https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...ders-recap-snap-counts-playing-time-breakdown




Note: I’ll update the snap counts in this spreadsheet all season including the first tab tracking the season totals. While I’ll paste individual game PT in each week’s recap, I’ll likely refer to the season totals moving forward from that link. So uh, peep it.

One key before we get started is to look at who didn’t get any work for the Los Angeles Rams in their second preseason game against the Oakland Raiders:

• WR Tavon Austin
• LB Mark Barron
• WR K.D. Cannon
• OT Andrew Donnal
• OLB Samson Ebukam
• LB Nic Grigsby
• CB Mike Jordan
• TE Johnny Mundt
• QB Dan Orlovksy
• OLB Ejuan Price
• OLB Robert Quinn
• CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
• CB Kayvon Webster

So with that much roster attrition, obviously the playing time was going to be skewed especially at cornerback and outside linebacker.

Offense
PS Week 2 @ Raiders - Offense
Player POS Off Off%
Darrell Williams OT 53 72.60%
Austin Blythe C 52 71.23%
Sean Mannion QB 38 52.05%
Pace Murphy OT 37 50.68%
Jake Eldrenkamp G 37 50.68%
Jamon Brown G 37 50.68%
Rob Havenstein T 35 47.95%
Josh Reynolds WR 35 47.95%
Jared Goff QB 35 47.95%
Robert Woods WR 35 47.95%
Pharoh Cooper WR 34 46.58%
Sammy Watkins WR 34 46.58%
Cody Wichmann G 32 43.84%
Malcolm Brown RB 27 36.99%
Gerald Everett TE 27 36.99%
Justin Davis RB 26 35.62%
Cooper Kupp WR 26 35.62%
Mike Thomas WR 25 34.25%
Temarrick Hemingway TE 22 30.14%
Rodger Saffold OT 20 27.40%
Andrew Whitworth OT 20 27.40%
Michael Dunn OT 20 27.40%
John Sullivan C 20 27.40%
Todd Gurley RB 20 27.40%
Cory Harkey TE 19 26.03%
Tyler Higbee TE 19 26.03%
Travis Wilson TE 7 9.59%
Sam Rogers RB 6 8.22%
Lenard Tillery RB 1 1.37%
Aaron Green RB 1 1.37%
Shakeir Ryan WR 1 1.37%
Nelson Spruce WR 1 1.37%
Alex Kozan G 1 1.37%
Parker Collins C 1 1.37%


With the Andrew Whitworth-Rodger Saffold-John Sullivan trio still limited in action, the offensive line snap rotation leads the way with six of the seven most active players. If you look at the combined totals over the first two games, it grows to seven of the top eight adding G Cody Wichmann. Suffice to say, the effort to identify which OL make the 53-man roster could easily be seen as the top personnel priority right now. One random OL note? Pretty clear some of OT Pace Murphy’s Week 1 snaps went to OT Michael Dunn. Keep an eye on this next week.

At wide receiver, you had six wide receivers rotate heavily: Josh Reynolds and Sammy Watkins in their first action as Rams along with Robert Woods, Pharoh Cooper, Cooper Kupp and Mike Thomas. It begs the question...is this the Rams’ WR depth chart for the 53-man? We know Austin was out, but given how the offense performed in his absence, it’s not unfair to consider how unnecessary he now seems. And does the Nelson Spruce train still have anyone on board? Consider this: Watkins, Thomas and Reynolds showed up and pushed Spruce and WR Paul McRoberts out of the picture. Not to draw too heavily from the first two preseason games, but you could make a case that the final two preseason games are less about validating that six-man rotation and more about validating a case against it.

Fair to say the running back spot is a three-man rotation between Just Todd Gurley, Malcolm Brown and Justin Davis?

At tight end and fullback, the Cory Harkey Experiment is going to be an interesting one to watch over the final two preseason games. One factor making it so? Rookie Sam Rogers doesn’t seem to have any real role on the offense. He’s been heavily involved on special teams (see below), but has gotten less work on offense than RB De’Mard Llorens and WR Brandon Shippen...

