So cool to listen to draft coverage and when talking about the QB, Jared Goff is thrown in the stud conversation vs the question of is he a bust
I listen to WFAN New York with Boomer Esiason (who i respect greatly though he’s been critical) and he was talking about the question of if this current draft has any can’t miss players.
He went on to say how awesome the 2016 draft was and how the top 5 guys are studs today.
What a difference a year makes huh?

Jake and Joe Curley talked all about the Rams recent losses of Trumaine Johnson, Sammy Watkins and Cody Davis. The two also talked about the recent Rams news of Nickell Robey-Coleman, Tavon Austin, Tyler Eifert and what's next moving forward.

https://www.spreaker.com/user/downtownrams/dtrpodcast70

Find this article at: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...opinions-rams-nfcs-best-team-trade-von-miller

Unpopular Opinions: Rams NFC's best team; trade Von Miller!

• 
• By Adam Rank
• NFL.com Writer
• Published: March 15, 2018 at 03:50 p.m.
• Updated: March 15, 2018 at 04:55 p.m.

Listen, I don't try to live my life as a contrarian. That's not true -- I kind of do. I spend a lot of time in public houses and taverns, and I have a two-hour commute that allows me to hear a lot of the sports world's most popular opinions. Sometimes, I think it's best to take a look at the other side.

In this space, I'll be articulating a handful of positions that are the opposite of what most people think -- unpopular opinions, if you will -- and explain why, well, my unpopular opinions are right and everyone else is wrong. Here are my takes on an offseason gone wild ...

• FREE AGENCY
  ▶ Battista: QBs dominated FA before it began
  ▶ Best team fits for DT Ndamukong Suh
  ▶ Ranking best fits for free-agent WRs
  ▶ Top 101 FAs: Who's taken? Still available?
  ▶ QB Rankings: Best 32 passers right now
  ▶ Rosenthal: Watkins among overpriced FAs
  
• 2018 NFL DRAFT
  ▶ Picking Barkley at No. 1 a no-brainer
  ▶ DJ's Top 50 prospects 2.0
  ▶ Bucky Brooks' Mock Draft 2.0
  ▶ DJ's Mock Draft 2.0

Oh my god, the NFL free agency period has been straight fire. Molten, burning fire. As hot as the pyres of Richard Sherman jerseys burning in Seattle. Hotter than "Black Panther." And there are some similarities there ... Free agency and "Black Panther" were each super-hyped coming in. Not only did both meet the exceedingly lofty expectations, but they went above and beyond.

And I'm not just making a lazy comparison to the hottest topic in popular culture because the Bears went out and signed Allen Robinson, Trey Burton and Taylor Gabriel. Well, maybe a little. But a lot of teams are making big moves to get better. I mean, not you, Seahawks. (Seriously, kicking the tires on DeMarco Murray behind that line?) But a lot of teams. Especially in the NFC. The Saints held on to Drew Brees, as expected. The Vikings went out and got Kirk Cousins. And the Cardinals were all, "Hey, our former No. 1 overall pick, Heisman Trophy-winning, oft-injured quarterback is retiring. Let's get us another one!"

Even the Packers got into the mix. Sure, they whiffed huge on Robinson and Sammy Watkins, but the Pack did land Jimmy Graham, which should help with their intramural basketball team. Although that signing was kind of bittersweet in Green Bay, because it led to the franchise consciously uncoupling from Jordy Nelson. Which ... later dude! I'm not too broken up about this, like at all. Go to the AFC.

But a bunch of teams really improved themselves this week. And I know a lot of people like to say things like, "Championships aren't won in March." Which is completely stupid. The Eagles signed Nick Foles on March 13, 2017. So, you're wrong. This is exactly when you win championships.

And to me, one team's recent actions stand out above the rest -- a rising franchise that has truly nailed it in the past few weeks ...

UNPOPULAR OPINION: With two brilliant trades, the Rams are now the NFC's best team.

Yes, the Rams just passed the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. And they didn't do it in free agency -- they did it through a few trades.

I know, Eagles fans, it always seems like I doubt you. I don't. You're still very good. I'm just really into the Rams right now.

Sure, L.A. just lost Watkins. But the additions of Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib are going to push the Rams over the top. Best moves they've made since they jettisoned Jeff Fisher. And then hired Sean McVay. And then hired Wade Phillips. ... Fine, these are the best moves they've made this year.

