerlein returns to Rams practice after back surgery
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/05/29/greg-zuerlein-returns-to-rams-practice-after-back-surgery/

Only five months removed from back surgery, Greg Zuerlein’s progress during the Rams’ offseason program indicates that the Pro Bowl kicker will be ready to fully return for the start of the regular season. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
By RICH HAMMOND | rhammond@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: May 29, 2018 at 4:18 pm | UPDATED: May 29, 2018 at 4:25 pm

THOUSAND OAKS — Between the bustle of two practice fields, with Rams running about, one of the smallest guys on the grass made some of the most significant moves Tuesday.

Greg Zuerlein teed up a ball and booted it, kickoff-style. It’s something he’s done thousands of times in a six-year NFL career, but Zuerlein is only five months removed from back surgery. His progress during the Rams’ offseason program indicates that he will be ready to fully return for the start of the regular season.

“I don’t think there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be if I stay healthy,” Zuerlein said after a team practice at Cal Lutheran. “And I feel good. Everything should be fine.”

On many NFL teams, the summer status of a kicker wouldn’t be news, but Zuerlein has been a major part of the Rams’ offense in the past two seasons, to the point where quarterback Jared Goff said he felt at ease when the team crossed midfield, with the knowledge that they would at least get three points.

After a mid-career slump, Zuerlein rebounded in 2016 and was even better last season, when he made 38 of 40 field-goal attempts and was selected to the NFC’s Pro Bowl team.

Zuerlein didn’t make it to the game, though, because he underwent back surgery in December. More surprising was the revelation that Zuerlein had been kicking through back problems all season and still performed at a near-perfect level.

“It wasn’t comfortable,” Zuerlein said, “but it’s just one of those things. Everyone is dinged up or has something that is not 100 percent. I just went through the season and tried not to let it bother me until I got to the point where I couldn’t.”

That moment came before the Rams’ Dec. 17 game at Seattle when the Rams weren’t even sure if Zuerlein would be able to kick. He made two field-goal attempts and four of his five extra-point attempts, then needed a ride home from special teams coach John Fassel because he couldn’t drive.

The Rams signed free-agent kicker Sam Ficken to replace Zuerlein, and Ficken remains on the Rams’ roster because they didn’t know exactly how Zuerlein’s recovery would go.

It seems likely that Zuerlein will be held out of live drills during the final two weeks of the Rams’ offseason program, and while he stopped short of saying it directly, Zuerlein seemed to indicate that he could do more right now if the Rams desired it.

“It’s just following the program that the trainers set out for us,” Zuerlein said. “So I’ve just got to follow it. … Everything has been going well. No complaints. Feel good. Just happy to be out here.”

INJURY REPORT

McVay confirmed that linebacker Morgan Fox suffered a torn ACL during a practice last week that was closed to media.

Several other players also sat out Tuesday’s practice. McVay said receiver Brandin Cooks “had a little bit of soreness in his groin. Nothing to be concerned about.”

Cornerback Aqib Talib missed the practice, which was optional, and McVay said he had no update on star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who has sat out the entirety of the offseason program while he seeks a new contract.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...chup-battle-of-los-angeles-packers-vs-raiders

Dream Super Bowl LIII matchup: Battle of Los Angeles? Packers vs. Raiders?

Which two teams will face off in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII? Well, the NFL is anything but predictable. So, at this point -- more than three months away from the 2018 campaign -- maybe it's better to ask something like ... Which two teams would you like to see in Mercedes-Benz Stadium next February?

What is your dream Super Bowl LIII matchup?

Star power carries Texans, Rams to Super Bowl LIII
I'm excluding the Patriots -- where my loyalty lies -- for this question. And with that condition stated, I'm taking the Houston Texans against the Los Angeles Rams. There are too many good storylines to count ...

Sean McVay is in his second year as the Rams' head man and should build on what his offense impressively did a year ago. Not to mention, L.A. added a TON of high-level guys on defense, including Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh. Watching Talib and Peters against Houston's DeAndre Hopkins on the big stage would be something special.

Houston returns its star quarterback in Deshaun Watson -- and yes, I expect he will recover from his knee injury and swiftly get back to rookie form. The Texans also return a pair of key pieces to their daunting front seven (J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, who both hit IR in October last season), while adding safety Tyrann Mathieu to the secondary.

I can't wait to watch Wade Phillips and Romeo Crennel orchestrate their improved defenses in 2018 -- two units that should take their teams far. - Willie McGinest

Packers-Raiders Super Bowl provides endless intrigue
I'd love to see a Packers- Raiders Super Bowl. There are so many great storylines here. It's a Jordy Nelson revenge game. Aaron Rodgers gets a chance at a second ring. Khalil Mack vs. Rodgers ... Clay Matthews and Co. vs. Derek Carr ... and Jon Gruden vs. Mike McCarthy. Plus, Marshawn Lynch is back on the big stage -- right where he should be -- for the last time. - James Jones

An all-Angeleno Super Bowl in Atlanta? Why not?
Make it an all-Angeleno Super Bowl: Chargers vs. Rams. The Bolts were one of the best teams in the league down the stretch in 2017, winning six of the final seven games. The only thing stopping them from becoming an annual contender is the occult: black magic (injuries, kicker yips) from the football gods. Hunter Henry knows.

Why the Rams? What Sean McVay is whispering in Jared Goff's ear at the line of scrimmage is the most interesting innovation in the game right now. - Chris Wesseling

Jaguars, Bears fans deserve their teams on the biggest stage
My dream matchup for Super Bowl LIII is your Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Let it be done. I remember how thrilled my dad was when the Bears finally broke through to win Super Bowl XX. I didn't understand it much then, but I get it now.

And I would love to see the Bears get there again. Mostly because I feel like a celebration at Grant Park would make the Cubs' World Series celebration look pedestrian, like an '80s glam-metal band headlining a country fair.

And I also want to see the Jags get there, for many reasons. First. Myles Jack was not down. Second, the Jaguars fans are the most unnecessarily maligned fan base in sports history, which is troubling because they legit have great fans. - Adam Rank

What shoulder problem? Andrew Luck duels Drew Brees for a ring
If you're asking what my dream matchup is, it has to be a repeat of Super Bowl XLIV between the Saints andColts. It'd be historic to watch Andrew Luck not only get back on the field, but lead the Colts back to the AFC title game, a game in which they'd probably play the Patriots.

Of course, they would avenge the Deflategate loss before getting a do-over against the Saints. With this type of performance, Luck could be up for league and Super Bowl MVP awards. That'd be every Colts fan's dream. - Reggie Wayne

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Former Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher tells radio show he’s still waiting on head coaching opportunity
The Fish is still waiting for a suitor to make him the head man and not just a coordinator.
By 3k

I’ve had opportunities to stay in [NFL coaching circles], but I, I don’t see myself coming back and coordinating. You know...as well know, success in the National Football League is built on a number of different things. You know, it starts with the quarterback, and it starts, you know, you gotta stay healthy and you know you gotta hit things running and you gotta have a good staff.

All those things, and so you know getting out for a year or two I don’t think that should by any means eliminate somebody. You know I don’t know that at times you were with Bill [Cowher?] if he had the intention of getting back in. I think it was moreso for staying informed regarding and being educated regarding you know from a commentator’s standpoint.

So, you know and believe me there’s a lot of work as far as that’s concerned. I appreciate the work that goes in, you know, through years and years of the production meetings that I spent with different production crews and things getting right to call the game. There’s an awful lot of work that goes into that.

But, you know, nothing’s easy. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication and the right place at the right time as we all know.

Former Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher called in to with SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan to address his current status as a de facto free agent coach who, in his own words, isn’t interested in a media opportunity right now.

Miss you, Dear Leader.
*************************
Really 3k? You miss this guy? The Turf Show guys should learn about blue font.

https://www.theringer.com/2018/5/30/17407246/nfl-contract-year-all-stars

The NFL Contract-Year All-Stars
For this group of standouts, 2018 could be a make-or-break year as negotiations loom
By Danny Kelly


Getty Images/Ringer illustration

Over the next few months, contract negotiations—or lack thereof—for Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, and Odell Beckham Jr. will take NFL offseason center stage. But as that trio of headline-hogging superstars threaten holdouts and seek long-term extensions with their respective teams worth a combined hundreds of millions of dollars, a handful of other big-name, über-talented playmakers are heading into the final year of their contracts and are looking to get paid the big bucks, too.

Some of those upcoming-contract-year players will be rewarded with big-money extensions before training camp kicks off, some will get deals during the season, and others still will be forced to play the year out, awaiting free agency or the franchise tag next spring.

Excluding a few obvious candidates—like the guys set to play on the franchise tag (Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Ansah, and Demarcus Lawrence) or those players hoping to cash in on recently signed one-year “prove-it” deals (like Sheldon Richardson and Ndamukong Suh)—here are the contract-year All-Stars for the 2018 NFL season.

Rams WR Brandin Cooks
After being traded to the Rams in April, Cooks is now with his third team—but there’s no denying that the speedy pass catcher has produced at elite levels on each of his first two stops:

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The Rams are reportedly hoping to ink Cooks to a long-term deal, but that plan depends on just how much the former Patriots and Saints pass catcher is hoping to get.

Say Cooks has his sights set on somewhere close to the record five-year, $82.5 million deal Mike Evans recently signed with the Buccaneers: Will Sean McVay and Les Snead be willing to fork out top dollar (and his approximate market value, per Spotrac) to a player who has yet to play a game in a Rams uniform?

For a team that has yet to hand Donald an extension—and still has decisions to make over the next couple of years on upcoming free agents like Marcus Peters, Lamarcus Joyner, Todd Gurley, and Jared Goff—it makes for an interesting negotiation. For now, Cooks is set to play 2018 on a $8.5 million fifth-year option.

Lions WR Golden Tate
Tate doesn’t get as much fanfare as some of his peers, but over the last four seasons, just five receivers (Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, Demaryius Thomas, and Larry Fitzgerald) have caught more passes than the 5-foot-10, 197-pound tackle-breaking gyroscope.

Tate has racked up 372 receptions for 4,224 yards and 19 touchdowns since joining the Lions in 2014 and heads into 2018 set to make just $7 million—a salary that ranks 17th among NFL receivers.

