While it remains to be seen if the Rams R3/R4 picks contribute significantly or anytime soon - it looks like the Rams struck gold in the late rounds (R5-R7):

R5.147 Micah Kiser/ILB - should see heavy rotation and possibly starter early in the season
R5.160 Ogbonnia Okoronknwo/EDGE - should see heavy rotation and possibly starter by mid-season
R6.176 John Kelly/RB - battle with Malcolm Brown to backup Gurley. He could really contribute (vs just relieving Gurley when the game is over)

The only other teams that appear to have struck such gold are:

Washington - R5-Tim Settle/NT, R6-SD Hamilton/LB, R7-Trey Quinn/WR
Baltimore - R6-Deshon Elliott/S, R6-Greg Senat/OT, R6-Bradley Bozeman-C
Seattle - R5-Shaq Griffin/LB, R6-Jamarco Jones/OT

Wade Phillips Talk Rams Defense –Audio

LA Rams Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips joined the show to talk about the “new toys” he received in the offseason. Phillips was “surprised” at all the key defensive players they signed so far and gave his reason on why he accepted the position of Defensive Coordinator for the Rams.

Listen to Phillips Interview

I know most of you either somewhat follow, follow, or used to follow WWE or WCW back in the day. I came across this video which made me lmao so hard! Brought back a ton of memories!

This video is when WWE just bought WCW and it was shut down and some of the stars started crossing over. This was amazing especially in with The Rock's height as a wrestler at the time.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGsBRImD0po


The Rock talking mad shit! hahah

Love Jericho's entrance and song with his vid!

Curious who you guys moments as well.

:rolllaugh::rolllaugh:

OK. It's the slow season. These are just too funny.

"You mean I'm not Price Harry?"


Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/Ea8FydhDTmY

This is pretty long. But, always funny.

Share your favorites!

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https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...of-browns-exec-who-met-uclas-volleyball-team/

Josh Rosen adds twist to bizarre story of Browns exec who met UCLA's volleyball team
This bizarre story keeps getting better and better
19h ago

One of the most bizarre stories that came out after the NFL Draft came last week when Browns executive Alonzo Highsmith was asked about the top quarterbacks in the draft.

During an interview with the Canton Repository, Highsmith had some very reasonable explanations for why he liked certain quarterbacks and why he didn't really care for a few other ones. For instance, Highsmith was high on Baker Mayfield because the former Oklahoma quarterback lost two receivers in 2017 and was still productive. That makes sense.

Highsmith also admitted that he wasn't a big fan of Josh Allen due to the quarterback's inaccuracy. Since completing passes is 75 percent of a quarterback's job, it makes sense that Highsmith didn't want the Browns to take Allen.

And now, here's where things bizarre.

When the topic of Josh Rosen came up, Highsmith hinted that Rosen dropped on his board because of a strange encounter that the Browns executive had with the UCLA volleyball team.

"I was at an airport," Highsmith said. "UCLA's volleyball team was in front of me. You heard so much about Rosen. He's this or that. We all know how people talk. So I asked one of the volleyball coaches, 'What's Rosen like?' He said, 'Aaaaa, you should probably ask his girlfriend. She's one of the players. She's over there.' I'm like, 'All right coach. That's good enough.'"

At that point, the story abruptly ends with Highsmith making a bizarre observation about Rosen completely based on his encounter with the UCLA coach.

"I don't know what all this means, but there was something about him that bothered me," Highsmith said.

So what exactly happened at the airport?

Well, for one, we now know that Highsmith didn't take the volleyball coach's advice and speak to Rosen's girlfriend. During an interview on The Rich Eisen Show this week, Rosen revealed a twist to the story: Highsmith didn't try to get a single detail about Rosen from the quarterback's significant other.

"I thought it was interesting that he didn't talk to my girlfriend," Rosen said. "Maybe he was scared of someone actually saying something good about me? I don't know, I thought it was funny."

Also, Rosen was just as befuddled as everyone else by the entire situation.

"It's amazing that you can pull a red flag from something with literally zero information," Rosen said. "Like, he literally pulled absolutely no information from his encounter and it managed to be a red flag."

With that last quote, Rosen might have just described the entire NFL Draftprocess in a nutshell: No one knows anything and something that means nothing can be a red flag. If a chance meeting with a college volleyball team at an airport can hurt a player's stock, then anything can.

The good news for Rosen is that things actually ended up working out pretty well for him in the draft. After the Browns, Jets and Bills all passed on him, the Cardinals traded up to grab him with the 10th overall pick.

Name the two picks the Rams drafted who you think will exceed expectations, and name the two whom you think that will fail to meet expectations.

The two who I think will exceed expectations are Micah Kiser and Brian Allen

The two that disappoint Trevon Howard and John Franklin-Myers

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-new-york-yankees-boston-red-sox-games-london

Major League Baseball intends to announce next week that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will play two games at London's Olympic Stadium in June next year, a person close to the planning told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to AP on Thursday because no public comments have been authorized.