Defense
PS Week 2 @ Raiders - Defense
Player POS Def Def%
Troy Hill CB 56 94.92%
Marqui Christian SS 41 69.49%
Isaiah Johnson FS 34 57.63%
Carlos Thompson LB 32 54.24%
John Johnson DB 28 47.46%
Dominique Hatfield CB 26 44.07%
Corey Littleton LB 24 40.68%
Kevin Peterson CB 24 40.68%
Tanzel Smart DT 24 40.68%
Mike Purcell NT 24 40.68%
Cody Davis FS 23 38.98%
Morgan Fox DE 23 38.98%
Blake Countess CB 22 37.29%
Bryce Hager LB 20 33.90%
Louis Trinca-Pasat DT 20 33.90%
Cassanova McKinzy LB 18 30.51%
Kevin Davis LB 18 30.51%
Casey Sayles DT 18 30.51%
Davis Tull LB 18 30.51%
Josh Forrest LB 17 28.81%
Maurice Alexander FS 17 28.81%
Connor Barwin LB 17 28.81%
Alec Ogletree LB 17 28.81%
Matt Longacre DE 16 27.12%
Omarius Bryant DT 16 27.12%
Michael Brockers DT 14 23.73%
Andy Mulumba LB 11 18.64%
Ethan Westbrooks DT 10 16.95%
Trumaine Johnson CB 9 15.25%
Folarin Orimolade LB 6 10.17%
Lamarcus Joyner CB 4 6.78%
A.J. Jefferson DT 2 3.39%


Was this CB Troy Hill’s make or break audition? With CB Kayvon Webster and preseason week 1 hero CB Mike Jordan sidelined along with CB Trumaine Johnson hardly needed in a preseason game (he logged just nine snaps, less than 16% of the defensive work), Hill was in line for a big game. The result? Yikes. It’s worth considering that while fans are fairly not impressed with Hill’s play in the first two games, he was the go-to as the first pick from the depth. That, if nothing else, speaks to the coaching staff’s preference which matters more than anything re: the 53-man roster. I doubt we see Hill log a 90%+ rate next week, but the roster battle here should be at the fore of the defensive storylines.


No Quinn. No Ebukam. No Price. Limited work from fellow starter Connor Barwin. And with OLB Carlos Thompson out for a few weeks with an injury, the position certainly opens up a bit for opportunity right now. The question is whether that opportunity has anything to do with the Week 1 roster if Quinn, Ebukam and Price are all ready to go.

And keep an eye on the work rates for S Marqui Christian, DT Tanzel Smart and S Isaiah Johnson. The amount of work they’ve gotten in the first two games (all > 40% in both games, Christian > 50%) suggest there could be something there come September.

Special Teams
PS Week 2 @ Raiders - Special Teams
Player POS ST ST%
Marqui Christian SS 13 48.15%
Dominique Hatfield CB 12 44.44%
Temarrick Hemingway TE 10 37.04%
Cory Harkey TE 10 37.04%
Sam Rogers RB 10 37.04%
John Johnson DB 10 37.04%
Cassanova McKinzy LB 10 37.04%
Corey Littleton LB 9 33.33%
Kevin Davis LB 9 33.33%
Jake McQuaide LS 9 33.33%
Aarion Penton CB 8 29.63%
Carlos Thompson LB 7 25.93%
Cody Davis FS 7 25.93%
Josh Forrest LB 7 25.93%
Andy Mulumba LB 7 25.93%
Folarin Orimolade LB 7 25.93%
Greg Zuerlein K 7 25.93%
Isaiah Johnson FS 6 22.22%
Blake Countess CB 6 22.22%
Bryce Hager LB 6 22.22%
Johnny Hekker P 6 22.22%
Travis Coons K 6 22.22%
De'Mard Llorens RB 6 22.22%
Mike Thomas WR 5 18.52%
Lenard Tillery RB 5 18.52%
Aaron Green RB 5 18.52%
Troy Hill CB 5 18.52%
Kevin Peterson CB 5 18.52%
Paul McRoberts WR 5 18.52%
Pace Murphy OT 4 14.81%
Justin Davis RB 4 14.81%
Austin Blythe C 3 11.11%
Jake Eldrenkamp G 3 11.11%
Jamon Brown G 3 11.11%
Rob Havenstein T 3 11.11%
Malcolm Brown RB 3 11.11%
Rodger Saffold OT 3 11.11%
Shakeir Ryan WR 3 11.11%
Nelson Spruce WR 3 11.11%
Casey Sayles DT 3 11.11%
Maurice Alexander FS 3 11.11%
Matt Longacre DE 3 11.11%
Brandon Shippen WR 3 11.11%
Darrell Williams OT 2 7.41%
Josh Reynolds WR 2 7.41%
Pharoh Cooper WR 2 7.41%
Andrew Whitworth OT 2 7.41%
Travis Wilson TE 2 7.41%
Tanzel Smart DT 2 7.41%
Mike Purcell NT 2 7.41%
Morgan Fox DE 2 7.41%
Louis Trinca-Pasat DT 2 7.41%
Connor Barwin LB 2 7.41%
Alec Ogletree LB 2 7.41%
Ethan Westbrooks DT 2 7.41%
Carlos Davis CB 2 7.41%
Gerald Everett TE 1 3.70%
Michael Dunn OT 1 3.70%
Tyler Higbee TE 1 3.70%
Alex Kozan G 1 3.70%
Parker Collins C 1 3.70%
Davis Tull LB 1 3.70%
Michael Brockers DT 1 3.70%
Trumaine Johnson CB 1 3.70%
A.J. Jefferson DT 1 3.70%


