NFC Championship - Sunday Jan 28, 2024​

NFC: 6:30 p.m. ET NFC Championship Game: (3) Detroit Lions at (1) San Francisco 49ers (FOX, FOX Deportes)

RamsOnDemand Sportsbook

AFC Championship - Sunday Jan 28, 2024​

AFC: 3:00 p.m. ET AFC Championship Game: (3) Kansas City Chiefs at (1) Baltimore Ravens (CBS, Paramount+)

RamsOnDemand Sportsbook

Going All Out For Stafford, Donald and Kupp to grab the Lombardi Trophy one last time together.


2024 NFL Mock Offseason Free Agency & Draft :

My first mock of the season back in September had us taking an elite Edge & CB during 2024's Free Agency period, this remains the same today as it did back then. I spend big with our free agency money for one of Edge Brian Burns or Josh Ushe & CB Jaylon Johnson or Jeff Okudah or their very NEAR EQUIVALENTS, … and a much cheaper FA ILB & or Safety.


.Current Rams UFA players to extend/re-sign are (if the price is right) :

QB - Carson Wentz
OG - Kevin Dotson
S - John Johnson
WR - Demarcus Robinson


Our RFA's & ERFA's are all likely to return :

DL - Jonah Williams
OLB/DE - Mike Hoecht
OL - Alaric Jackson
ILB - Christian Rozeboom
RB - Ronnie Rivers


Cut/Traded or Lost to Free Agency :

C - Coleman Shelton
OT/OG - Joseph Noteboom
C - Bryan Allen
ILB - Troy Reeder
OG - Tremayne Anchrum
CB - Ahkello Witherspoon
TE - Brycen Hopkins
DT - Larrell Murchison


Current 2024 Rams Mock Draft :

1) DT - Jer'Zhan Newton, Il.
2) LT - Patrick Paul, Hou.
3a) TE - Ja'Tavion Sanders, TX.
3b) C/OG - Powers-Johnson, Or.
5a) Traded up with 2025 3’rd for 2024 3a.
5b) Traded up with 2025 4’th for 2024 3b.
5c) RB - MarShawn Lloyd, USC
6a) S - Cole Bishop, Ut.
6b) WR - Luke McCaffrey, Rice
6c) ILB - Edefuan Ulofoshio, Wa.
6d) K - Joshua Karty, Stan.


53 Roster :

Offense (26)

QB - Stafford
QB - Wentz
QB - Bennett

RB - Williams
RB - Freeman
RB - Lloyd*
RB - Evans or Rivers

WR - Kupp
WR - Nacua
WR - Atwell
WR - Robinson
WR - McCaffrey* or Skowronek
WR/KR - Tramell or Smith

LT - Paul*
LG - Avila
C/OG - Powers-Johnson*
RG - Dotson
RT - Havenstein
OL - A. Jackson (Swing OT/OG)
OL - Bruss
C - McClendon
OG - Z. Thomas

TE - Higbee
TE - Allen
TE - Long
TE - Sanders*


Defense (24)

DL - Donald
DL - Turner
DL - Brown
DL - Newton*
DL - Johnson

Edge OLB - Brian Burns**, Danielle Hunter** or Free Agent equivalent
Edge OLB - Young
Edge OLB - Mathis
Edge OLB - Hampton or K. Thomas
Edge OLB/DE - Hoecht

ILB - Jones
ILB - inexpensive free agent**
ILB - Hampton or Ulofoshio*
ILB - Rozeboom

CB - Jaylon Johnson**, Jeff Okudah** or Free Agent equivalent
CB - Kendrick
CB - Durant
CB - Tomlinson
CB - Ojemudia or Jolly

S - Johnson
S - Lake
S - Yeast
S - Bishop*
S - Taylor or inexpensive free agent**


Special Teams (3) :

P - Evans
LS - Ward
K - Karty*


* depicts newly drafted player
** depicts new free agent

Damn good interview with Marshall, seems like an amazing guy to get to know

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkcClq1EcKo

Carolina just cut loose their interim HC and special teams coach Chris Tabor. Various ranking sites put him as high as #2 special teams coordinator. Does McVay check this out or does he stay loyal? I sure wouldn't mind seeing Tabor come aboard after last year's special teams fiasco,

Who's yours?
Let's just remove Kyren Williams from the discussion.. because, obviously, no ram grew, year-to-year, the way he did. And I'm not talking about rookies.

There are a few to consider, for sure.

I think the top guys for me would be Alaric Jackson, Bobby Brown and Quentin Lake.

A good argument for Jackson is his steady growth and how much he played. He was #3 in snaps on the oline with 969.. that's 84%.
He was reliable, which is a huge thing at that position.

Bobby Brown really took the next step.. doubling his snaps to 300+.. and looks to be ready to really break out next year.