The 2019 games are set for June 29-30. These will be the first regular-season MLB games in Europe. The Red Sox will be the home team for both games.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan scheduled a news conference for Tuesday with baseball commissioner Rob Manfred but did not announce the subject matter.

"I've never been to London, so I'm looking forward to that," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday.

"But it's a long ways off. But hopefully it's something that's good for our game, can grow our game. We're obviously, hopefully, getting two good teams out there, [and that] will be a great thing for this sport.

Both teams have a European connection. The Fenway Sports Group is the parent company of the Red Sox and Liverpool in the Premier League. The Yankees have an ownership stake with the Premier League's Manchester City in the New York City FC team in MLS.

Baseball officials have long hoped for games in London and settled last year on Olympic Stadium, which is in its second season as home of West Ham of the Premier League. Because it originally was built for a 400-meter track, Olympic Stadium is wider than other large stadiums in the London area and can best accommodate the dimensions of a baseball field.

Each player on the trip will get an extra $60,000 for participating in the games, according to baseball's collective bargaining agreement.

ESPN's Coley Harvey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

It's in the quiet time after FA and the Draft and before OTA's...So lets talk about the common statements by some talking-heads, about how teams will figure out Jared Goff and the offensive scheme...

They (the talking-heads) will lean into one another and agree..."ah yes, the tape. It will be studied by defensive coaches and the Boy Genius McVay and his underling Jared Goff will be figured out." The talking heads will gravely say "ah yes, Goff will revert to the mean and the offense will not be as good."

I don't get this in the Ram's case. McVay will have totally new plays in the play action scheme, because he is an innovator. He may utilize his TE's more than last year. Gurley is Gurley....dude will get open in the pass game because our WR's are absolutely legit and will require attention. Goff will find the open man when they try to load up on Gurley.

So what am I not getting? Will Goff and McVay's offense take a step back this year because of "the tape?"

To all -

How do I put this? I goofed this afternoon and took RamsOnDemand offline for a little bit. (Without getting into detail, it might not have impacted every device type... but probably did most).

Everything is back.

My apologies!

CGI

EDIT: If you have any problems with any graphic elements, please clear your browser. Thank you.

No wagers?.. Anyone watch it? Or is everyone in the cinco de mayo spirit?

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-from-2018-draft-will-have-best-rookie-season

Ask 5: Which QB from 2018 draft will have best rookie season?

We saw a record four quarterbacks go in the top 10 picks of the 2018 NFL Draft, so it goes without saying that there are some first-year signal-callers facing great expectations this year.

Which of these QBs will be the most successful in 2018?

I reached out to five personnel executives with that question, now that they've had some time to digest the draft results. Here are their answers.

Executive 1: Jets QB Sam Darnold
"Darnold. He's the best of the group and he has the right mentality."

Executive 2: Cardinals QB Josh Rosen
"Coordinator Mike McCoy should be good for him. He'll have good skill players (and) a healthy David Johnson. My only concern is the NFC West will be tough on him."

Executive 3: Darnold
"I thought he was the best QB (in the draft) by a fair margin. Also, he has the least amount of baggage and impediments to early success."

Executive 4: Darnold
"Tough question. I would like to say Sam Darnold. That offense doesn't have all the weapons he needs yet, but he will be able to handle all the pressures/adversity most rookie QBs go through."

Executive 5: Browns QB Baker Mayfield
"Mayfield. I like his supporting cast the best on offense. He has that (group of players around him), along with two offensive minds in Hue Jackson and Todd Haley running the show."

Summary: That's three votes for Darnold and one apiece for Mayfield and Rosen.

Conclusion: I think there's a good chance we'll see all five first-round rookie QBs (Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson) start at some point this fall.

Of course, there will be growing pains for each of them, but I believe Rosen and Mayfield are the two rookie QBs best positioned to have some early success. Based on the talent and play callers around them, it's not hard to envision them having productive rookie campaigns.

Darnold will have his ups and downs. However, he has the mental and physical toughness to overcome some roster deficiencies and improve throughout the year. Like Rosen, Allen has the luxury of an elite running back in the backfield (LeSean McCoy), but I don't think the Bills will rush Allen onto the field. Patience is key for his development.

Everyone assumes this will be a "redshirt" year for Jackson, but he could change that narrative with a couple splash plays in the preseason. I can't wait to see how Baltimore eventually constructs the offense around his unique skill set.

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...he-biggest-perhaps-only-concern-for-2018-rams

Linebacker: The biggest, perhaps only, concern for 2018 Rams

LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles Rams' offense that was among the NFL's best last season might be even better now, with Brandin Cooks joining the receiver group and Jared Goff potentially taking another step forward as a third-year quarterback. The defensive line, where Ndamukong Suh joins Aaron Donaldand Michael Brockers, looks flat-out scary. And the same can be said for the secondary, now that Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters have been added to a group that includes Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman.

The linebackers ... well, that's a different story.