Not sure where to draw the line for those who are legitimately in the mix for the 53-man based solely on teams.

Is it the top five after two games who have a combined ST rate > 40%? That would include Rogers (the most active special teams contributor which all but suggests he’s locked in for the 53-man), LB Andy Mulumba, Harkey, Christian and CB Dominique Hatfield.

Does it stretch to the 30% line to add four other contributors in LB Folarin Orimolade, TE Temarrick Hemingway, S John Johnson and the injured Thompson?

Or does it go all the way to the 25% mark? That would put RB Lenard Tillery, LB Kevin Davis, LB Josh Forrest, LB Cassanova McKinzy and CB Kevin Peterson in contention.

I’m not sure, but we know that a handful or so of these candidates are going to make the roster solely for this area. I’m going to be very interested in the snap counts that come out after next weekend to see how this is shaping up.

And one factor to remember, there are no intermediate cuts this year. Unlike previous years in which NFL teams would trim the roster from 90 to 75 after the third preseason game and then 75 to 53 after the final preseason contest, this year avoids that initial round of cuts and goes directly from the 90-man to the 53-man by 4pm ET/1pm PT on September 4. So rotation over these next two games will likely reflect an internal strategy for all 32 teams on how to adjust to the rule change. Will those players who are essentially 75-90 just see their playing time erased? Will they instead get more time than they would have a year ago?

We’ll see how things shake out in Week 3.

Most of you know that the NFL has changed its format of roster cut downs, changing it to just one after the 4th pre-season game. Teams will be cutting 37 players, going from 90 to 53. Not sure about the number that can be relegated to the practice squad, (I'm sure one of you know the #). A total of 1,184 will be affected and hoping to be picked up by another team

Its going to be crazy folks. Signings will be reported almost immediately and reported on newswire non-stop for days. GM's and HC's are going to busy and going nuts trying to get guys that might upgrade their roster. I expect McSnead to in the thick of things, and an O-lineman will be their target.

To the meat of this post: Who might be cut the Rams could use? What position do Rams need upgraded and might find a roster cut to help?

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/alden_gonzalez/status/900394269600501760


This is rediculous. The guy wants to be here. Give him a fuckin extension. As bad as he wants to stay, I hardly doubt he's playing hardball on the numbers.

Greg Zuerlein also has the leg to do this. He's hit on 61 and 60 yards already. The longest field goal made was 64 yards by Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos. The longest field goal attempt in an NFL game was 76 yards by Sebastian Janikowski.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_goal#Longest_field_goal_records

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO5P3Yfo0mU

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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/22/16182552/justin-tucker-baltimore-ravens-70-yard-field-goal

Justin Tucker’s Quest for the 70-Yard Field Goal
The Baltimore Ravens kicker is already the most accurate kicker in NFL history, and now he wants to shatter the distance record. He can do it. Just let him tell you.
BY KEVIN CLARK

There’s no scenario where you’re going to line up and do it.”