Tate’s not a classic outside threat in the mold of Evans or Deandre Hopkins, and a good chunk of his production comes from his innate ability to take a short pass and pick up yards after the catch (he led the NFL with 22 missed tackles forced in 2017 and averaged 6.9 yards after the catch per reception, per Pro Football Focus, third in the NFL). Tate can use the five-year, $75.5 million deal that Jarvis Landry recently signed (including $47 million in practical guarantees) with the Browns as a starting point in negotiations.

Eagles DE Brandon Graham
Graham was one of the Super Bowl champions’ top playmakers off the edge last year, where he racked up a team-high 9.5 sacks and 60 pressures (12th among 4-3 defensive ends), per PFF.

The 30-year-old heads into his contract year as one of the best pass rushers in the league, and his earning potential is massive; he and his reps should point to Jason Pierre-Paul’s four-year, $62 million deal with the Giants last year—which included $40 million in guarantees—as a benchmark for any new contract talks.

But considering linemate Fletcher Cox is already one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the league, the Eagles must decide whether to slice off a huge piece of their salary cap pie for two players.

With Carson Wentz locked in to his cheap rookie contract for a few more years, the Eagles could certainly still offer Graham a generous deal, but the Eagles won a championship in big part due to their depth at just about every position on the roster—and keeping Graham long-term could hurt GM Howie Roseman’s ability to keep that group together.

Texans DE Jadeveon Clowney
Like the Eagles, the Texans look primed to take advantage of their rookie-contract QB’s discount salary—and the flexibility that gives them to spend big at other positions—over the next few years. And, also like Philly, the team must decide how much of its salary cap they should tie up on the defensive line.

The Texans already pay J.J. Watt an average of $16.7 million per year, and now must put a dollar amount on Clowney’s worth to their defense long-term. The former first-overall pick hasn’t lived up to the lofty hype he carried into the 2014 draft, but he has developed into a very good player: He finished 2017 with a team-high 9.5 sacks, ranked second in NFL in tackles for a loss (21), and notched 64 quarterback pressures per PFF, including 18 quarterback hits.

On the open market, the 25-year-old Clowney would likely seek something close to Justin Houston’s six-year, $101 million deal with the Chiefs—but he may be willing to settle for something closer to what Chandler Jones (a five-year, $82.5 million deal with $51 million in practical guarantees) or Melvin Ingram (a four-year, $64 million deal with $34 million guaranteed) got with the Cardinals and Chargers, respectively.

Vikings DE Danielle Hunter and WR Stefon Diggs
Hunter fell back to earth with 7.0 sacks last year after racking up 12.5 quarterback takedowns in 2016, but he still provided consistent pressure off the edge, collecting 61 pressures on the season, tied for 10th among 4-3 defensive ends.

At just 23 years old, though, the sky remains the proverbial limit for the Vikings’ athletic edge rusher, and if they wait on an extension and Hunter hits the open market, he’ll certainly fetch a pretty penny ... especially if he manages to break back into the double digits in sacks this year.

Hunter doesn’t have to look far to find a benchmark in his negotiations: He can point to the four-year, $58 million contract deal that teammate Everson Griffen signed in 2017 as a jump-off figure.

The Vikings have a tough call to make on Diggs as well: They could save money this season by letting the former fifth-round pick play out the final year of his rookie deal—he’ll make just $1.96 million on that contract—but they’d risk losing him on the open market next year, as they may need the franchise tag for Hunter.

Instead, they could try to get a deal done early, but may have to pay top dollar to do it. After catching 64 passes for 849 yards and eight touchdowns last year, Diggs knows he’s in line for a huge payday in 2019.

Seahawks FS Earl Thomas and DE Frank Clark
Trade rumors have swirled around Thomas for most of the offseason, and the Seahawks All-Pro safety has stayed away from the team’s voluntary OTAs the past few weeks with the implicit message that he wants to become one of the highest paid players at his position.

Thomas will be looking at Chiefs safety Eric Berry’s deal—a six-year, $78 million contract that includes $40 million in guarantees—as a starting point, and if Seattle decides that’s just too much to hand over to the (at times unpredictable) 29-year-old, a trade may still happen before it’s all said and done.

That’s not the end of the team’s worries, though: Seattle has decisions to make on contract year players in linebacker K.J. Wright, receiver Tyler Lockett, tackle Duane Brown, and perhaps most important, pass rusher Frank Clark. Clark quietly produced a team-high 9.0 sacks last year while racking up 56 pressures(second to Michael Bennett’s 70), and after the Seahawks traded away Bennett and released Cliff Avril, the 24-year-old pass-rusher is now the team’s top edge rusher.

Like Hunter, Clark is still a young, developing player whose best football may be in front of him, and should Seattle balk at a long-term extension before the year, he’ll have the chance to make himself a lot of money with a double-digit sack campaign.

Ravens LB C.J. Mosley
Mosley’s flown under the radar compared with other middle linebackers like Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner, but the three-time second-team All-Pro is a consistent anchor in the middle of Baltimore’s defense. Mosley will make $8.7 million in 2018 playing on a fifth-year team option and will be poised to cash in on a big-money deal next spring—but the Ravens may instead decide to sign him to a long-term extension before the season starts.

In either case, Mosley should command in excess of $10 million per year; the five-year, $50 million deal that Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks signed in April or the four-year, $42.8 million deal Alec Ogletree signed with the Rams (before being traded to the Giants) should both act as a guide.

Cardinals RB David Johnson
Johnson missed all but a few snaps of the 2017 season because of a broken wrist, so it’s easy to forget just how dominant he can be while healthy. The Cardinals’ versatile All-Pro racked up an NFL-best 20 rushing and receiving touchdowns in 2016 while producing a league-high 2,118 yards from scrimmage (1,239 rushing and 879 receiving)—and this year, he’s looking to join the exclusive 1,000/1,000 club currently made up of just two players: Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig.

The fact that it’s not too much of a stretch to believe he can do just that might make his path toward a long-term pact in Arizona seem smooth. But a staggeringly depressed free-agent market for veteran running backs could limit Johnson’s earning power on a long-term deal.

The Cardinals would reportedly like to lock Johnson in to a new deal this offseason, but will the versatile star run into contract negotiation slow-ups like Le’Veon Bell did in Pittsburgh? Bell—who is perhaps the closest player-usage comparison to Johnson in the league—is set to play on the franchise tag for the second straight year after failing to come to a long-term agreement with the Steelers.

He reportedly wants to be paid like a no. 1 running back and a no. 2 receiver—which would put his demands at over $15 million a year—but Pittsburgh has thus far balked, perhaps because of the running back position’s relatively short shelf life or the fact Bell has missed games in every season except one.

In any case, while Johnson (like Bell) may be eyeing a contract that averages north of $15 million a year, he may end up having to settle for something closer to the five-year, $41.3 million deal Devonta Freeman signed last August. That contract, which reset the running back market, averages $8.25 million in average annual value and includes $22 million in practical guarantees.

Cowboys G Zack Martin
Martin is set to play on a fifth-year team option worth $9.3 million, but the Cowboys’ elite right guard has already made it clear that he’d like to get a long-term contract extension done before the season begins (he’s sitting out of the team’s voluntary OTAs).

For Dallas, it’s a no-brainer—Martin is a huge, integral piece of the team’s run-heavy identity and is one of the top pass-blocking guards in the league—but the decision may come down to whether Jerry Jones and Co. are willing to make him the top-paid guard in the NFL.

Martin has a strong case to be that guy: In four seasons in the league, he has yet to miss a game, has been named to the All-Pro lists four times (two first team, two second team), and at 27, is just entering his prime.

And after watching Andrew Norwell get a five-year, $66.5 million deal from the Jaguars in free agency (with $30 million in practical guarantees), you can bet that Martin is using those numbers as a starting point. We’ll soon find out whether Dallas aims to play hardball with one of its core players.

Bengals DT Geno Atkins and DE Carlos Dunlap
Is there a more underrated pair of pass rushers in the NFL than Atkins and Dunlap?

Let’s start with Atkins, who may be the best pass-rushing interior defensive lineman on the planet not named Aaron Donald or J.J. Watt. In 2017, Atkins notched 70 pressures, per Pro Football Focus, second only to Donald among interior defensive linemen and 3-4 ends.

In 2016, his 77 pressures finished second in that group (again behind only Donald), and in 2015, his 81 pressures were second only to J.J. Watt (and ahead of Donald). In other words, Atkins is ridiculously good—and the 30-year-old playmaker heads into 2018 on the final year of his deal, looking to cash in big with what may be his final big-money extension.

Dunlap is no slouch himself. Last year, the 29-year-old pass rusher racked up 72 pressures, sixth among 4-3 defensive ends, per PFF, and grabbed 7.5 sacks—his fifth straight year with seven or more. He’s currently holding out of OTAs, and like his defensive line compatriot in Atkins, is looking to get another long-term extension.

Per Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson, the team has made locking both players in for the long run a priority, but they’ll have to be ready to pay up. Atkins will be watching Donald’s contract situation with the Rams closely; he should also be looking for a deal that averages somewhere in the vicinity of $16 million per year, assuming he’s going off of the contracts Kawann Short (five years, $80.5 million) or Fletcher Cox (six years, $102.6 million, $63 million guaranteed) signed over the past two years. Meanwhile, it’d be no surprise if Dunlap’s starting point is somewhere north of $15 million a year, too.

After Cory Littleton flashed so much playmaking ability as a backup weakside linebacker last year, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and his staff worked overtime devising special packages just to get him more playing time. He opened OTA’s as the replacement to Alec Ogletree at middle linebacker. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE | vbonsignore@scng.com | Daily News
PUBLISHED: May 29, 2018 at 9:06 pm | UPDATED: May 29, 2018 at 9:07 pm

he irony wasn’t lost on Cory Littleton who, upon returning from the stress-free offseason he carved out for himself focusing entirely on family and friends and as little as possible on football, reported to OTA’s a couple weeks ago to find a Rams linebacker room that looked decidedly different than the one that ended last season.

And almost immediately after, he was pulled aside by Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and told he’d be switching positions.

After Littleton flashed so much playmaking ability as a backup weakside linebacker last year, Phillips and his staff worked overtime devising special packages just to get him more playing time. The Rams want him on the field even more in 2018, and he opened OTA’s as the replacement to Alec Ogletree at middle linebacker.

The irony being, as Littleton explains, that linebacker spot just happens to be the quarterback of the defense. As in relaying the play call from the coaching staff to the rest of the defense and getting guys lined up correctly and communicating any last-second shifts or adjustments before the ball snaps.