And it's not just what these two cornerbacks are able to do on the field. Make no mistake, Peters and Talib are great players. But it's more than that. I really hate to use the term "intangibles," but not enough to keep me from doing it. Because, if there was one thing missing from this upstart 11-5 squad last year, it was ... well, as Chris Jericho would say ... IT.




Swagger.
Brashness.
Defiance.

Shoot, I could sit here and rifle through a thesaurus all day. But I think you get what I mean.

The Rams were as talented as any team in the league last season. They led the NFL in scoring. On paper, it all worked. They just needed a little bit of an edge. I'm not saying they needed to go full Heel Mode, like Seth Rollins swinging chairs on The Shield, but something like that. Although Talib does bring some of that venom -- just as Michael Crabtree's necklace. But like Mike Damone told Mark Ratner, you have to have the attitude.

The Rams didn't have it last year. You could see it in the playoff loss to the Falcons. The Rams wanted to be great, they just weren't there yet. This is where Talib and Peters come in. This is Talib's specialty. Talib's Liam Neeson -- he has a very particular set of skills, skills which get good defenses over the top. The Broncos had a good defense a few years ago when it reached Super Bowl XLVIII. Talib made the unit great two years later. He was the knockout blow that pushed them over the top. He might not have been the best player on the defense -- that was Von Miller -- but you needed him on that team, watching over everything like a sentinel. Kind of like what Ron Artest -- sorry, Metta World Peace -- brought to the Lakers. Kobe was clearly the guy, but Metta made that last championship happen. This is exactly what Talib brings to the Rams. World Peace. Or rather, an attitude.

And let's make no mistake: Peters is more than just a sidekick. If Talib is Kevin Nash, then Peters is Scott Hall. Peters has 21 interceptions in his first three pro seasons -- the most in the league over that time period. Over the last quarter-century, only Ed Reed (22) has recorded more interceptions in his first three seasons. I'd add a "too sweet" zinger here, but feel like I've made too many wrestling references already.

With McVay's potent offense, Phillips' upgraded defense and the team's uptick in It Factor, the Rams are the top team in the NFC right now.

UNPOPULAR OPINION: The Broncos should trade Von Miller and rebuild.

Broncos went shopping for Kirk Cousins, came back with Case Keenum.

Kind of like going to the store for beer and ending up with diet, caffeine-free Mountain Dew.

— Adam Rank (@adamrank) March 13, 2018
Now, some Broncos fans seem relieved the organization saved some money by not hiring the guy who is good at playing quarterback on the NFL level, instead rolling with a journeyman who had a miracle run with an already-good Vikings team last year.

Keenum went 11-3 last season. Threw 22 touchdown passes against just seven picks. Completed 67.6 percent of his passes. And he posted a passer rating of 98.3. It was a great season. But is it sustainable? Are we to just ignore his 9-15 record in the four seasons prior, when he completed just 58.4 percent of his passes, threw 24 touchdowns against 20 interceptions and posted a passer rating of 78.4? Are we supposed to assume he'll reach those 2017 numbers again, despite a downgrade in supporting cast and coaching, as well as a home field that's now outdoors? I mean, you saw the NFC Championship Game, right, Broncos fans? You basically brought in a moderately rich man's Trevor Siemian. Congratulations.

I know what you're going to say. "Hey, we're probably going to draft a QB, too." Which is great. But if that's the case, it means you're rebuilding -- you've already missed the playoffs in back-to-back years, after all -- and why not go all in? You have some nice pieces on defense -- a defense that finished 22nd in points allowed last year.




You need help. A lot of it. I'm not going to pretend to know what the market for Miller would command. But if you can move him for more assets and build a team around that quarterback you're planning to draft (start with the offensive line), then you have to do it.

The Broncos don't want to be caught in the same position as the Cardinals. The Birds are in a division with the rising Rams and 49ers. L.A. is the team to beat in the NFC (well, that is if you read the above), while San Francisco's going to be the hipster pick to win the Super Bowl because JIMMY G HAS NEVER LOST A GAME! The 49ers even won the draft coin flip with the Raiders! He never loses! At the same time, Arizona's just treading water, paying a guy like Sam Bradford huge money, while releasing a supremely popular player like Tyrann Mathieu for no compensation.

Meanwhile, the Broncos are well behind the Chiefs, who improved their offense with Sammy Watkins. The Chargers are way more talented and have a quarterback who has been consistently good. And then there's the Raiders, who are trying to win my 2015 fantasy league with Doug Martin and potentially Jordy Nelson.

Broncos fans: Right now, you and the Cardinals are like that Spiderman pointing emoji, right down to the Vikings castoff as your starting quarterback.