This is Sam Koch, the Baltimore Ravens’ holder and punter, talking about kicking the longest field goal ever.

The game situation would have to be exactly right: about a second left in the fourth quarter with the score within three or at the end of a half, when it’s the only option. The temperature would have to be warm—probably above 80 degrees. And even if the weather and the timing converged, coaches would favor a Hail Mary because at least those have succeeded.

If you missed the kick, you’d also likely have to defend against a long return; Ravens long-snapper Morgan Cox brought up the specter of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown out there with a bunch of blockers ready to return the kick. To make it even close to worth the risk, Cox said, you’d have to know that your kicker would put the ball into the stands no matter what.

“However,” Koch said after he and Cox listed the myriad reasons this sort of kick would never happen. “I have no doubt Justin would go out there and make the kick.”

* * *

Justin Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history, and Justin Tucker can kick the longest field goal in NFL history. The former is a fact, and the latter is also treated as such among the Ravens, friends of Tucker, and Tucker himself. The longest field goal in history came in 2013 when Denver’s Matt Prater kicked it 64 yards in the thin Colorado air.

Overall, 127 field goal attempts have come from 60 yards and beyond; only 16 were successful. Just 25 kicks have been attempted from 65 and beyond, and the historical success rate is zero. The longest kick ever attempted was a 76-yarder from Sebastian Janikowski in a 2008 game against the San Diego Chargers that fell ludicrously short.

For about a hundred years “field goal” range has typically meant “within about 40 yards of the end zone.” If a player showed a 70-yarder were possible in a game, it would change football. It would be the kind of game-planning checkmate coaches dream of.

“I think it definitely gives us an advantage when we’re planning going into the game,” Tucker said. “When we’re into the game and adrenaline is pumping to get in range for a end-of-half or end-of-game field goal, we know we have—I’d like to think we have—a better chance than anyone else that we can kick the ball from wherever.”

* * *

The 70-yard mark is the Hyperloop of football; it may seem like it will never happen, but one guy is really sure it could happen if everything broke right.

“Here’s the thing: As soon as I tell anyone I can hit from 74, 75, 80, I’m not saying it to blow smoke; I’m saying it because I can do it,” Tucker said. “I’ve hit from 79 in practice, my best guess is I can hit an 84-yarder in Denver.”

The 27-year-old has made 89.8 percent of his kicks in his five NFL seasons. He is universally considered the best kicker in the NFL and has hit from as far as 61 yards in a regular-season game. His Ravens special teams outfit is considered one of the best in the NFL. Last weekend in a preseason game he begged the coaching staff to attempt a 72-yarder.

Ever since he hit a 67-yarder in college, Tucker has entertained the possibility of using these kicks to win games—and he continuously stressed that his desire to kick from long range is rooted in a desire to help his team win. The Ravens practice these kicks with one of the most efficient position groups in football—dubbed “The Wolfpack” after the group of friends from the Hangover movies.

“I don’t care about the record,” said the Ravens’ special teams coordinator, Jerry Rosburg. “But if we have to make a field goal that’s going to win us the game and it happens to be 65 yards, I’m all for it. We’ll take a long field goal if we need it to win—we’re not going to line up and kick a 70-yard field goal because we think it’s cool.”

Rosburg said he “loves the purpose behind practicing extraordinarily long field goals.” You have to practice 70-yard field goals because it’s the only way to see all of the effects of a kick. If you only practice 40-yarders, Rosburg explains, they hit the net and you never learn a whole lot. How much did the weather help or hurt the kick? How does the ball finish its flight path? How did the ball track in the air?

* * *

Tucker’s warm-up involves “backing up until the ball doesn’t go through,” he said. He does this to gather information on what is possible given the wind, weather, and humidity. Tucker said he kicks about 15-20 balls in warm-ups per practice, 10-15 in full-team reps, and with coaches supervising kicks, another 20 or 30 to get coaching from Rosburg and his staff.