The Rams upgraded elsewhere on their roster at the expense of this group. The salary-cap space now allocated for Cooks and Talib used to belong to outside linebacker Robert Quinn (traded to the Miami Dolphins) and inside linebacker Alec Ogletree (traded to the New York Giants). Two long-time fixtures on the Rams' defense are gone, as is Connor Barwin, an accomplished veteran who started on the left side last year and now remains unsigned as a free agent.

Heading into 2018, the Rams have what looks like three open spots at linebacker -- spots they will fill internally, either with former backups or recent mid- to late-round draft picks. The only returning starter in this group is inside linebacker Mark Barron, a potential cap casualty when the offseason began.

Below, we sorted through the candidates to play alongside him.

The favorites: Samson Ebukam and Matt Longacre played well while backing up Barwin and Quinn, respectively, last year. Cory Littleton, mostly an inside linebacker, was a star on special teams, blocking two punts. They all seem to have the inside track on starting roles heading into 2018, but will nonetheless have to earn their keep. Ebukam is an explosive athlete who profiled as a high-upside edge rusher coming out of Eastern Washington, but one who also needed some refinement. The Rams hope Year 2 is a big one for him. Undrafted out of Northwest Missouri State, Longacre's snap count went from 149 to 354 from 2016 to 2017, while switching from defensive end to mostly outside linebacker. He finished with 5.5 sacks in 230 snaps on the right side. Littleton, undrafted out of Washington, started in place of Barron in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans and recorded a sack and an interception in the game that clinched a division title.

The incumbents: For outside linebacker, the Rams also have Ejuan Price (a seventh-round pick last year), Garrett Sickels(undrafted in 2017) and Carlos Thompson (undrafted in 2015). Those three have combined for 87 defensive snaps in the NFL. Wade Phillips likes to rotate his outside linebackers, so that total might increase significantly this coming season. That isn't necessarily the case at inside linebacker; at least not with Barron and Ogletree, who typically played every snap when healthy. Bryce Hager, a seventh-round pick in 2015, was Ogletree's backup as the defensive signal-caller last year. Ramik Wilson, a fourth-round pick in 2015, was signed over the offseason after the Kansas City Chiefs declined to tender him a contract as a restricted free agent. Wilson started 17 games from 2015 to 2017, so he has far more experience than anybody else in this group.

The rookies: The Rams added four players who could join the mix during a 2018 draft that didn't include a single pick in the first two rounds. Two names to pay close attention to here are Micah Kiser out of Virginia and Obo Okoronkwo out of Oklahoma, both of whom were fifth-round selections. Okoronkwo was deemed the Rams' best pick by ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay. He might not have the physical attributes of an elite edge rusher, but he is considered a sound all-around player with a good motor. Kiser, meanwhile, is coming off a solid collegiate career that saw him compile 33.5 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, 12 passes defended and eight forced fumbles in 37 games from 2015 to 2017. He could be a good asset against the run, a major issue for the Rams up the middle last season. The Rams also selected outside linebacker Trevon Young (sixth round) and inside linebacker Travin Howard(seventh).

Who's watching? Who is your favorite? I've drawn Gates 5 and 6 in a pool so I'm pulling for Audible and Good Magic!!!!!! Somebody mix up some Mint Juleps!!!!

With free agency and the NFL Draft behind us the 2018 Los Angeles Rams roster is coming more into focus. Here is one way to frame it and the corresponding expectations (recently rising to No. 2 in the most recent NFL.com Power Rankings):

QB: You would expect Jared Goff to continue to make strides entering Year 3, benefiting from system continuity for the first time since leaving Cal, in particular. He'll also have far more practice time to sync up with Brandin Cooks than he did with Sammy Watkins a year ago.

RB: While it may be unrealistic to project Todd Gurley to be as statistically productive as his MVP-worthy 2017, he's in his prime and in an offense tailored to his strengths. Malcolm Brown has proven to be a serviceable backup, and sixth-round pick John Kelly fortifies the group.

WR: Even if you don't view Cooks as an upgrade over Watkins, he's more than an adequate replacement and will have a better grasp of the offense than the late arrival from Buffalo did last summer. Robert Woods is coming off a career year and might be the most underrated target in the NFL. Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds are well-positioned to grow in their sophomore campaigns.

TE: Given their talent, youth, coaching, and perhaps a healthy Temarrick Hemingway, the Rams assuredly will get better results from their tight end room.

OL: The entire group returns intact for a second year in the system, under the mentorship of Aaron Kromer, and is bolstered by the Rams top two draft selections. It also doesn't hurt that Rodger Saffold, Jamon Brown, and Rob Havensteinshould be motivated by imminent free agency.

DL: Take the defensive MVP, Aaron Donald; add one of his few position peers, Ndamukong Suh; get Michael Brockers and Dom Easley healthy; layer in depth acquired through the two most recent Drafts. This is the strongest defensive line in the NFL, hands down.