Or, as he said more permanently: “I’m not the most vocal person.”

Ah-ha. Got it.

Well, looks like the Rams need to add one more box to their offseason to-do-list. Specifically at linebacker, where three new starters must be identified and groomed to replace Ogletree, Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin and all the production and reliability that walked out the door when the Rams opted to part ways with them.

To that list add developing a more willing and confident voice for the highly athletic Littleton, who can’t let his play do all the talking anymore. Replacing Ogletree means talking and playing now go hand in hand.

“Speak a little louder and hope they can hear me,” he said, laughing.

If it seems the Rams are walking blindly into all this, it’s one of those yes and no type of things. For all the buzz they created and improvements they made adding dynamic cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and dominating defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh – moves that were universally praised – fitting them into the salary-cap puzzle meant shedding money at other positions.

And that meant creating a hole the size of the Pacific Ocean at linebacker after trading both Quinn and Ogletree and not bringing Barwin back. The plan right now is filling those spots via a group of young, largely unproven holdovers and low-cost free agents and rookie draft picks and free agents.

There is confidence in the Rams building they have the pieces on hand to make a smooth transition. But until that becomes fact rather than conviction, the question remains: will the new starters be able to replicate what Ogletree, Quinn and Barwin produced, let alone provide an improvement?

At the very least, the Rams must replace 161 tackles and 15-1/2 sacks.

Oh, and a new quarterback for their defense.

For a Rams team that seemingly has all other bases covered, linebacker is the great unknown. Which explains why the coaching staff is pushing that group as hard as possible during OTA’s.

The Rams need answers. Maybe not immediately, but soon. And they are trying to come up with them ASAP.

“We’ve put them in some tough situations with how we practice,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay. “It requires a lot of thinking on the move, some of the adjustments and things especially just based on what the offense is presenting. And I think they’ve handled it well. I think we’ll have a better feel toward the end of the offseason program going into training camp.

If the season started today – and thank goodness for the Rams it doesn’t – Littleton would probably start alongside Mark Barron at inside linebacker and second-year standout Samson Ebukam would get the nod at one outside linebacker spot opposite fifth-year veteran Matt Longacre.

For Ebukam, it’s indicative of the strong finish he had to a rookie season in which he recorded 20 tackles and two sacks while making two starts in place of Barwin.

“I look at it as an opportunity, because those guys had (the job last year). But now that they’re gone it’s an opportunity for me to step up and win that role,” he said.

And he isn’t shy about what he’ll bring.

“Relentless effort. Poise and composure. Strength and attitude and speed,” Ebukam said. “And the more I learn, the more confident I get. I feel like I can bring a lot.”

Littleton bogarted his way into the picture as a reserve and special teams standout last year while notching 31 tackles and one sack and blocking two punts.

“He’s a guy that’s got a lot of nuance to his game, but you see the athleticism and the instincts show up,” McVay said.

And now a clear path has opened to a starting job.

“It makes me feel good as a player that they really believe in me,” Littleton said. “So I’ve got to do I can to get better so I can prove it.”

But keep in mind it’s only May, which means there is plenty of time for inside linebackers Bryce Hager, Ramik Wilson, Micah Kiser and Tegray Scales and outside backers Trevon Young, Ejuan Price, Garrett Sickles, Brian Womac, Justin Lawler and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – among others – to push their way into starting or prominent roles.

In fact, Wilson, a free agent signee who spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Lawler, a seventh-round pick out of SMU, got the bulk of the time with the No. 1 defense Tuesday during the Rams Phase II OTA practice.

Wilson is playing in place of Barron, who is working individually off to the side at this point of OTA’s, and has caught the attention of the Rams coaching staff. In two years with the Chiefs, Wilson started 17 of 30 games and made 111 tackles.



“Ramik Wilson is a guy over the last week and a half, you felt him,” McVay said. “You can see he’s a guy that’s instinctual, a guy with a great feel with his run fits and responsibilities.”

Lawler has also been impressive working at OLB and defensive end in place of Longacre – coming off a back injury – and Aaron Donald, who is not participating in OTA’s while seeking a contract extension.

“He’s flashed some really good things,” McVay said. “He’s gotten some chances and made the most of those.”

He’ll get plenty of other chances between now and the regular season. A whole bunch of guys will. And with three spots up for grabs, the Rams will keep a keen eye on all of them.

But they need answers fast.

[www.ocregister.com]

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Rams insider Myles Simmons shares his top 10 observations from the fourth Rams OTA session of 2018.

1) The Rams once again began practice in individual drills by working on ball security on offense, and creating takeaways on defense. The defensive groups were working on stripping the pigskin from a potential ballcarrier. Takeaways were a significant part of Los Angeles’ defensive success in 2017, and it’s setting up to be the same in 2018.

2) During individual drills, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips roams around to the different three defensive groups — defensive line, linebackers, and secondary. He may not be quite as active as head coach Sean McVay, but Phillips does make his way around to dispatch with coaching tips.

3) Continuing the emphasis on takeaways, the defense worked on an interception drill during the group portion of practice. The unit would run a particular play against air, then a member of the defense — usually in the secondary — would pick off a pass thrown by a coach. All other defensive players would then have to look to get a block in order to get to the end zone.

4) It’s a pretty minor detail, but the Rams switched things up a bit when going through 11-on-11 drills. Usually McVay has the first-team offense on the field against the scout-team defense to begin a period. But on this day, McVay put the ones on defense on the field first vs. the offensive twos.


5) Given the season-ending injury to defensive lineman Morgan Fox — who was working at outside linebacker during the offseason program — Justin Lawler now has an opportunity to show what he can do. Lawlwer — a 2018 seventh-round pick — was lining up with the first-team defense at outside linebacker. Following the entire session, McVay said he’s flashed some good things at OLB.

6) Quarterback Jared Goff made his share of strong passes throughout the day, but perhaps his best came in an 11-on-11 period in the red zone. Goff tossed the ball to the back left corner of the end zone, where wide receiver Cooper Kupp caught the pass for a touchdown. In some ways, it was reminiscent of the catch Kupp made for the go-ahead TD against the Titans in Week 16. But there was no need to dive and get a knee down this time.

7) During the same 11-on-11 period, the offense lined up inside the 10-yard line for a fourth-down situation. As the play was beginning, someone on the defensive sideline shouted, “It’s going to Todd!” — as in Gurley. Whoever it was diagnosed the play perfectly, as Goff attempted a pass to Gurley on the left, but linebacker Bryce Hagerbatted the ball away for an incomplete pass. The defensive sideline erupted with cheers.

8) Toward the end of practice, the Rams ran a nifty play on offense that got running back Malcolm Brown all the way to the end zone — easily. With a couple play-action fakes, Brown may have gotten lost in the backfield for the defense. But then Goff dumped the pass off to the running back, and there was a lot of green space in front of the RB, who also had a couple of lead blockers.

9) As practice ended, McVay walked off the field chatting with center John Sullivan. McVay has often said having veteran players like Sullivan and left tackle Andrew Whitworth on the roster is particularly valuable, given how much they’ve both seen and experienced during their time in the league.

10) Finally, cornerback Aqib Talib and wide receiver Brandin Cooks were non-participants in Tuesday’s session. McVay noted Talib had informed the team of his plans that he wouldn’t be there for the particular practice. And in Cooks’ case, the wideout was there, but was experiencing some groin soreness. Because of that, Los Angeles’ training staff and strength and conditioning staff thought it best that Cooks take it easy on Tuesday afternoon.

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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/05/29/nfl-draft-grades-2015-jameis-winston-marcus-mariota

True NFL Draft Grades: 2015 Draft, Three Years Later
By CONOR ORR


Getty Images

A few weeks back, my esteemed colleague Andy Benoit regraded the 2014 NFL draft, leading with a thorough introduction of the concept—which I’ll follow as well. One small note: I may differ from Andy a bit in my grading style because I tend to overvalue production in later rounds.

While some of you may only consider finding Richard Sherman in the fifth round a success, I think of “success” as finding someone who was even a steady contributor, core special-teamer or solid one-season wonder after the fifth round. It’s remarkably difficult to do so.

This was a fascinating, two-quarterback draft with tons of value throughout the first round, even if some teams are just realizing it now. Because of a quickly shifting NFL, it’s easy to follow the line from success in the 2015 draft directly to the 2017 postseason, where almost all of the best teams cleaned up.

Without further ado, here are the true 2015 grades, given hindsight:

ARIZONA CARDINALS
Round 1 (No. 24 overall) D.J. Humphries, T, Florida
2 (58) Markus Golden, DE, Missouri
3 (86) David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa
4 (116) Rodney Gunter, DT, Delaware State
5 (158) Shaquille Riddick, DE, West Virginia
5 (159) J.J. Nelson, WR, UAB
7 (256) Gerald Christian, TE, Louisville

This was a phenomenal draft for Arizona if you really think about it. Humphries is a suitable starting left tackle in the NFL, Golden had 12.5 sacks in his last full NFL season, and Johnson is a star at the running back position. To think the Cardinals were obsessed with Ameer Abdullah and angry when the Lions picked him right ahead of them. Life has a way of working out.

GRADE: A-
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ATLANTA FALCONS
1 (8) Vic Beasley, LB, Clemson
2 (42) Jalen Collins, DB, LSU
3 (73) Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
4 (107) Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina
5 (137) Grady Jarrett, DT, Clemson
7 (225) Jake Rodgers, OT, Eastern Washington
7 (249) Akeem King, DB, San Jose State

Any time you can come out with a formidable, elite pass rusher, a complementary (but potentially lead) running back and a dominant inside force like Grady Jarrett, that’s not a half-bad takeaway. This draft helped form the bedrock of a would-be Super Bowl championship roster.

GRADE: B
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BALTIMORE RAVENS
1 (26) Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
2 (55) Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
3 (90) Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
4 (122) Za’Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky
4 (125) Buck Allen, RB, USC
4 (136) Tray Walker, DB, Texas Southern
5 (171) Nick Boyle, TE, Delaware
6 (176) Robert Myers, G, Tennessee State
6 (203) Darren Waller, WR, Georgia Tech

Some promising picks dotted the middle rounds here, but this draft was emblematic of the struggles Ozzie Newsome faced toward the end of his career to supplement a championship defense. Perriman has struggled, as has Williams, to be the true offensive weapons this system has craved since 2012.