Since 70-yard attempts are so rare—there have been only six in history—there’s not a lot of research on how to go about them. That’s what makes Tucker’s trial-and-error operation so fascinating. By practicing them at all, he learned something: There is not a tremendous amount of difference between the longest field goal ever and any other kick.

When quarterbacks reach back for a Hail Mary, they exert all their energy. When a basketball player heaves a half-court shot, he changes the arc. Tucker says any changes for a 70-yarder are minute. For all kicks, the first 6 to 8 yards of the process is the exact same. Cox will snap the ball 8 yards deep to Koch, who holds it in the same way he’d always hold it.

“There’s no difference than if he were trying to hit a 2-yard-line old PAT,” Koch said.

Tucker said he knows for a fact it is the same setup from 79 yards. How? “I know because I’ve done it.”

* * *

In the same way NASA waits for perfect launch conditions, Tucker thinks about kicking these field goals in the ideal atmosphere.

“You start with the temperature—it’s got to be a warmer day. It’s physics. The ball is more elastic when it’s warmer and therefore travels further. You have to have good footing. I’d prefer just a freshly cut grass field,” Tucker said.

He adds that there’s a thin line between overscrutinizing a kick and going into a kick with no information. He will kick the same kick over and over, take a mental note of the temperature, ball flight, wind, etc., and then recall it all the next time he’s in that scenario.

“I try to be realistic,” he said. He points to the practice field and mentions that it’s near-maximum humidity and 80 degrees. “The ball is not going to go as far today as it would in Denver in September and it’s 85 degrees on a nice, well-maintained field.”

Adrenaline is good for a few yards on a given kick, he said, and so the added motivation behind hitting a fourth-quarter game winner would help, rather than hurt. “You’ve gathered all the data but you have to assume there’s a little bit of an adrenaline rush,” Tucker said. “A couple of kicks at the end of the game I’ve had, those have been my best kicks. If there wasn’t a net there they’d have left the stadium.”

* * *

It is clear, after a few minutes of talking, that Tucker thinks a lot about what it would take to kick a field goal like this. He’s not alone in his obsessiveness: Koch and Cox are so detailed-oriented that they’ve consulted the Navy on how to best monitor wind.

Would wind help? “I would say yes,” Tucker added. “If we’re going to try to drop bombs from 65-, 70-plus, it would be nice to have a little tail wind.”

Koch had a different view: “The wind would need to be blowing about 50 miles per hour” for an attempt to be realistic in a game.

Although the ball is going to travel 70 yards in the air, everything comes down to the final step with the plant foot.

* * *

Doug Blevins, a kicking expert who started coaching Tucker when he was in high school, said that for a right-footed kicker, the key is almost entirely in the last step with the left foot before the kick. Blevins refers to this as a power-drive step. On a long kick, it is human nature to make these steps longer in order to generate power, but that doesn’t help.

“If you elongate the step at all, you end up yanking your body around,” Blevins said. He added that even the slightest overturning of the body would send a record-long field goal attempt dramatically off course. A miscalculation of this sort on a PAT would send the ball a few feet off course; on a long kick, it would send it comically wide.

Tucker also said that the last step would be where the only change would occur.

“The only thing that changes is I might just jump into the ball a little bit more, to put a little more extra mustard on it, but I prefer to keep everything consistent from one kick to the next,” Tucker said. “I’d probably be a little bit more aggressive.”

Rosburg said you would need slightly more hip rotation to generate the power, but not much else would change.

Tucker has a fast leg. Blevins compares it to a baseball pitcher with the natural ability to throw hard who can then marry natural talent with technique and refinement.

“His leg speed was given to him by God,” Blevins said. “Over the years he learned to kick with his body weight as opposed to kicking it only with the leg. Then you pair that with the flexibility he has and he can kick the ball a mile.”

Blevins said Tucker has a shot to break the record: It would need to be in a dry climate and elevation would help, and he would have to not “overkick” and be consistent. That, Blevins said, is Tucker’s trademark. When he shows younger kickers film of Tucker, he’s amazed at how every kick looks the exact same. “There is no deviation. It is all perfect muscle memory.”