S: Depth may have taken a bit of a hit at safety, but Lamarcus Joyner is elite and John Johnson is poised to build off a sensational rookie effort.

CB: What was the Rams’ biggest concern following the 2017 season became one of the biggest strengths in the NFL heading into 2018. Lock Angeles.

OLB: Is it possible that Samson Ebukam, Matt Longacre, and Obo Okoronkwo prove to be more productive than Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin? The Rams believe it's possible, based on their maneuvering. And few defensive coordinators get better results from edge defenders than Wade Phillips.

ILB: Similarly, there's a viable case to be made that the Rams can improve inside, having traded Alec Ogletree, retained Mark Barron, acquired Ramik Wilson, and drafted Micah Kiser. The theme of this offseason has been completing the process of matching defensive personnel to Phillips' system. It may not prove to be as simple as they've made it look on paper, but... I wouldn't expect regression at linebacker, put it that way.

SPTMs: Though it may be difficult to match their three special teams touchdowns from 2017, a Pro Bowl unit has established an elite track record with Bones Fassel. Greg Zuerlein's back injury would be the only question mark here.



[www.therams.com]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...g-down-what-las-vegas-expects-for-every-team/

2018 NFL Win Totals and Over/Unders

The 2018 NFL Draft is over which means teams have done their offseason work in preparation for the 2018 season. The dead period is here; we know a lot about these teams (and yet so little), so the next logical step is for Las Vegas to release over/under win totals for every NFL team. And the step after that is for us to take a microscope to those totals and figure out everything we can about each NFL team.

It's entirely stupid, but guessing which teams will be good and which teams will be bad in May is my favorite thing I do every year. And despite what you might think, I'm OK at it! In fact, if I listened to May me in August, I'd be much better off.

Two years ago I did these by conference (10-5-1 in the AFC, 8-7-1 in the NFC) and last year I did them by division. I was absolutely SCORCHING in the AFC:

AFC East: 3-1
AFC North: 2-1-1
AFC South: 3-0-1
AFC West: 4-0

My best bets from the AFC, in May, were the Chargers over 7.5 (win) and Jetsunder 5.5 (win, it would later drop to 3.5 but they would go under the original 5.5, just for the record).

The NFC, once again, wasn't quite as good, but still over .500.

NFC East: 3-1
NFC North: 2-2
NFC South: 2-2
NFC West: 2-2

Lost the Cardinals over best bet. Boy that was bad. I did hit the Bears under 5.5 wins as a best bet though, which brings my four best bets to 3-1 overall. Not too shabby.

All told I went 21-9-2 on over/under picks from May last year. WHEW. Again, it would have been helpful if I remembered these thoughts in August. Whatever. This year we're getting even more granular. With the Pick Six Podcast going daily -- 30-ish minutes of NFL news and notes and analysis every morning by 6 a.m., you should subscribe via: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play -- and me wanting to fill some space and take some deeper dives on these teams, we're going to have a separate post on every single team's over-under total for the year along with a separate podcast with a guest relating to the team.

This is the landing page for those posts as well as the podcast on each team (although, again, subscribe and you'll get the podcast sent straight to your app every morning). Bookmark this page and come back over the next month or so as we fill out those teams.

If you have thoughts on what you want to hear for a particular team or just general suggestions and complaints, hit me on Twitter @WillBrinson.

NFC East
New York Giants
Giants Win Total Breakdown | Giants Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 6.5

That is an extremely low win total for a team being universally praised coming out of the draft; it implies the reworked offensive line with Nate Solder and Will Hernandez will not open up tons of holes for Saquon Barkleyand that Eli Manning may be, in fact, old and washed.

2017 Result (9.0): Under

And by a lot! The Giants were terrible and completely fell apart in all facets. They benched Eli for Geno Smith late in the season for no real reason. Everyone was fired.

Washington Redskins
Redskins Win Total Breakdown | Redskins Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 7

The Redskins are a really under-appreciated sleeper to hit the over, because swapping in Alex Smith, even in a new offense, gives them a very high floor.

2017 Result (7.5): Under

Offensive line injuries cratered Washington's season and they couldn't hang in the playoff race despite a strong year from Kirk Cousins.

Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Win Total Breakdown | Cowboys Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 8.5

A submerged total with the new offense -- now more "Dak Friendly"? -- still very much a question mark and the pass catchers looking like a bunch of newbies. It's a hard team to figure out but the public always leans over here.

2017 Result (9.5): Under

Dallas fought hard to try and make the playoffs, but it was ultimately derailed by a dropoff in offensive line play plus Ezekiel Elliott's lengthy legal battle and suspension.

Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles Win Total Breakdown | Eagles Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 10.5

If Carson Wentz comes back healthy for Week 1, 10 wins is the floor, but oddly the juice favors the under here (+120 to the over, which is just a hard number to hit).

2017 Result (8.5): Over

And it wasn't remotely close. The Eagles blasted that number by Thanksgiving.

NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers Win Total Breakdown | Buccaneers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 6.5

Not a lot of faith in the work Jason Licht has done this offseason, which makes them interesting, because of the talent added on the defensive line through free agency and the draft. If Jameis Winston bounces back, this is a playoff contender.

2017 Result (8.5): Under

Winston didn't take the leap everyone expected and the Bucs were just a bad team on defense for much of the year after an inspiring "Hard Knocks" performance. They did not eat the W often.

Carolina Panthers
Panthers Win Total Breakdown | Panthers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 9

No help on the offensive line for Cam Newton this offseason? No problem, according to Vegas! Carolina is a steady presence in the division, but this might all hinge on how Norv Turner's offense looks in Year One.

2017 Result (9): Over

Carolina came out swinging and won 11 games to nearly secure the division title, but was swept by the Saints last year including a playoff loss in New Orleans.

Atlanta Falcons
Falcons Win Total Breakdown | Falcons Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 9

The NFC South is just a tough division, and there are a cluster of teams up top. If this defense makes a leap next year and Calvin Ridley impacts the offense in his first year, Atlanta could be very dangerous. No Super Bowlhangover talk either.

2017 Result (10): Push

When you consider how everyone was rooting against the Falcons and how they stumbled out of the gate, 2017 was a really nice year for Dan Quinn.

New Orleans Saints
Saints Win Total Breakdown | Saints Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9.5

New Orleans doubled down in the draft and added Marcus Davenport with a first-round trade up that will cost them a future first. They clearly believe they're a player away from a Super Bowl run and Vegas doesn't disagree, although they have a lower total than a lot of the top-shelf contenders in the NFC.

2017 Result (8.5): Over

The defense was magically fixed thanks to Asshole Face and Micky Loomis hitting a grand slam in the draft. Alvin Kamara exploded onto the scene post Adrian Peterson trade and the Saints were one of the most fun teams to watch last year.

NFC North
Chicago Bears
Bears Win Total Breakdown | Bears Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 6.5

If you listen to the latest episode of the Pick Six Podcast, you know that Nick Kostos and I see the 2018 Chicago Bears as a poor man's version of the 2017 Los Angeles Rams. TBD if we're correct but they've followed the blueprint this offseason.

2017 Result (5.5): Under

The Mike Glennon signing didn't go well from the get-go, and Chicago had to make a midseason trade for Dontrelle Inman to get Mitchell Trubisky a No. 1 target. This was one of my best bets last year and it hit.

Detroit Lions
Lions Win Total Breakdown | Lions Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

A lot is up in the air for this team, mainly with Matt Patricia joining as the head coach. There's continuity on the offense and the defense should theoretically be improved so there's upside. This is a tough neighborhood though.

2017 Result (8): Over

Jim Caldwell got canned after a nine-win season that saw him miss the playoffs. His record in Detroit was surprisingly good.

Green Bay Packers
Packers Win Total Breakdown | Packers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10

A healthy Aaron Rodgers, even without Jordy Nelson, is probably going to result in at least 10 wins, especially with an improvement in the personnel on defense and an upgrade from Dom Capers to Mike Pettine.

2017 Result (10): Under

Aaron Rodgers wasn't healthy and the defense wasn't that good. Disaster season.

Minnesota Vikings
Vikings Win Total Breakdown | Vikings Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10

Adding Kirk Cousins means there are heightened expectations; there should be, especially with Dalvin Cook returning from injury and a nasty defense that isn't losing anyone. This is a three-year contending team.

2017 Result (8.5): Over

The Vikings were a team I predicted could "steal the division" -- they didn't steal anything. They walked into the NFC North cafeteria and took everyone's lunch money.

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals Win Total Breakdown | Cardinals Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 5.5

There are no expectations this year in a difficult-looking division with the combo of Sam Bradford/Mike Glennon/Josh Rosen behind a bad offensive line. This defense could be sneaky good next year, however.

2017 Result (8): Under

Disaster season for the Cardinals and a nightmare scenario for yours truly, who loved their over and had them winning the Super Bowl. *slinks away like Homer in a bush*

Seattle Seahawks
Seahawks Win Total Breakdown | Seahawks Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

Crazy to see the Seahawks considered the third-best team in the division, but they are very much in transition, are rebooting the Legion of Boom and didn't bring in much offensive line help on offense. Vegas is scared and confused on this one, as it should be.

2017 Result (10.5): Under

Everything fell apart for Seattle, which missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011 under Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Russell Wilson ran for his life and the defense suffered tons of injuries.

San Francisco 49ers
49ers Win Total Breakdown | 49ers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9

This is obscene and might be completely unreasonable for a team that is probably one year away from being a serious NFC contender. They are the darlings this offseason, though, and have done a nice job adding pieces.

2017 Result (4.5): Over

They would have hit this over just in the games started by Jimmy Garoppololast year. The 2018 hype might be unreasonable.

Los Angeles Rams
Rams Win Total Breakdown | Rams Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10

Possibly the NFC favorite after all they've done this offseason, bringing in Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh and Brandin Cooks via free agency and trade. They're slamming the gas while the Super Bowl window is open.