GRADE: C+
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BUFFALO BILLS
2 (50) Ronald Darby, DB, Florida State
3 (81) John Miller, G, Louisville
5 (155) Karlos Williams, RB, Florida State
6 (188) Tony Steward, OLB, Clemson
6 (194) Nick O’Leary, TE, Florida State
7 (234) Dezmin Lewis, WR, Central Arkansas

The best player in this group (Darby) ended up helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2017. Otherwise, this is a fairly standard Rex Ryan draft—high in swings on the defensive front and attempts at selecting offensive players from schools he likes but who ultimately end up not contributing much.

GRADE: C-
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CAROLINA PANTHERS
1 (25) Shaq Thompson, LB, Washington
2 (41) Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
4 (102) Daryl Williams, OT, Oklahoma
5 (169) David Mayo, LB, Texas State
5 (174) Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Auburn

Thompson has been in the mix since Day One, and while his swiss army knife potential has not been fully realized, it was a forward-thinking move by Dave Gettleman at the time. Linebackers with the versatility of Thompson are mandatory now. Funchess is still developing, but the pick made sense at the time as the Panthers tried to surround Cam Newton with a group of overthrow-resistant wideouts.

GRADE: C+
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CHICAGO BEARS
1 (7) Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
2 (39) Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State
3 (71) Hroniss Grasu, C, Oregon
4 (106) Jeremy Langford, RB, Michigan State
5 (142) Adrian Amos, S, Penn State
6 (183) Tayo Fabuluje, OT, TCU

Hard to punish the Bears for White’s injury issues, especially when the remainder of the class rounded out quite nicely. Goldman and especially Amos have turned out to be important players defensively, and Langford posted more than 800 scrimmage yards during his first season.

GRADE: B-
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CINCINNATI BENGALS
1 (21) Cedric Ogbuehi, T, Texas A&M
2 (53) Jake Fisher, T, Oregon
3 (85) Tyler Kroft, TE, Rutgers
3 (99) Paul Dawson, LB, TCU
4 (120) Josh Shaw, S, USC
4 (135) Marcus Hardison, DE, Arizona State
5 (157) C.J. Uzomah, TE, Auburn
6 (197) Derron Smith, S, Fresno State
7 (238) Mario Alford, WR, West Virginia

Despite some mid- to late-round hits at tight end, this was a massive swing at securing both tackle spots for the Bengals long-term, and as of now it looks like a miss. Ogbuehi won’t have his fifth-year option picked up, and the Bengals swung a trade to patch up the left tackle position.

GRADE: C
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CLEVELAND BROWNS
1 (12) Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
1 (19) Cameron Erving, G, Florida State
2 (51) Nate Orchard, DE, Utah
3 (77) Duke Johnson, RB, Miami
3 (96) Xavier Cooper, DT, Washington State
4 (115) Ibraheim Campbell, S, Northwestern
4 (123) Vince Mayle, WR, Washington State
6 (189) Charles Gaines, DB, Louisville
6 (195) Malcolm Johnson, TE, Mississippi State
6 (198) Randall Telfer, TE, USC
7 (219) Hayes Pullard, ILB, USC
7 (241) Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, DB, Oregon

Another lost Browns draft. Had it not been for Duke Johnson, this may get a resounding ‘F.’ Oddly enough, Danny Shelton came on later in his career and could be a productive member of the Patriots. Cam Erving, too, did not have the infrastructure to develop. This was, in theory, a smart draft for the Browns at the time given how many needs it pecked away at. However, when all your owner does is fire general managers, none of the pieces will fit in the puzzle.

GRADE: C-
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DALLAS COWBOYS
1 (27) Byron Jones, DB, Connecticut
2 (60) Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
3 (91) Chaz Green, OT, Florida
4 (127) Damien Wilson, ILB, Minnesota
5 (163) Ryan Russell, DE, Purdue
7 (236) Mark Nzeocha, OLB, Wyoming
7 (243) Laurence Gibson, OT, Virginia Tech
7 (246) Geoff Swaim, TE, Texas

Byron Jones has been above average and flexible in Dallas’s defense, with starting-caliber performances at both cornerback and safety—not an easy thing to find when picking so late in the first round. Jerry Jones, the consummate risk taker, did not heed warnings on Randy Gregory and drafted him, only to watch the linebacker fizzle out of the NFL.

(Gregory is now trying to get reinstated after multiple suspensions.) Green has yet to crack the starting lineup in Dallas despite multiple opportunities. Swaim, on the other hand, has a chance to make his mark as a seventh-round pick, and will battle Rico Gathers this spring for reps at the now vacant starting spot.

GRADE: C+
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DENVER BRONCOS
1 (23) Shane Ray, LB, Missouri
2 (59) Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado State
3 (92) Jeff Heuerman, TE, Ohio State
4 (133) Max Garcia, C, Florida
5 (164) Lorenzo Doss, DB, Tulane
6 (203) Darius Kilgo, NT, Maryland
7 (250) Trevor Siemian, QB, Northwestern
7 (251) Taurean Nixon, DB, Tulane
7 (252) Josh Furman, S, Oklahoma State

While the Broncos declined Shane Ray’s fifth year option, there were still some worthwhile picks here. Max Garcia has started 16 games each of the last two years, while Trevor Siemian emerged as one of the best late-round quarterback finds in recent history. It’s funny to see John Elway flex some of his biggest strengths and weaknesses in the draft all at once.

GRADE: C+
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DETROIT LIONS
1 (28) Laken Tomlinson, G, Duke
2 (54) Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
3 (80) Alex Carter, DB, Stanford
4 (113) Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn
5 (168) Michael Burton, FB, Rutgers
6 (200) Quandre Diggs, DB, Texas
7 (240) Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina

Tough draft toward the end of the Jim Caldwell era. The Lions needed help across the board but couldn’t seem to find any foundational help outside of Quandre Diggs, who started all 16 games last year and picked off three passes.

GRADE: C-
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GREEN BAY PACKERS
1 (30) Damarious Randall, cornerback, Arizona State
2 (62) Quinten Rollins, DB, Miami (OH)
3 (94) Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford
4 (129) Jake Ryan, LB, Michigan
5 (147) Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
6 (206) Aaron Ripkowski, FB, Oklahoma
6 (210) Christian Ringo DE, Louisiana Lafayette
6 (213) Kennard Backman, TE, Alabama Birmingham

The typically insular Packers hold on to their draft picks, but for good reason. Randall was just dealt to the Cleveland Browns after three productive years, but Rollins, Montgomery and Ryan have all been more than valuable given their salary range. Through the lens that the draft is a massive crapshoot, it is remarkable to see how many Ted Thompson picks hang on and have above-average careers.

GRADE: B+
-------------------
HOUSTON TEXANS
1 (16 ) Kevin Johnson, DB, Wake Forest
2 (43) Bendarick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State
3 (70) Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
5 (175) Keith Mumphery, WR, Michigan State
6 (211) Reshard Cliett, OLB, USF
6 (216) Christian Covington, DT, Rice
7 (235) Kenny Hilliard, RB, LSU

Only two remaining players, but both Johnson and McKinney have been stalwarts on a very good Texans defense. Johnson has been a noteworthy corner both in the slot and outside, and while the entire Houston defense regressed a year ago, his performances leading up to 2017 were consistent with that of a high performing first-rounder. McKinney has started his last 32 regular season games in Houston.

GRADE: B-
--------------------
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
1 (29) Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver, Miami
3 (65) D’Joun Smith, cornerback, Florida Atlantic
3 (93) Henry Anderson, defensive end, Stanford
4 (109) Clayton Gaethers, safety, Central Florida
5 (151) David Parry, nosetackle, Stanford
6 (205) Josh Robinson, running back, Mississippi State
6 (207) Amarlo Herrera, inside linebacker, Georgia
7 (255) Denzelle Good, tackle, Mars Hill

Only two players, Good and Gaethers, remain on the roster, though I think this draft says more about the profound disconnect between Indianapolis’s management and coaching staff than anything. Former general manager Ryan Grigson did not see many of his selections—especially offensive linemen—developed at the NFL level, and his Dorsett pick never materialized because of a passing game that remained suited to Luck’s comfort level and not for practical life in the NFL.

GRADE: D-
-------------------
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
1 (3) Dante Fowler, defensive end, Florida
2 (36) T.J. Yeldon, running back, Alabama
3 (67) A.J. Cann, guard, South Carolina
4 (104) James Sample, safety, Louisville
5 (139) Rashad Greene, wide receiver, Florida State
6 (180) Michael Bennett, DT, Ohio State
7 (220) Neal Sterling, WR, Monmouth
7 (229) Ben Koyack, TE, Notre Dame

GM Dave Caldwell was able to find key offensive line pieces in the third round of the 2014 and ’15 drafts (Brandon Linder the year before). Looking back, this was attempted and failed by many other teams along the same stretch. Fowler doubled his sack total in 2017 after missing his 2015 rookie season with a torn ACL. Many deep in Jacksonville’s 2015 class are still roster contributors three years later.

GRADE: B+
--------------------
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
1 (18) Marcus Peters, DB, Washington
2 (49) Mitch Morse, G, Missouri
3 (76) Chris Conley, WR, Georgia
3 (98) Steven Nelson, DB, Oregon State
4 (118) Ramik Wilson, LB, Georgia
5 (172) D.J. Alexander, LB, Oregon State
5 (173) James O’Shaughnessy, TE, Illinois State
6 (217) Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DT, Southern Mississippi
7 (233) Da’Ron Brown, WR, Northern Illinois

Over the last three years, this class has more than paid for itself. Nelson, Wilson, Morse and, of course, Marcus Peters, helped create some essential Chiefs moments during their recent stretch of success. While Peters ultimately wore out his welcome, the Chiefs got the best of his early years before flipping him to the Rams.

GRADE: A-
-------------------
LOS ANGELES (SAN DIEGO) CHARGERS
1 (15) Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
2 (48) Denzel Perryman, LB, Miami
3 (83) Craig Mager, DB, Texas State
5 (153) Kyle Emmanuel, DE, North Dakota State
6 (192) Darius Philon, DT, Arkansas

Wildly enough, every player is still on the roster. Philon had 4.5 sacks last year, Emmanuel started 11 games in 2017, Mager started half the year in 2016, and Perryman has been productive despite injuries. Gordon, obviously the jewel of this class, has had 2,012 yards and 18 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

GRADE: A-
----------------
LOS ANGELES (ST. LOUIS) RAMS
1 (10) Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
2 (57) Rob Havenstein, OT, Wisconsin
3 (72) Jamon Brown, OT, Louisville
3 (89) Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State
4 (119) Andrew Donnal, OT, Iowa
6 (201) Bud Sasser, WR, Missouri
6 (215) Cody Wichmann, G, Fresno State
7 (224) Bryce Hager, LB, Baylor
7 (227) Martin Ifedi, DE, Memphis

Who knew at the time this would be a foundational draft for the Los Angeles Rams? Their second- and third-rounders are now regular starters on a powerhouse offensive line that simply needed to add one anchor and shed some dead weight. And then, of course, there is Gurley. While it’s a risky maneuver to draft a back high, he has paid off as one of the offense’s centerpieces.