* * *

When Tucker saw Adam Vinatieri’s Super Bowl–winning kicks over a decade ago, he had a realization. “That would be amazing if that was me one day,” he said. “And I made the decision that it had to be me.” In fact, Blevins, who has coached Vinatieri, said the two are nearly identical on film.

Since the balls are harder and less broken-in today, Blevins said that kicking is more difficult than ever before. In that context, he thinks Tucker’s rewriting of the accuracy record books is even more impressive than it’s made out to be.

“I think Justin has a good grasp on history,” Blevins said. “He wants to be the best kicker that ever played. He keeps that in perspective: He can be, and he believes he can be, and I think he’s on his way.”

Confidence, Koch said, is crucial for a kicker, and his team loves Tucker for it. Cox believes Tucker when he talks about how far he can kick.

“But we have to be realistic and approach it like a coach would,” Koch said, “and they’d go for the Hail Mary.”

So yes, two-thirds of the Wolfpack thinks the record-shattering kicks might be Tucker’s pipe dream that coaches will never let him try. Tucker said he’s OK with that. He’ll settle for hitting the crossbar pregame from 85 in Denver, or backing up to into the 70s and nailing one on a practice field.

“I encourage you to put this in there: At the end of the day, I care about making kicks, helping my team win. I don’t care where we hit them from,” Tucker said.

Of course, he continues.

“But I do think the possibility gives us an advantage.”

Cory Harkey has aggressively been working on his receiving skills in camp. Javier Rojas/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire
Aug 22, 2017

• 
  
  Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Practice ended at around 3:30 p.m. PT on Monday, and Cory Harkey walked straight towards the JUGS machine.

Harkey spent five years being used mainly as an additional blocker by Jeff Fisher. But now he is operating under new Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, who requires versatility out of his tight ends and fullbacks. To solidify a role in this offense -- and, perhaps, to secure a spot on the final 53-man roster -- Harkey must prove he can be as effective at catching passes as he is at setting up blocks.

"I'm here to do whatever I need to do to help the team win, and that's my attitude my whole career," Harkey said. "Whatever's asked of me, I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. I'm going to find a way to be great at it."

Harkey has been a key locker-room presence and a steady special-teams contributor over the last few years. But he caught only 27 passes for 215 yards from 2012-16, and none of those receptions came last season, a year that saw Harkey miss the last four weeks because of a triceps injury.

The Rams have drafted three tight ends over the last two years, a list that includes Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett and Temarrick Hemingway. They even selected a fullback, the versatile Sam Rogers, in the sixth round this past April.

They're all threats in the passing game, which is not necessarily Harkey's strength.

Harkey has nonetheless been impressed by McVay's offensive knowledge and believes he can help him get better. The 27-year-old Harkey has worked out with both the fullbacks and the tight ends during training camp and has been used inline more frequently than ever, which he likes. He is signed through 2018, with the Rams able to save $800,000 towards Harkey's $1.8 million cap hit if they ultimately choose to part ways.

Harkey is hopeful that a concrete role will ultimately materialize.

"That's something that’s just going to happen naturally," said Harkey, who has made two catches for 18 yards in the preseason, while playing mostly during the second half. "I’m just trying to get better every single day, trying to do the best I can."

No article from the home of Peter King would be complete without a condescending remark about the Rams. See #2.
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https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/22/nfl-preseason-2017-hype-stories

The Seven NFL Preseason Hype Stories We See Season After Season
JACK DICKEY

For all the ways NFL management misunderstands the tastes and attitudes of the general public—and, as we gear up for a twelfth season of Thursday Night Football, we shall not forget that there are many—the league grasps, broadly, that scarcity undergirds the sport’s appeal. The games last only from early September til early February, and come summer the game’s absence breeds genuine anticipation.

And all that longing spawns America’s favorite NFL-media commodity: the preseason hype story.

Teams usually reveal if they’re any good quickly after the season begins; all action prior probably deceives us more than enlightens us. When was the last time a preseason game or open practice provided a useful window into how a team will play? (An exception here for any dispatch from Jets camp involving Christian Hackenberg overthrowing his receivers by 10 feet.) Most coaches don’t try all that hard to win preseason games. Star players don't show much either.