2018 Result (5.5): Over

Smashed this over by a substantial margin, winning 11 games, securing the division and hosting a playoff game. If Seattle is Derek Zoolander, L.A. is Hansel -- so damn hot right now.

AFC East
New York Jets
Jets Win Total Breakdown | Jets Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6

The future is here with Sam Darnold drafted, but the expectations are still pretty low for New York. I'll set the over/under on Darnold starts at 12.5 and take the over (and lean under on the wins).

2017 Result (5.5): Under

I have 5.5 listed as the over/under from May, but it was actually down to 3.5 by the time August rolled around. You could have middled it if you were so inclined, as they won five games, which was impressive given what was on Todd Bowles' roster.

Miami Dolphins
Dolphins Win Total Breakdown | Dolphins Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6

The loss of Suh -- along with other veterans -- and the lack of Ryan Tannehillplaying in recent years has Vegas bearish on the Dolphins. This is an Adam Gase blue collar squad though.

2017 Result (7.5): Under

Quietly a disastrous season for Miami: no one really talks about it but they were displaced by a hurricane, had a veteran linebacker go AWOL and had an offensive line coach resign over a scandal involving a video of him doing cocaine posted on social media by a Vegas entertainer he met on Craigslist. Say it out loud.

Buffalo Bills
Bills Win Total Breakdown | Bills Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6.5

The biggest difference in this year's team is the floor at quarterback, which now features AJ McCarron and Josh Allen. Totally unknown situation for Buffalo.

2017 Result (6): Over

Really impressive and borderline underrated coaching job by Sean McDermott to win nine games and make the playoffs despite a serious lack of talent on the roster. These guys are grinders.

New England Patriots
Patriots Win Total Breakdown | Patriots Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 11

This is kind of value for the Patriots, who have not won fewer than 12 games since 2009. If you want to bet on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick falling apart, be my guest.

2017 Result (12.5): Over

They weren't perfect, and weren't even close to it -- losing multiple games at home and fighting reports of tensions between Brady and Belichick -- and they still won 13 games.

AFC South
Indianapolis Colts
Colts Win Total Breakdown | Colts Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6.5

It all hinges on what Andrew Luck is able to do and no one's seen Luck throw a regular-sized football in almost two years, which should not lend a ton of confidence. If he starts throwing and looks good this number could spike to eight.

2017 Result (9): Under

Goodness gracious. This number cratered down to the 6.5 range once the season got closer and Luck looked like he might not play. It went under regardless, with the Colts winning four games and looking like dead dogs under Chuck Pagano, who was fired.

Tennessee Titans
Titans Win Total Breakdown | Titans Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

Slightly lower expectations in Mike Vrabel's first year as people wonder what the ceiling is for Marcus Mariota. I don't think we've seen his best football yet. Quietly, Jon Robinson has built a defense that could do some damage.

2017 Result (9): Push

Weird season where the Titans were capped by a questionable offense, almost fired their coach, made the playoffs, almost fired their coach again, won a playoff game and then actually fired their coach.

Houston Texans
Texans Win Total Breakdown | Texans Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8.5

Entirely predicated on medical recovery -- if J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watsonreturn from their respective injuries and play 16 games each the Texans will compete for the division title and perhaps more.

2017 Result (8.5): Under

This under looked like a lock out of the gate, then Watson was inserted as starter, began to torch the league and ultimately tore his ACL. It ended up easily hitting as a result.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Jaguars Win Total Breakdown | Jaguars Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9

This should be a popular over, with the Jaguars returning everyone from last year's dominant defense and adding pieces to last year's offense. It's hard to imagine the Jags being a consistent winner but that might be reality now.

2017 Result (6): Over

A laugher here as Jacksonville FINALLY broke out, winning 10 games and a division title. They were a quarter away from a Super Bowl appearance.

AFC North
Cleveland Browns
Browns Win Total Breakdown | Browns Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 5.5

Already on record as saying I like this over (GULP), but there is certainly a much higher floor with the Browns this year thanks to the additions of Tyrod Taylor and Jarvis Landry. It might hinge on when they decide to play Baker Mayfield, their No. 1 overall pick.

2017 Result (4.5): Under

They didn't win a single game last year.

Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals Win Total Breakdown | Bengals Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 7

The Bengals' biggest problem last year was not having an offensive line to protect Andy Dalton -- they went out and addressed that by trading for Cordy Glenn and drafting Billy Price (although the latter is dealing with injury already).

2017 Result (8.5): Under

The year is 2085 and nuclear winter has enveloped the country while zombies and robots roam the planet, trying to snuff out the remaining human life on Earth. Marvin Lewis is still Bengals coach.

Baltimore Ravens
Ravens Win Total Breakdown | Ravens Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

The final year as GM for Ozzie Newsome and perhaps the final year as QB for Joe Flacco. It's going to be fascinating to see how this team performs, as it was built to win now and win later in the draft. The specter of Lamar Jackson looms if Flacco starts slow.