GRADE: B+
------------------
MIAMI DOLPHINS
1 (14) DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
2 (52) Jordan Phillips, NT, Oklahoma
4 (114) Jamil Douglas, G, Arizona State
5 (145) Bobby McCain, DB, Memphis
5 (149) Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise St.
5 (150) Cedric Thompson, FS, Minnesota
5 (156) Tony Lippett, WR, Michigan State

Some occasional contributors and interesting picks, like the converted cornerback Tony Lippett, who I thought had a chance to develop given his size (6'3"). Jay Ajayi (now an Eagle) ended up being the biggest haul from this group. Parker’s numbers have been improving, but he’s yet to produce like a first-round receiver should.

GRADE: C+
-------------------
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
1 (11) Trae Waynes, DB, Michigan State
2 (45) Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA
3 (88) Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU
4 (110) T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh
5 (143) MyCole Pruitt, TE, Southern Illinois
5 (146) Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland
6 (185) Tyrus Thompson, OT, Oklahoma
6 (193) B.J. Dubose, DE, Louisville
7 (228) Austin Shepherd, OT, Alabama
7 (232) Edmond Robinson, LB, Newberry College

Kendricks goes on to receive all rookie honors, Hunter turns into an elite pass rusher and Stefon Diggs makes one of the most iconic plays in NFL history to propel the Vikings into the NFC title game. Waynes is also getting better every year and had his first 16-game starting season in 2017.

GRADE: A
-----------------
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
1 (32) Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
2 (64) Jordan Richards, SS, Stanford
3 (97) Geneo Grissom, DE, Oklahoma
4 (101) Trey Flowers, DE, Arkansas
4 (111) Tre’ Jackson, G, Florida State
4 (131) Shaq Mason, G, Georgia Tech
5 (166) Joe Cardona, LS, Navy
6 (178) Matthew Wells, LB, Mississippi State
6 (202) A.J. Derby, TE, Arkansas
7 (247) Darryl Roberts, CB, Marshall
7 (253) Xzavier Dickson, LB, Alabama

A steady stream of contributors, including Mason, Cardona and the breakouts, Flowers and Malcom Brown. This was a layered, productive draft for the Patriots as they tried to reset the roster a bit and replace some tenured starters. As usual, Belichick knew what he wanted.

GRADE: B
-----------------
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
1 (13) Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
1 (31) Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson
2 (44) Hau’oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
3 (75) Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State
3 (78) P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
5 (148) Davis Tull, OLB, Chattanooga
5 (154) Tyeler Davison, DT, Fresno State
5 (167) Damian Swann, DB, Georgia
8 (230) Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri

Stephone Anthony was a bit of a reach, and Peat needs to improve despite the bonus of his versatility, but this was a class that was dotted with talent. Williams appeared in 16 games last year, picked off a pair of passes and broke up nine more. Kikaha has had four sacks in each of his two healthy seasons and Grayson remains in the league despite not being the heir apparent to Drew Brees.

GRADE: B-
-------------------
NEW YORK GIANTS
1 (9) Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
2 (33) Landon Collins, S, Alabama
3 (74) Owamagbe Odighizuwa
5 (144) Mykkele Thompson, DB, Texas
6 (186) Geremy Davis, WR, UConn
6 (226) Bobby Hart, OG, Florida State

Had it not been for the spectacular sophomore season of Landon Collins, this class might have been lost in the weeds altogether. A shame, really, given that Ereck Flowers had remarkable tools to be a run-blocking force in East Rutherford. Now, he’ll be lucky to win the right tackle job out of camp. Odighizuwa is no longer with the team, nor is Thompson or Davis. Mid- to late-round struggles in the draft eventually led to the ouster of Jerry Reese as GM.

GRADE: C
--------------------
NEW YORK JETS
1 (6) Leonard Williams, DT, USC
2 (37) Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State
3 (82) Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB, Louisville
4 (103) Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor
5 (152) Jarvis Harrison, G, Texas A&M
7 (223) Deon Simon, NT, Northwestern State

Leonard Williams falls into the Jets’ lap at No. 6, and thank goodness for that. The Jets’ defensive line ended up crumbing around Williams—Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are both playing elsewhere—but the former USC product has been a valuable inside force. Deon Simon might actually be in the mix for a roster spot in 2018, while Mauldin appeared in 26 games over his first two seasons.

GRADE: B-
-----------------
OAKLAND RAIDERS
1 (4) Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
2 (35) Mario Edwards, DE, Florida State
3 (68) Clive Walford, TE, Miami
4 (128) Jonathan Feliciano, G, Miami
5 (140) Ben Heeney, LB, Kansas
5 (161) Neiron Ball, OLB, Florida
6 (179) Max Valles, DE, Virginia
7 (218) Anthony Morris, OT, Tennessee State
7 (221) Andre Debose, WR, Florida
7 (242) Dexter McDonald, DB, Kansas

This is a big season for Cooper’s future, which now rests in the hands of Jon Gruden. The Alabama product had phenomenal rookie and sophomore campaigns but was bogged down amid a terrible Raiders campaign in 2017. McDonald made several appearances last year, though a good portion of the 2017 class is out of the NFL.

GRADE: C+
-------------------
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
1 (20) Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
2 (47) Eric Rowe, DB, Utah
3 (84) Jordan Hicks, LB, Texas
6 (191) JaCorey Shepherd, DB, Kansas
6 (196) Randall Evens, DB, Kansas State
7 (237) Brian Mihalik, DE, Boston College

While Rowe played well against his former team in the Super Bowl, his early defection from Philadelphia was a sign of things to come. This is a difficult class to grade for the Eagles given that it was sandwiched between the end of Chip Kelly and the resurgence of Howie Roseman.

Rowe, Shepherd, Evens and Mihalik are no longer on the Eagles, and Mihalik no longer plays defensive end. Still, if Agholor had his breakout sooner, his selection combined with the starting-caliber grade on Rowe would make this a formidable class, all things considered.

GRADE: C
------------------
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
1 (22) Bud Dupree, linebacker, Kentucky
2 (56) Senquez Golson, DB, Ole Miss
3 (87) Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
4 (121) Doran Grant, DB, Ohio State
5 (160) Jesse James, TE, Penn State
6 (199) Leterrius Walton, DE, Central Michigan
6 (212) Anthony Chickillo, OLB, Miami (FL)
7 (239) Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville

An odd draft for the Steelers in that they made up for a shaky first, second and third round with production throughout the back end. Chickillo logged three sacks last year, while Walton had two. Jesse James is a suitable No. 2 tight end just about anywhere in the NFL. The selection of Coates wasn’t a total bust in my mind. His home run potential was obvious, but so was his downside, and Ben Roethlisberger did get a valuable stretch out of him in 2016 as a deep threat.

GRADE: B-
------------------
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
1 (17) Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
2 (46) Jaquiski Tartt, S, Samford
3 (79) Eli Harold, DE, Virginia
4 (117) Blake Bill, TE, Oklahoma
4 (126) Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina
4 (132) DeAndre Smelter, WR, Georgia Tech
5 (165) Bradley Pinion, P, Clemson
6 (190) Ian Silberman, G, Boston College
7 (244) Trenton Brown, OT, Florida
7 (254) Rory Anderson, TE, South Carolina

A high-volume draft that still has some late-rounders hanging around the NFL in different locations. Armstead and Tartt are key pieces of the 49ers defense despite a regime change.

GRADE: C+
-------------------
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
2 (63) Frank Clark, DE, Michigan
3 (69) Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State
4 (130) Terry Poole, OT, San Diego State
4 (134) Mark Glowinski, G, West Virginia
5 (170) Tye Smith, DB, Towson
6 (209) Obum Gwacham, DE, Oregon State
6 (214) Krisjan Sokoli, G, Buffalo
7 (248) Ryan Murphy, DB, Oregon State

I love Seahawks’ drafts because they’re so non-traditional. The fact that almost all these players are no longer on the Seahawks but are still hanging on in the NFL shows the respect people have for John Schneider around the league. Clark has had 19 sacks over the last two seasons and Lockett is still a dynamic return man and third wide receiver, which are not bad gets in the 60s.

GRADE: C+
-----------------
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
1 (1) Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
2 (34) Donovan Smith, OT, Penn State
2 (61) Ali Marpet, C, Hobart
4 (125) Kwon Alexander, LB, LSU
5 (162) Kenny Bell, WR, Nebraska
6 (184) Kaelin Clay, WR, Utah
7 (231) Joey Iosefa, FB, Hawaii

Donovan Smith hasn’t missed a start in the NFL yet, and Marpet has been a steady contributor. Kwon Alexander has had gaudy tackle numbers every season. Of course, the Bucs’ final grade will draw out over a few more seasons because of Winston’s ultimate success. The Bucs bet that his personality could be a spark plug in an NFL environment, but will that ultimately prove correct over time?

GRADE: B+
------------------
TENNESSEE TITANS
1 (2) Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
2 (40) Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri
3 (66) Jeremiah Poutasi, T, Utah
4 (100) Angelo Blackson, DT, Auburn
4 (108) Jalston Fowler, FB, Alabama
5 (138) David Cobb, RB, Minnesota
5 (177) Diontrez Mount, LB, Louisville
6 (208) Andy Gallik, C, Boston College
6 (245) Tre McBride, WR, William & Mary

A great what-if scenario arises here if Tennessee ends up trading the pick to Philadelphia, reuniting Mariota with Chip Kelly. This was, perhaps, the one lasting strength of the 2015 Titans draft. Getting a franchise quarterback matters above all.

The fact that none of their other picks remain on the roster doesn’t matter much considering Mariota will be under center in Tennessee for the long haul. Green-Beckham was always seen as a massive boom-or-bust pick, an understandable swing by the Titans in the moment.