And Quentin Lake.. from nothing in his rookie year.. to a promising slot big nickel player.. and maybe more.

I guess if you factor in overall impact.. I'd have to go with Jackson.

What about you guys?

And who are you expecting that's already on the roster to make the biggest jump next season?

My pick.. Zach Evans.

Do we dare bring him back?

Here are some players currently ranked between 90 and 110 among 2024 draft prospects by PFF and/or CBS. One of these players could potentially be a guy the Rams might be able to select as a result of Raheem Morris’ hiring by the Falcons (which gives us an extra selection at pick 100 or 101):

Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina
Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State
Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia
Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
Marshawn Lloyd, RB, USC
Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas
Junior Colson, LB, Michigan

This is, of course, a very preliminary sampling, but it really illustrates how valuable the extra pick could be.

I know someone who works with product sold to NFL and college teams that has to do with video. The software that most NFl teams use had a breach in it. In late Sep early Oct their cloud server, called Thundercloud was shut down. Vid directors could not get access.

BTW this is connected to the Michigan scandal -- its Catapult that sells the XOs software -- anyway there is an alleged breach and it went to NFL level as well.

Anyone from any team could access other teams' stuff that was in the cloud. Not protected and could be accessed easily.

One team claims that the game they played against the Lions late in the year --- they put in a handful of new plays. And on 4 of them the Lions picked them off. another was a dropped INT.

Again, I don't know it to be true but this is someone have known for 25 years or more, he's never lied. he new of the Mike Tice ticket scalping thing before it happened. He knew of Loveboat details. And he has no reason to impress me. What I know is he's not making it up ... there is at least something to the breach.

Catapult is denying the security breach but the NCAA is still looking into it. So all that is new is it reached the NFL and it is POSSIBLE a team or teams exploited it to their advantage.

Not claiming any inside knowledge just know a guy for a long time, nothing more.

Talking heads here in LA discussing Rams OL and moves they could make. Shelton a FA and maybe weakest link. Let Noteboom walk, resign Dotson, draft a G and sign a stud FA.

I'm not a big fan of changing what works, but Rams look like they're gonna have to make some moves.

Like to hear some ROD input on this.

I remember there being much discussion about what would become of the STL football market once the Rams returned to LA. To be perfectly honest I still felt the Rams would draw well there.

I recall several teams reaching out on social media to STL fans to join up with their teams. Chicago was a popular pick from those on the outside looking in. I remember Indy reached out on social media to appeal to STL fans. Tennessee also did something similar. Nobody really knew.

Alas, years later we may have found a surprising answer. Is it just a fluke or a lasting trend? None the less it is a surprise.

Lots of names already getting bandied about. Evero looks like he's being kept in Charlotte which is a shame.

Does McVay want to stay with a Fangio system guy or expand beyond that?

Guys I'm curious about:
- Anthony Weaver and Chris Hewitt from the Ravens. Love MacDonald's multiple system. Not a lot of blitzing out of it though.
- Vrabel. He may get left out of the HC coaching cycle this year, his players dominate on that side of the ball. He most likely only lasts a year though.
- Wink. He's not a fav choice but like his pedigree.
- Leonard. A first choice for LaFleur before he hired Barry. Not that he's out at UW. He can be had. Word is his defense is boom or bust though.
- Shane Bowen. A Vrabel lieutenant.

*I would not be shocked to see Bilechuk as a defensive consultant here next year.

Saw this on ESPN site, and I can't believe it is accurate. Is it really OK to go for it on 4th and 2 yards from your own 10 yard line? Holy carp, Batman.

Thoughts?

I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I'd rather keep Raheem as DC than get the comp picks.

In 2021 Raheem led us to a SB victory, and this past year he got the most out of a very young group.

so things can be in one place starting this thread. Will put information in for any interested. Others can ignore them.

People like blitzes ... but good offensive coaches can have this as a check. If teams mug the LOS then if there is not a hot route
in the original play call they can use this ... name is a WCO call but could be called anything.

This is the check from the original (shown below)

If a QB senses blitz, this goes to a 1-step drop from the shotgun, looks to inside then outside. The X receiver runs a slant but there is a read
if it is man then the slant. If he reads two high he flattens it.

Ball is out fast so if the inside guys get good leverage (easier in man) it can hurt a defense. It is why some defenses will blitz and then drop a DT into the middle or hook and this is why you will see an OLB drop ... often to the 3 receiver side. One guy there, on the defense's left can deter a throw there. Gives you the CB, Ni and LBer or if Ni is one of the blitzes you still have some protection.