2017 Result (9): Push

A last-second Andy Dalton TD pass robbed them off a playoff berth -- give John Harbaugh credit for a surprising nine-win season. The Ravens don't have the high-end offensive personnel to win a ton of games but just won't go away.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Win Total Breakdown | Steelers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10.5

The Steelers don't have any trouble winning a bunch of football games, especially in a watered-down division (albeit one that is better than in recent years). They're loaded on offense; replacing Ryan Shazier by committee is key, though, because the defense fell off last year.

2017 Result (10.5): Over

An incredible season for most teams was an abject disappointment that involved losing home field in the playoffs at the last second and getting blasted by the Jaguars in the playoffs at Heinz Field.

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Broncos Win Total Breakdown | Broncos Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 7

John Elway killed the draft and the addition of Bradley Chubb alongside Von Miller is spicy. If they can protect Case Keenum and run the football, this looks like a potential bounce-back team. If not, it could get ugly again on offense.

2017 Result (8.5): Under

See: the second sentence above. The offense was a disaster and the defense couldn't hold up by itself. Football's a team game at the end of the day.

Oakland Raiders
Raiders Win Total Breakdown | Raiders Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

Anyone's guess here how this thing plays out with Jon Gruden. The offseason has been wild, man. They could win 10 games and they could win two games and nothing would surprise me.

2017 Result (10): Under

A ridiculous total after an over-inflated 12 wins from 2016 that was a layup of an under last year, when they couldn't win every game at the last second and the offense didn't replicate its success.

Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs Win Total Breakdown | Chiefs Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8.5

This is a slap in the face to Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, although I understand why -- the floor is lower now, even if the ceiling is raised for the offense. The defense lost a lot but the offense could be high octane.

2017 Result (9): Over

I actually had the over on this number last year, and it hit despite a miserable middle of the season, because Reid is a great coach and gave up playcalling. It backfired in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers Win Total Breakdown | Chargers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9

Has Vegas lost its mind? It installed the Chargers as division favorites and has them with the highest win total in the division. Get off my corner VEGAS. There's a lot to like about this team, though, especially with the Derwin James addition and full-time focus on Hunter Henry.

2017 Result (7.5): Over

A 2017 best bet for me, the Chargers took care of it pretty easily despite acting like idiots in the early going of the season. Nine wins when you give away 2-3 of them in September is impressive.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...n-bases-in-2018-including-the-dallas-cowboys/

Four NFL teams that will disappoint fan bases in 2018

Earlier this week I weighed in on the teams I believe are poised to make a positive step forward in 2018. So, it was only a matter of time before I shared my thoughts on teams I believe are trending in the opposite direction. Right?

And indeed that time has come.

Rosters are largely formulated by now and the chances of a team making a transaction significant enough that it alters the scope of their upcoming season are scant. Coaches in the NFL know that by this time in the offseason, the 45 guys they will take into play on Sundays are coming from the group that is currently assembled. This is their team. It's not up to them to find the best group out of these 90 bodies to get the job done.

Joe Montana ain't walking into that building. And neither is Barry Sanders of Lawrence Taylor, for that matter. And while, eventually, somewhere, I suppose, Dez Bryant will be walking into a team headquarters, expecting players who are on the street into May to make a difference is folly. They are available for a reason (or three). So with that in mind, here are some teams that have experienced at least a modicum of success in recent years who I don't have a great feeling about in the spring of 2018:

I love me some Patrick Mahomes as much as the next guy. More than most … but some of the hype is getting out of control. He's going to be a rookie (he has 1 start; for starting purposes he is still a rookie to me). He's going to make a bunch of mistakes (and learn from them) and he's likely to be in a position where his offense needs to score a ton of points for Kansas City to be viable. I don't see any more pass rush really than a year ago, and this season could live or die on Justin Houston's ability to stay healthy and dominate week in and week out. Eric Berry coming back from a major injury gives me pause. Frankly, the entire defensive front would give me concern and while I was never a huge Alex Smith guy or believed he would take a team to the promised land, his MVP-caliber play last season covered up a lot of warts and propelled this team to the postseason. Getting back, even in a shallow AFC pool, looks like an uphill climb to me. That ugly playoff loss – and the exodus of quality leaders like Derrick Johnson and difficult-but-talented players like Marcus Peters – could hover over this franchise for a while.

Man that run of five straight playoff appearances seems like a long time ago. The worst aspects of those teams – lack of discipline, rewarding selfish and undisciplined players, an incredible tendency to melt down collectively in the most critical junctures – are still there, but the talent loss and brain drain has caught up to them. Stunned they would (over)draft an injured player in the first round for a second straight year with Marvin Jones yet again entering a season fighting for his job, and found it odd that they would pass on a potential franchise quarterback in Lamar Jackson at a time when every other team in the division (including the Steelers with potential Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger) grabbed one relatively early. Andy Dalton is functional with a coterie of skilled playmakers and an outstanding line in front of him ... but those are luxuries he has no more. They open another season with a Vontaze Burfict suspension cloud hanging over them, and all the recent draft misses has this smelling like a 7-9 season to me.