POPULAR OPINION THAT IS SPOT-ON: Sashi did it.

The Browns are making a splash, and are clearly one of the biggest winners of free agency thus far. And they hold the first and fourth overall picks in the draft. All of this stems from the flexibility created by the actions of deposed EVP Sashi Brown. But giving him credit is kind of difficult. John Dorsey's the man in the spotlight now, as the active general manager of the franchise. Kind of like how Stan Lee gets to fart it up in every Marvel movie, but nobody remembers the true genius: the late Jack Kirby.

However, people are starting to see the light, retroactively giving Sashi the love he deserves. And it's kind of

Hoping the Rams can sign an offensive lineman or two, a LB or two, another WR, etc before the Draft.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...ew-orleans-saints-owner-tom-benson-dies-at-90

When he was a child in New Orleans, Tom Benson used to walk to and from school a few miles from his home in the Seventh Ward, pocketing the precious few pennies his family gave him for the streetcar because he didn't like spending money he instead could save.

Benson was born two years before the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression, and he and his family had little while he was growing up. By the time he died Thursday at age 90, though, Benson was one of his hometown's towering figures, a self-made billionaire, the owner of the NFL's Saints and the NBA's Pelicans, an owner of Kentucky Derby-caliber thoroughbreds and, in the eyes of many of his neighbors, a hero for helping New Orleans recover after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

If his final years were marred by an ugly and very public family fight over who would inherit his sports empire -- and whether he was mentally fit to make that decision -- then the decades before were filled with wild success as the owner of auto dealerships and banks, with hard-nosed business practices, with years of football failure followed by parasol-twirling celebrations of Saints victories. Benson supported family members and nuns, angered locals when he engaged in a public dalliance with San Antonio after Katrina struck in 2005 and then was lauded after the NFL stepped in to help convince him to stay, endured dismal seasons of the "Aints" and then reveled in the Super Bowl championship run of 2009.

A several-month span straddling 2012 and '13 summed up Benson's topsy-turvy place in the NFL and New Orleans pantheons. The Saints were at war with the NFL for much of 2012 after a league investigation found the existence of a bounty program. Coach Asshole Face was suspended for the entire 2012 campaign, plunging the Saints to a 7-9 record. But just weeks after the bounties were first revealed, Benson agreed to buy the faltering local pro basketball team. And then, just days after Payton was reinstated and the Hornets were rebranded the Pelicans, Benson played host to the first Super Bowl in New Orleans since Katrina.

"I'm 85 years old," Benson said at the time, in an interview with The New York Times. "I've been in business since I was a teenager, practically; I was in grade school and I even had a paper route. I always had a job so I could have money to spend on girls.

"When we had to get out of here to go to San Antonio, we met with the mayor, and the next day we moved to the Alamodome, with offices set up in the basement. I could tell you some stories. Listen, this is all part of life. You've got to enjoy every day and make the best of it and go forward. That's what we're doing."

Benson had plenty of early -- often painful -- experiences in moving forward. Just after his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Navy, and then, while on leave after boot camp, married his high school sweetheart. He began his service on a ship shortly after Japan surrendered in World War II. When his hitch was up, Benson returned to New Orleans and enrolled at Loyola University. He dropped out and made a fortuitous decision, becoming a bookkeeper for a local Chevrolet dealership. The owner became Benson's mentor, and eventually offered him the chance to run -- and hold an ownership stake in -- a dealership in San Antonio. Benson came to run dozens of dealerships in San Antonio and New Orleans and he used the profits to purchase several small Southern banks.

Benson was not much of a football fan then, but in 1985, after hearing from the governor that the Saints were on the verge of being sold to people who could be interested in moving the team to Jacksonville, Florida, Benson stepped in. He did it, he later said, not out of a passion for football or the Saints, but because, with the state in the middle of a deep recession, he knew there would be economic implications for New Orleans if it lost a professional sports franchise.

At home, Benson's stratospheric climb was often haunted by tragedy. He outlived his first two wives, all three of his younger brothers and two of his three children.

But the Saints were often a source of escape. As an owner, Benson was immediately popular because he hired Jim Mora as coach and Jim Finks as general manager -- and in 1987, the Saints made it to the playoffs for the first time in their 21-year franchise history. Neither Benson's popularity nor the team's fortunes remained that high for long. After making the playoffs four times in a six-year span -- but losing in the wild-card round each time -- Mora's results began to slip. And Benson agitated for a new home to replace the Superdome, suggesting he could move the team elsewhere if a stadium was not built. Benson's popularity hit a nadir when he seemed to be leaning toward moving the team permanently in the wake of Katrina. Instead, the Saints were a significant part of the revival in New Orleans.