GRADE: B-
--------------------
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
1 (5) Brandon Scherff, G, Iowa
2 (38) Preston Smith, OLB, Mississippi
3 (95) Matt Jones, RB, Florida
4 (105) Jamison Crowder, WR, Duke
4 (112) Arie Kouandijo, G, Alabama
5 (141) Martrell Spaight, LB, Arkansas
6 (181) Kyshoen Jarrett, FS, Virginia Tech
6 (182) Tevin Mitchel, DB, Arkansas
6 (187) Evan Spencer, WR, Ohio State
7 (222) Austin Reiter, C, USF

Nearly every member of this class was productive for the team at one stretch of the 2015 season or beyond. Preston Smith has had two eight-sack seasons in three years, while even Jones, who now plays for the Eagles, had 800 total yards and four touchdowns during his rookie season. Crowder was a Kirk Cousins favorite who logged almost 900 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016.

GRADE: A

First off, it's early as hell but stilllll.....

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1001668793733533696


Also not really a surprise but interesting:

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/DailyNewsVinny/status/1001678683600556033

I read earlier in an article from BR that they ranked our receiver core as #8 in the league, which i agree is a fair assessment. However, I believe that Kupp goes off this year, as the whole offense has the chance to be way better than last year. Cooks IMO is an upgrade over Watkins. That being said...

I'm really big on Everett's future, and I'm hoping it launches this year. The dude has all the tools, and can be a difference makes like J Graham or A Gates. Coach M has to see that the potential is there, and hopefully he gets some extra love this year in OTAs, Camp. pre-season and then it translates to a much improved product come mid Sept.

Bold prediction stat line for Everett 2nd Year: 750 yds/10 TDs/58 Rec.


Does anyone else share my hopes or think I'm way off the mark?

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1001528591958642688


I hope the tank is empty.

I want to hear how our WR’s (and Goff) feel about going against our D, particularly our secondary. I mean, as much nitty gritty about degree of difficulty compared to last year.

Conversely, I’m dying to hear as many details from our secondary about the skill level of these receivers and the pass throwing of Goff. Talib and Peters, in particular, should be able to describe the degree of difficulty to defend compared to their experiences with the Broncos and Chiefs, respectively.

Simmons mentioned that McVay was inserting some “new stuff” and I suspect that it might be a mutha to defend. Lol.

I want details, dammit!

I kinda like it! Hey...it's the off season!!!!!


https://247sports.com/nfl/pittsburg...5936/GallerySlides/793285?ftag=ACQ-07-10aac1c

Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/rUOKK89nSrk


Fast forward to 2:45 to see who wins this epic on the football field foot race between two super speedsters.

As we all spend time with our families today, I am reminded of Dale. Dale is my neighbor down the street. I will be throwing some steaks on my grill later, and maybe tilting a beer or two. My three sons may be coming by, to hang out with us. We are so blessed to be free.

One of Dale's sons won't be with him today. It is a somber day at the Giffords home. Micah was one of our brave soldiers who gave his life for our freedoms. "No greater love is this: that a man lay down his life for his friends." And so we acknowledge our local hero. Flowers, or a note. Or a hug if you dare.



One of the greatest honors of my life was my time in D.C. as part of the Honor Guard. I didn't have to brace for battle. I didn't have to have that final note of love tucked in my breast pocket. Just in case.

I just had to make sure my hat was clean. My brass clickers were polished. I had a good tuck, and my rifle movements were crisp and timely to the commands. Three shots. Seven guys. Make it sound like one, to honor the family in the folding chairs nearby.

Arlington is a beautiful, horrible place to be sometimes.




Nearby, the body bearers march with the precious man of honor. He's not heavy. He's our brother.





Nobody wanted it this way. This soldier should be standing with us in the chow line, making jokes. "Shit on a shingle again!" But here he will lie. Make no doubt, though. The body will be buried. But the soul and spirit will soar on wings, like eagles!




Wives and mothers will grieve. Kids will look at their lost dad or mom only through the picture frame on the wall by the folded flag. Memories fade. Cling to them.




The best way we can honor our lost brothers is to live a good life. Laugh and dream. Work hard, and give of ourselves. Step in to right a wrong. Do the toughest chore, and ask for no payment. Payment enough.

Say you are sorry to someone today. Soothe a rift. You were kinda wrong, anyway.



Reach out to a soldier or first responder today. Tell them you are grateful. Seek a Gold Star family in your area, and give them a note, or a show of your love.




Freedom IS fragile. And pretty awesome. Pray for those in the world that do not enjoy our freedoms.

We get enough freedom to appreciate our Rams. Some fight for survival today. Pretty embarrassing. Not to make anyone feel bad. just grateful. Maybe redirect some of our time.



Thanks guys! Enjoy your families today! List some thoughts, and stories of soldiers you are grateful for, if you get a moment.

And for those that served- Thank you.

There certainly have been many, many good decisions made by the Rams in recent years. Some by draft, some by FA, some by trade. Too many to list, really.

But there were two decisions that tower above all others and have placed the Rams on a perennial playoff, maybe even SB path.

In no particular order:

The very expensive trade up to get Goff. He looks like a top 10 QB for the next 12-15 years at this point. Definitely a HR move.

The other biggie is the McVay hire. Snatched the 31 year old prodigy from under the nose of the Niners, at that. Required a quick and very ballsy decision by Demoff/Snead/Kroenke. A high stakes poker move if there ever was one by a team needing to re-establish itself in it’s new LA home. Looking like a Grand Slam HR so far.

There was another big and positive decision made recently, although not as earth shakingly dramatic as the above two. I’m talking about the retention of Snead and giving him final say on personnel moves. That’s looking like a genius call now, too. He’s working with McVay hand in glove.

Sit back and think about these 3 decisions for just a minute, won’t you? Especially the first two?

Gawd! The results that have come from those 3 decisions have transformed our 4-12 doormat team into an 11-5 division winner with legit SB dreams in just 18 months.

We are now in fairytale turnaround territory, y’all. Somebody pinch me! Lol.

These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below.
******************************************************************
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/05/28/peter-king-sports-illustrated-mmqb-favorite-stories

Peter King’s Favorite Stories, from SI and The MMQB
For his final sign-off from Sports Illustrated, the three-time sportswriter of the year and founder of The MMQB selects his favorites from the stories he’s done over his 29 years with the franchise
By Peter King



I’ve always thought my job as a writer had three five parts:

1. Report the heck out of a story.
2. Take the readers where they cannot go.
3. Write quickly and be smart. Think hard about the words, but don’t be obsessive about them. Different ones work fine.
4. Obsessively kiss as much Patriots butt as possible, as noted by how many times I mention them below. :eek:
5. Inject my politics into every sports article because gosh darn it, I know better than the fans do.

In 29 years at Sports Illustrated and The MMQB, I think I wrote some good stories. I always tried to improve as a writer, and with stories I was hugely proud of I took great care in trying to make every sentence count. But I wasn’t Frank Deford or Rick Reilly or William Nack. I was best at my ability to make people tell me things, and then report on those things to make them meatier, and then get them to you.

Part of what I tried to do—and what I tell young journalists sometimes now—was work hard to find the good stories, and work hard to convince people to let me tell those stories. In the first three months of 2017 I worked on the 49ers to let me into their draft process, so I could report and write on John Lynch’s first draft as a GM. Fortunately for me, they said yes. More fortunate for me, the Niners turned out to be a major player in the first round that year.

And even more fortunate for me, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan were absolute gold—open, honest, talkative and emotional when the time called for it. Stories are so often like snowflakes. So different, and at the start of the snowstorm, you don’t really know how much you’ll get and what the storm’s going to look like.

When the Niners’ brain trust ducked into Lynch’s office less than an hour before the start of the 2017 draft, and Lynch told cap guy Paraag Marathe to see if he could squeeze a little more out of Chicago GM Ryan Pace, and you listen in as the trade is bartered, well, that’s why we’re in this business. To be on the front line, and to tell you all about it.

Last week I wrote my final MMQB column here. Today I write my final entry for this franchise. It’s my selection of my favorite stories over my three decades on a great team. I hope you enjoy them on this Memorial Day … and what I hope even more is that you learn from them something more about the sport you love.

All of the following stories have links to the SI Vault or The MMQB versions click on the headline, subhead or link), with one exception: a softball story from the early days of the MMQB column. That appears in its entirely here.

Nov. 26, 1990
BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY
A trip across I-80 from California to the New York City with John Madden

LINK: www.si.com/vault/1990/11/26/123146/busmans-holiday-coast-to-coast-commuter-john-madden-likes-what-he-sees-as-he-rolls-across-america-in-his-suite-on-wheels

I’m an Americana guy, but I’d never driven or been a passenger in a vehicle that traversed the United States. I wanted badly to do so. So in my second year writing for Sports Illustrated I proposed this story—a trip on the Madden Cruiser from West Coast to East with the biggest analyst in football—to John Madden and agent Sandy Montag. Madden said yes.

We left from his home in Pleasanton, Calif., at noon on a Wednesday, arrived at his apartment at The Dakota in Manhattan at 10 p.m. Friday, and he did the Giants-Cowboys game a day and a half later at the Meadowlands. Fifty-five hours, 3,016 miles, and I was so bummed when it was over.


Bill Frakes/Sports Illustrated

Madden, who preferred bus travel, on what it was like to get to know I-80 the way most of us know Main Street in whatever town we live in:

“We had to stop in Beaver Crossing, Neb. [pop. 480], once, to use the phone for a radio show,” Madden said. “It’s near Lincoln. Some guy comes across the street from a gas station and introduces himself. Roger Hannon. He was the mayor, and it was his gas station. The next thing I know, we’re in front of city hall, and the people start coming out, and they want to see the bus.

One woman brought me a rhubarb pie. I didn’t even know what rhubarb pie was, but it was great. The whole town came out. There were only about 10 of them, but they were the whole town. I remember asking them, ‘What do houses sell for here?’ They said the last house that sold was right down on the corner—three bedrooms, three baths, a picket fence, for $8,000.”

Two days after Madden’s visit to Beaver Crossing, the Omaha World-Herald ran a story on page 3 with the headline: MADDEN STOPS TO USE THE PHONE.

What fun that was.

April 29, 1991
BIG D DAY
Inside the Cowboys draft process as they built a champion—and inside the draft room.