Blitzes work. And they fail. Like anything else. They are not a panacea. #usewisely



Original call

At the very least, they are going to be interesting...I hope he falls on his face, but history doesn't suggest it

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2gIL4jrwSp/?igsh=aGt1NDdpNjd6aGpt

38 years old today

Rams projected to receive 4 compensatory picks in 2024 NFL draft​

Cameron DaSilva
Tue, Jan 23, 2024, 9:25 AM MST·2 min read



The Los Angeles Rams suffered significant losses in free agency last offseason, watching several starters leave last March. That list of players included Greg Gaines, David Edwards, A’Shawn Robinson, Matt Gay, Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott and David Long Jr. Baker Mayfield also left after a brief stint in Los Angeles, signing a one-year deal with the Bucs where he earned the starting job.

The Rams knew that if they let these players leave in free agency, they’d recoup draft picks for many of them in the form of compensatory picks. The NFL awards extra draft picks to compensate teams for their free-agent losses, and the Rams are projected to earn four extra picks in 2024 for their departures last offseason.

According to Over The Cap, the Rams are expected to receive a fifth-round pick for Mayfield, as well as sixth-rounders for Gay, Robinson and Scott. That puts the Rams at the maximum of four compensatory picks, which is how many they received in each of the last two years, as well.

The compensatory pick formula is complex, but it’s mostly determined by a player’s contract value, as well as any postseason accolades and the number of snaps played. Over The Cap notes that because Mayfield earned incentives for his snaps played, touchdown passes, passing yards and the Bucs’ playoff win, it increased his APY into the range of a fifth-round pick instead of a sixth-rounder.

That’s great news for the Rams, of course, so they can thank Mayfield for that.

Login to view embedded media View: https://x.com/nickkorte/status/1747109741955076327?s=20


The NFL will announce the finalized compensatory picks closer to the draft, but as of now, it looks like the Rams will receive four extra picks in addition to the selections they already have – including a first-rounder at No. 19 overall.

Story originally appeared on Rams Wire

What's at Stake in NFL Sunday Ticket $6 Billion Class-Action Lawsuit? ​

David Satin

Lawsuits are nothing new for the NFL. An entity as huge and worth as much money as the NFL is bound to attract attention, and to be sure it has earned legal scrutiny at times. The league has been facing a class-action lawsuit for the past nine years regarding its pricing and distribution of games on NFL Sunday Ticket, and depending on the outcome of the suit the NFL broadcasting landscape could undergo huge changes in the next few years.

• The suit, representing more than 2 million individuals, as well as nearly 50,000 bars and restaurants is headed to trial on Feb. 22.
• NFL figures like Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft, and Jerry Jones are being called to testify.
• If plaintiffs are successful, NFL teams could gain the right to negotiate TV and streaming deals for themselves.

What Would NFL Broadcast Landscape Look Like if Suit Succeeds?

The lawsuit against the NFL might not be getting too much attention now, just days ahead of the AFC and NFC Championship games and weeks before Super Bowl LVIII. But it may start grabbing more headlines quickly after the Super Bowl concludes, as the judge presiding over the case ordered it to trial and set a start date of Feb. 22.

Front Office Sports reports that huge NFL names like commissioner Roger Goodell, owners like the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft, as well as CBS Sports chair Sean McManus, have been called to testify. The fact that such names are being sent to the witness stand should serve as some indication of how important the suit could be.

Indeed, the damages in the case could amount to as much as $6.1 billion, and that’s not even the most important consequence of a victory by the plaintiffs. Such a ruling could mean individual NFL teams would be free to make their own TV broadcasting and streaming agreements, instead of proceeding as one unified league as the NFL has done in making its broadcast deals in the past.

If that happens, NFL teams would more closely resemble NHL and NBA teams in how they distribute their broadcast rights. It could be a huge win for regional sports networks (RSNs) like those from Bally Sports, who might suddenly have access to the top television product in the United States from a ratings perspective. Many teams would likely create their own streaming services for in-market fans, and some of these could allow fans to watch live games no matter which linear channel the team appears on. Games could even disappear from current broadcast and streaming partners such as CBS, Fox, Paramount+, and Peacock as teams sort out new broadcasting arrangements for themselves.

Such a ruling could be a disaster for the NFL as a league, however. One of the biggest reasons the NFL became such an indispensable part of many Americans’ lives is because of its wide availability on free, over-the-air broadcast channels like CBS, Fox, NBC, and ABC. It offered a relatively simple answer to the question “Where can I watch my local team?”; fans who lived in the same area as an NFC squad would usually find its games on Fox on Sunday afternoons, and fans who lived in the market of an AFC team can typically flip on CBS to see that team’s game on a given Sunday.

If teams start selling their broadcast/streaming rights on their own, it would create a much more chaotic situation from a fan perspective that could even result in lower ratings. The question of where to find a team’s games on a particular day would be much harder to answer, and games might shift to cable channels, where some owners will no doubt be attracted by a promise of more revenues, just like MLB, NBA and NHL owners have been in the past.