The Saints played the entire 2005 season outside of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the Superdome and left the city to rebuild, but the NFL prodded Benson to reject a flirtation with San Antonio to return to the Big Easy for the 2006 season. Asshole Face and Drew Brees joined the Saints early in 2006 and the entire team came to symbolize the rebirth of the city, with an electric Monday night victory marking the team's return to the Superdome. Players and coaches became deeply involved in rebuilding efforts and formed an unusually deep bond with the community. And the Benson Boogie -- in which the owner danced down the sideline like a participant in one of the city's traditional second line parades -- was back as the team began to win again. The Super Bowl title following the 2009 season cemented the Saints in local lore.

"This team took the hopes and the dreams of a shattered city and placed them squarely on its shoulders," President Barack Obama said when he honored the team at the White House. "And so these guys became more than leaders in the locker room -- they became leaders of an entire region."

The off-the-field celebration waned, though, in recent years as Benson became estranged from the daughter and grandchildren who were to have inherited the team.

Benson had long supported and employed close friends and family members and gave away enormous amounts of money, including to numerous Catholic charities and an $11 million donation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, with $10 million put toward renovating the stadium there. The fight over the future of his franchises was especially bruising after he fired his daughter and grandchildren in January of 2015 and announced that he intended to make his third wife, Gayle Benson, the sole heir to the Saints and Pelicans. That set off a multifaceted legal battle in Louisiana and Texas, in which Benson's competency was repeatedly questioned.

The legal tussling continued for much of the rest of Benson's life, a remarkable and dramatic journey for the boy who saved his pennies, made his fortune selling automobiles and buying banks, and became a local legend by finally giving the city that spawned him something to cheer about.

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When do we find out which picks we traded away, and which we acquired from trades? Crossing my fingers on the early 4ths...

Giants interested in Rams center John Sullivan
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 15, 2018, 1:38 PM EDT

Getty Images

Giants General Manager Dave Gettleman is serious about fixing his offensive line.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Giants have invited Rams center John Sullivan to visit, leaving open the question of whether Sullivan accepted their invitation. Washington is also interested, after losing center Spencer Long to the Jets.

The 32-year-old Sullivan brought some stability to the Rams line last year (along with left tackle Andrew Whitworth), and the Giants could use a similar boost.

They’ve been extremely active on that front, signing left tackle Nate Solder and guard Patrick Omameh. They also put the second-round restricted free agent tender on center Brett Jones, so adding Sullivan would likely move him to guard.

Classy move by Rams. Keep that guy happy.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ms-make-200000-bonus-robert-woods-missed-2017


Rams make up for Woods' missed bonus, with a kicker
9:31 AM CT

Last fall,Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods missed out on reaching a monetary performance threshold because he was a healthy scratch in Week 17. On Wednesday, the Rams made it up to him.

The Rams renegotiated Woods' deal, adding $200,019 to a $3M roster bonus he is set to receive early on in the league year, according to a league source.

Woods had 781 receiving yards last season. If he reached 800, it would have bumped the incentives he earned from $400,000 to $600,000. By sitting out the finale, Woods' chance to earn that final $200,000 was eliminated.

The Rams are well-known in league circles for their creative touches with contracts, with Woods' $19 raise as the latest example. The figure represents Woods being 19 receiving yards shy of hitting 800 during the season.

The Rams opted to sit several key starters during their Week 17 regular-season finale in 2017, having already clinched the NFC West and being locked into the conference's third seed in the playoffs, regardless of the outcome of their matchup with the San Francisco Whiners.

Woods' five-year deal with the Rams includes annual incentives of up to $600,000, including up to $500,000 tied to the Rams making the playoffs and Woods reaching certain receiving yardage thresholds.

Starting off with this quote from the recent ESPN article on this topic:

"Donald, who held out so long last summer that he missed the regular-season opener, is heading into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, set to pay him $6.89 million. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year instead seeks an extension that would make him the game's highest-paid defensive player and potentially put him among the top earners at any position, including quarterbacks."

I am concerned by that quote. My hope is that Gonzalez threw that out there himself, that he doesn't necessarily know something that he picked up on from the Rams. But if it is true... As much as I love the dude then I think now is the time to move him in a blockbuster deal.