LINK: www.si.com/vault/1991/04/29/124097/big-d-day-the-dallas-cowboys-went-on-the-attack-in-the-nfl-draft-and-took-all-the-right-prisoners

How times have changed. Twenty-seven years ago, the subhead on this Sports Illustrated story was: “The Dallas Cowboys went on the attack in the NFL draft and took all the right prisoners.” Yikes. Might not look so good today.

What I’ll always remember about this story: The Cowboys went out as a staff to scout the biggest college players, and Jimmy Johnson hoped the coaches’ experience in the college game (most came with him from college to the NFL when Jerry Jones hired him in 1989) would bear fruit. He hoped they’d be able to probe their friends who still coached in college and find out the truth that other scouts might not be able to learn.


Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated

On this trip, there was a defensive lineman, Mike Jones, from North Carolina State, who puzzled the Cowboys. Talented, but he wasn’t in the game on every play. Odd, for a guy who might be a first-round pick. Butch Davis, a real digger on the staff, got one of the Wolfpack assistants to say they questioned Jones’s toughness.

When Davis delivered the information to Johnson on the Cowboys’ plane, you’d have thought they just scored a touchdown to beat the Giants in the final minute. That was a big way the Cowboys got good. They had more info than other teams.

After the draft, Johnson told me, “We’ll be good, big-time good.” After going 8-24 in the first two years of the program, the Jerry Jones-Jimmy Johnson Cowboys won two of the next three Super Bowls. It ended in divorce, as we all know, but it was a compelling five-year run. Loved covering that team, with all the drama. And wins.

March 15, 1993
TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL
Reggie White leads the first-ever class of NFL free-agents.

LINK: www.si.com/vault/1993/03/15/128221/trip-to-bountiful-with-the-onset-of-free-agency-in-the-nfl-stars-like-reggie-white-of-the-eagles-are-hitting-the-road-to-offer-their-services-to-the-highest-bidders

For the first decade that I covered football, free agency didn’t exist. The NFL establishment treated it like the plague. When I covered the Giants in the ’80s, GM George Young used to rail against it weekly. Daily, sometimes. “In baseball, you can just plug in one second baseman on another team, “ Young would say. “They all do the same job. You can’t do that with guards! The job is different, the terminology is different from team to team!”


Bill Frakes/Sports Illustrated

But modernity was coming. Some in the league, like powerful PR man Joe Browne, loved the specter of March Mayhem so that football could be in the headlines in the offseason. He believed free agency would be good for the game, and for its business. And here it was. Free agency was won by the players in a Minneapolis courtroom in September 1992.

It started in March 1993. The first class included the best defensive player in football, Eagles defensive lineman Reggie White, and teams were falling all over each other to get White to simply visit them. White’s agent, a young Jimmy Sexton, was cool with me trailing the traveling circus from city to city (I did three stops) along with White, wife Sara, and another client, guard Harry Galbreath.

I met them in Tennessee before the trip. White seemed blown away by it all. He told me he was worried that with many of the teams chasing him, signing him would signal, “Our savior has arrived.” White had been on a great defense in Philly, and he wanted to go where it wasn’t all about him.

He was a nervous man, flying into Cleveland to meet coach Bill Belichick and owner Art Modell, to explain why this was the team for him. First, Modell told me he needed to understand this complex system of player movement. “Our first draft choice is going to be from Harvard Law School,” Modell said, “and one of the clauses in his contract will be to teach me this new thing.”

SI’s managing editor, Mark Mulvoy, was behind a smart cover. There was White, shirtless, and jerseys of various suitors, as in a doll kit. On the cover you could recognize unforms from Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, the Jets, Cleveland, Phoenix, Detroit … but no Green Bay.

Guess where he ended up signing.

Oct. 30, 1995
COUNTDOWN
I spent a week inside the Packers, preparing for a big game.

LINK: www.si.com/vault/1995/10/30/8098204/countdown-on-oct-16-brett-favre-of-the-packers-began-preparing-for-sundays-game-against-the-vikings-almost-from-the-moment-that-favre-lifted-himself-slowly-and-painfully-from-his-bed-sis-peter-king-was-at-his-side--at-home-on-t

You know what still pains me, looking back on this story? How short it was. Just 4,257 words to cover seven days inside a football team. In those days (and still), every page in the magazine was precious. Every word counted. As it should. But I remember arguing for more space that week.

“Nope,” I was told. “We got a great Bo Jackson story this week.” I had asked around, and I believe this was the first time in the history of the magazine that a writer had spent a game week inside an NFL team, and I was jonesing for the cover.


Rick Frishman for Sports Illustrated

So it was short, and it wasn’t the cover. Bo was. Boy, was I pissed off. As pissed as I ever was in 29 years at SI. Just 608 words per day. Twelve paragraphs for game day! As you can tell, 23 years hasn’t been enough time to get over this. Because in those days, what you didn’t write just died. No place for it.

Okay. Breathe.

Anyway, so many of you have told me over the years you read this story and really loved it, and I appreciate that. It was a ball. Tremendously educational on football, and full of life otherwise. One memory I’ll never forget: Brett Favre sleeping in quarterback meetings run by Steve Mariucci. And farting a lot. Like, farting incessantly.

A few times the time the door got opened and fanned, trying to get the fumes out. Another memory: On Thursday night, Favre took a first gift over for the Mariucci family’s newborn, Brielle. He lifted her up over his head and said, “Hey Brielle: Horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, ‘Hey, why the long face?’ ‘‘

Brielle is 22 now, a Boston College graduate. I wonder if she knows Brett Favre lifted her high into the sky at four weeks and told her a bad joke?

Fun story. What it taught me: Access to inside football is irreplaceable.

Aug. 4, 1997
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Steve Young is one heck of a humanitarian … with one big hole in his life.

LINK: www.si.com/vault/1997/08/04/230245/chief-worry-public-activist-and-celebrity-quarterback-steve-young-faces-a-private-challenge-finding-a-mormon-wife-and-starting-a-family

Talk about an enlightening, uncomfortable, rewarding story. I flew with Young to Navajo and Hopi reservations and saw him try to connect with kids without much hope. Then we went to his annual golf tournament near Salt Lake City, which was different from many of these athlete/coach affairs I’ve attended. No liquor. “This could have been the Von Trapp Tournament,” I wrote, with all the kids running about.

This story was about Young the player but more Young the person, and Young the seeker of a family. At 35, time was running out for him to find the right woman and, in Mormon tradition, start a big family. That was the uncomfortable part. In his foursome, the guys were wondering, When are you going to find someone, fella? I overheard one golfer say: “Jeez, Brigham Young had 14 wives.”


John Burgess/Sports Illustrated

“I think it’ll happen,” Young said. Three years later it did. Young got married, and they have a family, and he seems to be living happily ever after. Couldn’t happen to a better guy—but on this day in Utah I remember feeling awful for him, as the biggest star in the Mormon sports universe, that everyone was looking at him and wondering why he wasn’t hitched.

Aug. 9, 2004
MASTER AND Commode
How Belichick got to be Belichick

LINK: www.si.com/vault/2004/08/09/8213489/master--and--Commode-with-football-principles-learned-under-his-dad-a-coach-at-navy-brainy-bill-belichick-has-turned-new-england-into-the-nfls-mightiest-vessel

Three or four times in my life at the magazine, the boss said something to the effect of: Tell me what makes so-and-so tick. Sandwiched between Super Bowl wins two and three in the offseason of 2004, that was my assignment with Belichick.

I approached him early in the offseason, told him I was doing a profile on him and asked him if he could give me the 10 to 20 people I should definitely talk to. He spent an hour on the phone with me one night, going over stories I should pursue, people I should talk with, etc. He was great.


Peter Gregoire for Sports Illustrated

I went down to Maryland, and his late father, Steve, met me and showed me around Annapolis, to places that were important in young Bill’s life. He told me stories about how when Bill was 9 or 10, he’d sit in the back of the room at the Naval Academy football offices, when Steve Belichick, an assistant coach, would debrief the team with his scouting report on that week’s game. Then we went to the Belichick home, a smallish, understated blue-collar house where Steve and Jeannette raised their one child.

I said I would love to take a peek into the room Bill grew up in. Jeannette demurred, and I didn’t press things. But they both told me enough good stories that the trip was perfect. Just perfect.

After an hour or so, I was getting ready to leave. Bill’s mom turned to me and oh-so-nicely said, “Would you like to see Bill’s room?”

Why yes. Yes I would.

These are the moments you think you’ve got a pretty good gig.

The room was sort of … barren. Future Shock, by Alvin Toffler, with some other books. Some athletic stuff from his youth, but not much. That, Jeannette Belichick said, was not unusual; this was the way they lived.

On this trip, I learned why Bill Belichick was as smart as he was. His dad was the first noted football scout; he wrote a book about scouting with a forward by the great Paul Brown. His mom knew seven languages, read the New Yorker cover to cover every week, and liked when young Bill would read a book to her while she made dinner. That combination, and how deep he got into football at such a young age … pretty telling.

Oct. 18, 2004
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
The Patriots set the NFL’s all-time record with their 19th straight win

LINK: www.si.com/vault/2004/10/18/8188771/a-league-of-their-own

I remember spending a few days in Foxboro, and not a soul would talk about breaking a pretty august record. No NFL team in the league’s first 84 seasons had won 19 games in a row. Lips were zipped. And Bill Belichick, early in the week, fired a special-teams player with, as I wrote, “the emotional detachment of a Paulie Walnuts” because the Patriots had a lousy special-teams performance in their 18th win.


John Biever/Sports Illustrated

This is the way Bill Parcells handled his teams—the way Belichick witnessed the how the Giants were run in the ’80s. If you win big, there’s always something wrong; never let players get happy. If you lose big, there’s always something good; never let players wallow and think they stink. Belichick was this way for years with the Patriots.

It’s why they still win. And why, probably, it has worn so much on so many veteran players. Look at Tom Brady this spring. I don’t know what really is going on, but I can imagine that, a) Brady wants a little more of a non-football life in the offseason; and b) he’s had enough of Belichick’s mind games.

Still, there’s a price to pay if you want to be great for a long, long time. And Belichick knows how to make his players pay it.

Why does this story stick out? It’s not all that long, and I feel like I’ve written many more insightful ones. But the story of why the Patriots win is encapsulated in the first five paragraphs of my story. That’s why I like this one.