Why is NFL Facing a Class-Action Lawsuit Over Sunday Ticket?

The suit was first filed in 2015, years before NFL Sunday Ticket moved to its current home on YouTube TV. Back then, DIRECTV held the rights to Sunday Ticket, and as of now the league insisted on setting a very high price for a Sunday Ticket subscription. In 2023, customers who didn’t want to sign up for YouTube TV had to pay $450 for a season’s worth of Sunday Ticket.

The legal process has played out slowly in this case, which was also delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Altogether, it represents 2.4 million residential customers, as well as more than 48,000 bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. It argues that by limiting the offering of out-of-market NFL games to just one service, and then charging a premium price for that service, the league is in violation of antitrust laws and creating a non-competitive environment.

The NFL has had no luck in getting the case dismissed, and it may already be planning for the contingency that it loses the suit. A win would have good and bad consequences for fans; they might finally get access to in-market streaming services with single-game options for their favorite teams, and more outlets for watching out-of-market games than just NFL Sunday Ticket. But they might also see their top squad be moved behind the cable paywall, or face more confusion about where the team is available to watch week-to-week.

Here is my current Top 10 list of UFAs, both internal and external, who I’d like to see the Rams target:

1. Brian Burns, EDGE, Panthers. Burns is a likely candidate for a franchise tag if he’s not signed by the Panthers to a long-term deal. If he hits the market, though, I’d be all over adding him to our front seven.

2. Josh Allen, EDGE, Jaguars. Allen is a likely candidate for a franchise tag if he’s not signed by the Jaguars to a long-term deal. If he hits the market, though, I’d be all over adding him to our front seven (sound familiar?).

3. Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Vikings. Danielle Hunter’s most recent deal has a no-franchise/transition tag clause, so he stands a good chance of hitting the market. He could be a cheaper option than Burns or Allen because of his age. He’s be a phenomenal addition.

4. Kevin Dotson, OG, Rams. Dotson played a huge role in solidifying the OL and helping improve the overall offensive performance. He’s young enough to invest in, and I think he’d be a mainstay.

5. Chase Young, EDGE, 49ers. Young has had injury issues in his career and has not been the most consistent producer, but he has great physical tools and could have his best years ahead of him. Plus, taking a player from the 49ers would be nice.

6. Jaylon Johnson, CB, Bears. Another guy who may not hit the market. He’d be higher on my list if not for two factors. One, he’s going to be really expensive. Two, there is a nice crop of CBs in this year’s draft who the Rams could be in a position to grab at pick #19. Still, if the Rams made a move for this guy, I would not be sad about it.

7. Christian Wilkins, DL, Dolphins. Wilkins could be an interesting option. He’d help improve our run defense, and showed some pop as a pass rusher this year, registering 9 sacks. Having him and Kobie Turner on the DL could be a good way of preparing for a post-Aaron Donald era.

8. Bryce Huff, EDGE, Jets. Perhaps a lower-priced option at EDGE who could, along with Byron Young, provide the Rams with a young set of bookends to rush the passer.

9. L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Chiefs. Like Johnson, this is a guy who may not hit the market, and might be too expensive if he does. Still, if the Rams move on from Ahkello Witherspoon, having a veteran at CB could be important.

10. Coleman Shelton, C, Rams. OL consistency is important. While there could be some options to try to upgrade the center position (Andre James, Raiders and Connor Williams, Dolphins – if he is healthy), I’d probably just stick with Shelton, who is not likely to break the bank.

023 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
2023 OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
2023 DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: DE Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans

2023 PFWA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense
QB – C.J. Stroud, Houston Texas
RB – Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions; Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
WR – Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings; Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
TE – Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
C – Joe Tippmann, New York Jets
G – Steve Avila, Los Angeles Rams; O’Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo Bills
T – Dawand Jones, Cleveland Browns; Darnell Wright, Chicago Bears

Defense
DL – Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans; Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles; Tuli Tuipulotu, Los Angeles Chargers; Kobie Turner, Los Angeles Rams
LB – Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions; Ivan Pace Jr., Minnesota Vikings; Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams
CB – Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
S – Jordan Battle, Cincinnati Bengals; Ji’Ayir Brown, San Francisco 49ers

Special Teams
PK – Jake Moody, San Francisco 49ers
P – Bryce Baringer, New England Patriots
KR – Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
PR – Derius Davis, Los Angeles Chargers
ST – Jerrick Reed II, Seattle Seahawks

Championship Sunday - Sunday Jan 28, 2024​

AFC: 3:00 p.m. ET AFC Championship Game: (3) Kansas City Chiefs at (1) Baltimore Ravens (CBS, Paramount+)

NFC: 6:30 p.m. ET NFC Championship Game: (3) Detroit Lions at (1) San Francisco 49ers (FOX, FOX Deportes)