Man, they end up spending a lot of time talking about just-retired or just-kicked-out-the-door former players, don't they? Seems to be the motif of another offseason. Tony Romo a year ago. Jason Witten and Dez Bryant now. And of course they had their share of run-ins with the law, with David Irvingthe latest Cowboy to be dealing with potentially seriously off-field issues (last year it was Zeke Elliott). Seems like the plan is to go Back to the Future to like 1986 and run the ball 600 times. Good luck with that. Dak Prescott, I doubt, takes a big step forward with this supporting cast, and even with adding a linebacker in the first round I have some serious concerns about the viability of the Dallas defense. The division should be better this season, but the Cowboys will not be. And if it does go as expected, will Jerry Jones cling to a coach he can micro-manage? Could more change be in the air for the Cowboys?

This franchise is in a far better place than it's been in long, long time, but every year there is a team that falls prey to regression. Doesn't mean they won't continue on an upward trajectory in future years, but it also means they could find it quite difficult to come close to repeated what they accomplished a season ago. Last year, Andrew Luck never played a snap and Deshaun Watson didn't play a half a season and the Titans were running an offense that seemed perversely backwards at times. All of that should change this season, and the Jags still have, by far (if Luck is remotely healthy) the worst QB situation in the AFC South. The run game wasn't as big and bad as some made it out to be, and we'll see how this group handles the insta-success of 2017 when they enter a season as favorites for the first time in forever. I remain a Blake Bortles skeptic, and as good as this defense is, if the offense doesn't expand and the big bucks spent on guys like Donte Moncrief and Marqise Lee doesn't expand the scope of this offense, getting back to the postseason will not be such an easy chore.

Sounds like the Rams have recently signed UDFA DB Ramon Richards (Oklahoma State). From the few Video Clips I have seen this player looks pretty good! Will probably have a difficult time making the Rams roster but he does look pretty good.

I want all of my brethren who call Hawaii home to be safe. Much love to y'all.

She's a prodigy that's taken awhile to finish her Associates Degree, but she's debt free for her first "two" years, even though she took 6 years to do it AND she got accepted to New College in Sarasota to their Math program.

Her goal is to be a Math professor at the University level.

As someone who went to Lehigh and had plenty of math (up to 3rd semester Calc as well as engineering level physics and chem), I can honestly say that she's by far the best science/math teacher I've ever been around. And as my kids can attest, I don't give compliments. I'd say they're more earned accolades or evaluations.

And she's the best I've been around (no offense @bluecoconuts ).

I keep trying to get her to at least contemplate some applied math like analytics, but teaching makes her happy. She's been tutoring for the last 6 years and for some wealthy clients, she so good, she earns $50/hr...which is more than I ever made on a per hour basis.

I'm so proud.

And it stinks because I'm almost certain to miss the graduation ceremony which is in a couple of hours because I got a freight train of a migraine bearing down and it's too late to take the hydrocodone even if I wanted to (have to have a full stomach or I'll just throw up 'til I dry heave).

So, I'll be super proud from home and give her big hugs when they all come back.

Oh, and my youngest, who's super artistic, painted her graduation cap in a Star Wars theme, with "May the Fourth Be With You"

I'll post a pic when I can. She even used a pipe cleaner so that the tassel is Yoda's lightsaber.

No we're not signing him due to age, injury history, and Seahawk stench but it is another sign of the dismantling of their defense. That butt-kicking by the Rams last season must have woken their front office up. In case anyone missed the highlights of that game, here you go.

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...cliff-avril-with-failed-physical-designation/

Seahawks release Cliff Avril with failed physical designation
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 4, 2018


Getty Images

The dismantling of a once-great Seahawks defense continued Friday.

The team announced that defensive end Cliff Avril had been released with a failed physical designation.

He suffered a neck injury early last year, and the team made it clear that if he came back to play, it wasn’t going to be with them.

Avril has said he wants to keep playing, though it’s unclear who will give him a chance with his age and the injury.

Avril joins Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman, and eventually Kam Chancellor on the outs this offseason.

He had 33.5 sacks over his four years with the Seahawks, and forced 13 fumbles.

Just wondering if anyone caught Snead calling the game against the Chargers the 4-3 Wade Bowl. He said they have 4 or 5 Wade Bowls.

Any idea what he is referring to?

Would Rams be switching to a 4-3 defense against certain teams?

I understand Wade 3-4 rushes 4 on most downs anyway.

It just sound strange to call games "4-3 Wade Bowls". What do you think?

Start at 1:20. Game against the Chargers

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Curious to hear the thoughts from the board... Do you think this turnaround could have happened in St. Louis? There was a lot of mixed opinions when the move was announced; does the current state of the team change anyone's mind?