Feb. 1, 2010
BIG EASY DOES IT
The Saints pummel the Vikings in the NFC title game

LINK: www.si.com/vault/2010/02/01/105899237/big-easy-does-it

Got some great color that week, the week of the game that in so many ways led to the Saints’ Bountygate scandal. I’m disappointed, reading the story again, that I didn’t take more notice of New Orleans beating the tar out of Brett Favre, and whether there was anything about it that seemed a little excessive. That bugs me.


Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated

I did make note of “Brett Favre getting beaten like Rocky Balboa by the New Orleans defense.” But I should have done more. In my MMQB column that weekend—I did double-duty, writing this story for the magazine and a lead on the battered Favre for MMQB—I wrote more about how brutal had been the punishment Favre suffered. But I should have been more declarative about it in the magazine.

It was around this time that I had to draw lines of demarcations. When I covered big games and wrote them for both the magazine and the top of MMQB, I had to divide the material and make it as fair and interesting for both as I could. That led to some interesting decisions, but I also strived to tell separate stories as thoroughly as I could.

July 22, 2013
JASON GARRETT’S TRAINING CAMP SPEECH TO THE COWBOYS
We launched The MMQB with an unprecendented video of an NFL coach welcoming his team to the new season

LINK: www.si.com/2013/07/17/jason-garrett-dallas-cowboys-speech

This 36-minute video meant a lot to me. On the first day in the history of The MMQB we started by attempting to blow up the internet with something that hadn’t been recorded and shown in its entirety: an NFL head coach’s camp-opening address to his team. The rules, the season theme, the passion, the message.


Getty Images

It happened on a Saturday afternoon at the Cowboys camp in Oxnard, Calif., two miles from the shores of the Pacific, in a team meeting room at the hotel the Cowboys commandeer for their summer camp. Garrett spoke.

We recorded it, agreeing to bleep out the four-letter words. On the morning of July 22, 2013, when we launched, this was our first piece of unique content. I’m proud of it to this day, because it’s not easy to get an NFL team to hand you the coach’s speech to his players so you can share it with the world.

I was on my training camp tour that summer, and one AFC coach a bit sheepishly told me he’d watched the speech, then told the coaches on his staff he wanted them to watch it. He told me he’d learned a few things from it, and he was impressed with Garrett’s passion and attention to passion. Garrett on tuning out distractions:

“Think Einstein listed to the noise?” Think Martin Luther King listened to the noise?

“Don’t listen to the noise.”

You might ask why this video is on the list. At the time, I thought it was vital that our website not just be the best writing about football; it needed to spread its wings and be different. Videos, podcasts, writing, guest columns. We needed to be a blank canvas in a new media world. This was the start.

Dec. 4-6, 2013
GAME 150: A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF AN OFFICIATING CREW
An unprecedented glimpse at the third team on the field

I broke the 16,000-word opus on a game week with Gene Steratore’s crew into three parts:


The pressure to get it right.

The crew’s lives as real people.

Game day, Baltimore at Chicago.

I give credit to Dean Blandino for this, as I wrote the other day. When I started the site, I wanted some special things, things that hadn’t been done before. And a week in the life of an officiating crew was virgin territory. Blandino took a chance, and there was stuff in here, in restrospect, that he wishes was not.

Namely, the crew members’ obsession with grades. Blandino preached in his short tenure as VP of Officiating that the officials should just worry about calling the best game they could; the grades would take care of themselves. Well, they would. But that didn’t stop Steratore and his crew from being hugely bummed out about some downgrades from their previous game.


John DePetro/The MMQB

I learned so much doing this story—truly, the most of any in my 29 years at SI and The MMQB. The officials are behind an iron curtain. So this was something we took a lot of pride in doing, and in trying to do right.

Please watch the videos by John DePetro with each piece. From Steratore’s western Pennsylvania kitchen (he makes a good red sauce, and was thoughtful enough to provide the Chianti even though he doesn’t drink alcohol during the season) to back judge Dino Paganelli’s AP history class in western Michigan, to the other members of the crew, I hope you got the feeling I got. I hope you came away thinking you now understood a little bit about the real life of an officiating crew.

Nov. 18-19, 2015
A QUARTERBACK AND HIS GAME PLAN
Behind the scenes with Carson Palmer as a game plan is installed

The Cards were practicing in West Virginia for a few days in October 2015, between two Eastern Time games, and I went there to try to convince Palmer to let me do something I really don’t think he wanted to do—open up his world to me for a game week to see how the life of a quarterback—particularly an anal one like him—works.

I was surprised. He really wanted to do. It was going to be a major intrusion on his life. I wanted to be with him at his home Tuesday evening when the gameplan came to him via email, I wanted to watch him prepare (including the use of a Virtual Reality headsets).

I wanted to talk to him as he went back and forth to practice, to digest his days. And I needed him on Saturday, the day before the game, to explain the final prep and how deeply he studied. Palmer was perfect, and coach Brian Arians did a great job too—even though he was really hesitant about it.


The MMQB

As with the officials’ story, I did this in multiple parts.

Part 1: Five days to learn 171 plays.

Part 2: Game Day in Cleveland, and what happens to the best-laid game plans.

What was cool here, and what made me feel like I got it right, was a couple of texts from Tony Romo and Josh McCown, saying, in effect, That’s exactly what we go through every game week. Right down to the improvisation, which played a huge part in this win over Cleveland, I felt like this told the real story of what a quarterback goes through if he’s doing it right.

Feb. 12, 2018
WRISTBAND 145
Behind the play that confused the Patriots and gave the Eagles their Super Bowl LII win

LINK: www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/11/eagles-super-bowl-zach-ertz-touchdown-wristband-145-mmqb-peter-king

This lead to Monday Morning Quarterback eight days after the Super Bowl is one of the most enjoyable stories of my life. I was amazed, first, that six days after the game, the three men who invented the play that won the Super Bowl—receivers coach Mike Groh, offensive coordinator Frank Reich and coach Doug Pederson—agreed to meet me in Pederson’s office to explain how this innovative, new, never-been-run-before touchdown pass to Zach Ertz came to be. (Credit Reich. He was one of the brains behind it, but he wanted the other two in the room, and so at 9:30 on Saturday morning, all six eyes of the innovators still bleary, they all met me.)


John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated

So many interesting things about Gun trey left, open buster star motion, 383 X follow Y slant. But what will live in Super Bowl history—and in the burgeoning legacy of Pederson and his vastly underrated 2017 coaching staff—is that this play was not one of the 193 in the game plan when the Eagles left Philadelphia; it’s one of 12 that got invented in Minneapolis.

It has so many tentacles that it wouldn’t have mattered how much Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia and Ernie Adams studied the Eagles. They would not have found this. This wasn’t good coaching. This was superb coaching, the kind of coaching that wins a Super Bowl.

As has happened many times in my 29 years at Sports Illustrated and The MMQB, I was so excited when I pressed the SEND button and sent this column to my editor—Dom Bonvissuto, in this case. It’s crazy to say I was filled with joy, because you’d think at 60, I wouldn’t get filled with joy over something I’ve done for so long. But that’s the great thing about this job. It still fills me with joy.

Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, ya bunch of old blue hairs!

lol...Yes, this has been percolating in my mind for a few years, as baby-boomers resist the pull of gravity and color out the gray, and get hair plugs, and get dental implants...and...and..and...

Right now I am resisting the need to change the tv channel, advertising CrepeErase. Melissa Gilbert, Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie," is advertising how this product smooths crepe paper looking skin. Maybe it does, or maybe it doesn't, but all I know is the insulting advertising technique of stroking the vanity of the old. A room full of baby-boomer-age women who are dressed in stylish clothes with not a gray hair in the room, gushing over the slightly improved skin with this product.

It's not alone, since there are a multitude of cremes and lotions, etc...that will eliminate the need for plastic surgery (supposedly). The Before and After pictures normally have the wrinkly, saggy skinned old folks frowning (emphasizing the wrinkles), and the After picture with usage of the product, a smiling less wrinkly person emerges (facial muscles are relaxed and less wrinkles).

I am a last year baby boomer (1964), and I am determined to let the hair go gray, and the missing hair remain missing. I'm going to ride out the real teeth as long as I can I'm gonna use lotion when my skin is too dry, and I'll enjoy my jeans and polo's in place of fancy clothing. I am more interested in retaining clarity of thought and following my passions (historical studies and writing about what I learn). I look at my fellow boomers, struggling against looking old. Everyone KNOWS you are old, boomer...Everyone see's the foolish expensive attempt to look like you're 39 and holding...

*steps off soap box, grasping my security Alert button, just in case...

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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...mckinnon-entire-49ers-team-talking-super-bowl

Jerick McKinnon: Entire 49ers team talking Super Bowl

We're wading chin-deep through the eternally optimistic portion of the NFL offseason, and the San Francisco 49ers have plenty of reasons to feel good about the team's direction.

Jimmy Garoppolo's ascendancy into the realm of franchise quarterbacks (or at least getting paid like one) after guiding the 49ers to five consecutive wins coupled with general manager John Lynch's notable roster moves have spurred expectations of a by-the-bay revival that goes beyond their new glory days-inspired uniforms.

Jerick McKinnon, the former Minnesota Vikings running back who is part of the new-look 49ers, says those high expectations have permeated across the roster.

"The Super Bowl. That's what the eyes are on," McKinnon said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. "That's the prize. That's the ultimate goal."

McKinnon isn't alone in hoping the team will be playing in Atlanta next February. While training with Navy SEALS as part of coach Kyle Shanahan's offseason program, the team was unified in its expectations.

"The whole team has talked about it," McKinnon said. "We had a thing with the Navy SEALS. They were asking us, 'What's the goal?' It was equally collaborated on: 'Win the Super Bowl.'"

Super Bowl talk among 49ers players isn't necessarily new. Former 49ers running back Carlos Hydepredicted in December that San Francisco would win the big game this season -- a prognostication that came months before he signed with the Cleveland Browns. Still, it's obvious based on McKinnon's comments that the 49ers aren't being stingy on their expectations.

A lot of the 49ers' success in 2018 will depend on their offseason acquisitions panning out. Deciding to part ways with Hyde in favor of McKinnon -- who mostly was used as a third-down back in Minnesota -- could be either instrumental or detrimental to the team's offensive aspirations.

McKinnon, for his part, knows the 49ers are aiming high when it comes to what they're trying to achieve.

"In the season, you're going to have ups and downs," McKinnon said. "That's just part of a 17-week NFL season. But at the end of it, you've just got to keep the eye on the prize, and that's the Super Bowl. So whatever it is that happens, we have to stick together as a team to get to that common goal."