Now, I am sure a lot of you will lose your minds at the mere suggestion. But many of you guys lost your minds last offseason when some of us suggested we move Tavon while he still had value, and time has demonstrated that the Rams being ahead of the curve on that decision would have helped them to recoup some value with a guy who clearly did not fit what this staff required.

AD is of course a different deal if it comes down to that. But the same rules apply, where it would be wise of the Rams to get ahead of this and move him while he still has a year left on his contract of team control, not to mention two potential franchise tags for whichever team makes a move for him. Now, some will suggest we can simply do the same thing, but I am not a fan of that direction at this point in time.

I have criticized the Rams for their inability to pay their best players. So suggesting they move their best player is ironic, I realize. But the bottom line is if he's lookin for something in today's QB realm, the Rams need to make the tough decision and move him. Period. The toughest part of winning in this league is making those tough decisions, moving guys who will hold the team back, and signing the top guys who deserve it. AD deserves to get paid, but he doesn't deserve to be paid among the top QBs. And hopefully if the Rams feel that way they'll find the cajones to make the required move.

PSL structuring

1. $100,000
2. $80,000
3. $35,000 this may have been 50,000
4. $25,000
5. $15,000

all ticket prices are 375.00 per game for PSL's

The PSL money is paid back in full after 50 years ( 1st team to ever do this I believe )
also the psl is transferable within the family and can be sold on a stub hub type of marketing
site that will be overseen and ran through the Rams.

If I was willing to pull the trigger I could have been on the 50 a hand full of rows up BUT....

I started to record video with out audio of the presentation about 10 minutes in.
If people are interested I can upload the video when I get a chance
( Sorry working 70-85 hour weeks out of town hence my lack of participation on the forum)

Some of the PSL's are all inclusive drinks, parking...etc....
The Rams team is working on the details of the alcohol license which will also be included.

Some of the PSL's will also have large rooms with all the amenities to view the game in addition to your plush padded seats. these room will have audio and a large window to view post game presser's from feet away.

The presentation was quite impressive, Now if I can work 80 hours a week for the rest of my life I can afford a nice PSL.....

Dontari Poe
Bennie Logan
Aaron Lynch
Mychal Kendricks
Tyler Eifert
Jack Mewhort
Travis Swanson
Jeremy Hill
A few decent OL options left

What are your thoughts for some of the guys out there still?

Anyone looking forward to seeing how many Bowls Les comes up with upon receiving this year's schedule!?
I say we get a head start!
I'll go first:
How about Arizona-
One game- Bradford Bowl

@TurfShowTimes: 2018 #NFLDraft rumor: The #LARams are having dinner with Virginia Tech NT Tim Settle tonight per @RickyLaBlue of @TechSideline...

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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/03/14/cody-davis-leaves-rams-to-sign-with-jaguars/

Cody Davis leaves Rams to sign with Jaguars
Posted by Charean Williams on March 14, 2018


Getty Images

Safety Cody Davis has agreed to terms with the Jaguars, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.

Davis spent five seasons with the Rams, becoming a core special teams player and reliable defensive back in the substitution packages. He played 118 snaps on special teams and 280 on defense in 2017, missing nine games with injuries.

In his five seasons with the Rams, Davis made two interceptions, seven pass breakups and 43 tackles.

He was a solid signing for the Jaguars, with Davis expected to carve out a role as a reliable backup in the secondary and as special teams ace.

Hey just wanted you guys input on what you think this organizations plans are. I know we are all guessing impatient anxious lol but here is my question:

This team had budgeted itself to look ahead for Donald, Gurley , Goff, Joyner, and Peters obviously the offensive line next year and of course Sammy Watkins contract. I know we are all waiting for rumors, signings, anything but this team has some holes linebackers starters and depth, NT as well as depth at the offensive line spot not to mention a vertical wideout possibly. So with everyone being sucked up so fast forgetting about the other cap money they already had but to not even use Sammys allotted cash on one or two guys is a bit frustrating. I understand Brown is out there and Poe and I'd be so happy with those two but edge rushers are basically gone. I'd love for it to go like this:

Poe
Okafor/Galette
Brown
Pryor
Sullivan

And if any room left:
Pugh

The Rams had like what 50 million in cap space taking Donald away couple other signings fair to say bring it down to 30 million minus 6 million for draft class. Those players should come in at under 24 million total (without Pugh) and Websters 3 million could possibly come off as well. Austins inevitable release and Websters possible release almost is enough for Brown alone. Also some of those contract could be one or two year contracts.

Thoughts????