And how often do players and coaches arrive at camp and openly lament their clubs’ roster deficiencies? When does a top pick say, “Sorry, turns out I’m never going to be able to succeed at this level,” and when does a veteran say, “Sorry, I’ve lost a step”? Candor and self-awareness has no place in the preseason media ecosystem. As Dennis Green might have had it: That’s why we take the damn field.

In a more sensible world, NFL fans would spend every moment from the Super Bowl trophy presentation until the Week 1 kickoff catching up on, I dunno, contemporary literary fiction. But to hell with that—bring on the meaningless preseason stories! As their harvesting season approaches, we provide is a taxonomy of the seven teams we meet in preseason-hype stories every year:

1. THE TEAM THAT WENT ALL-IN ON A FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACK: Quarterbacks tend to turn general managers batty. Teams seem not to evaluate QB prospects as they would linemen or defensive backs—as football players and nothing more. Instead quarterbacks get bumped up draft boards for their intangibles, for their brilliant smiles, for what they indicate about a front office’s hunger to win.

Even though the 2017 draft class was considered light on stud signal-callers, three were drafted in the first 12 picks. Mitch—excuse me, Mitchell—Trubisky went No. 2 to Chicago after just one Sun Bowl-losing season starting for North Carolina. While Deshaun Watson, picked No. 12 by Houston, demonstrated considerably more in the way of college heroics at Clemson, he too can credit GMs’ quarterback bug for his climb up the draft board. A number of teams reportedly slapped him with a second- or third-round grade.

Perhaps Trubisky will become the best Bears passer since Sid Luckman and bestow similar success upon the franchise. And perhaps Watson will become the league’s best dual-threat QB. But the odds are against them.

Of the 26 first-round quarterbacks selected from 2007 to ’16, only seven have career winning records as starters—and Mark Sanchez (third on the Bears’ depth chart) and Tim Tebow (starting left fielder for the St. Lucie Mets) happen to be two of those seven.

Check back in on the Bears three years from now, and not a moment sooner. As for the Texans, they managed to host a playoff game last year despite a truly excremental season from Brock Osweiler and company. They can win with any halfway decent year.

2. THE TEAM THAT HIRED AN OFFENSIVE GURU: What’s management to do when a top quarterback pick bombs? They could concede they erred and cut their losses by signing a sturdy veteran free agent (a Brian Hoyer type, preferably Brian Hoyer himself) and leaning on all the surrounding pieces.

Or they could bring in a new coach with a new offense in an attempt to fix—but more likely just confuse—the QB, who might never have had all that much talent in the first place. One approach involves the admission of failure. One doesn’t. Which would you expect teams to choose?

There are only six offensive coordinators who were in their jobs during the 2014 season. It’s a transitional gig—every year, a handful of ’em get promoted, a larger handful get scapegoated and axed—and largely a thankless one.

And the track record isn't much better for head coaches hired to fix quarterbacks, Adam Gase's success in Miami last season notwithstanding. Teaching is hard; coming up with good new ideas in a 97-year-old league is harder. Anyway, best of luck to the Rams’ Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur in their attempt to fix Jared Goff.

3. THE TEAM THAT LIBERATED ITSELF BY FIRING AN OVERBEARING COACH: Greg Schiano’s 2012-13 tenure in Tampa Bay is one of the most abhorrent in recent memory. The martinet head coach earned back-to-back last-place divisional finishes and the undying enmity of his players. Schiano was replaced by the gentler Lovie Smith—happy days are here again!— but the former Bears coach went 2–14 in his debut season and 6–10 in the next one. So much for the importance of a culture change.

Lucky Kyle Shanahan, replacing dictatorial Chip Kelly in San Francisco, has the opportunity to rebuild his team essentially from scratch. (OK, OK... While last year’s Giants did get better after swapping hardass Tom Coughlin for the lower-key Ben McAdoo, approximately all of that jump had to do with major defensive additions all panning out. The team's biggest holdover stars from the Coughlin era, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr., took steps back in 2016.)

4. THE TEAM THAT RESTORED ORDER BY HIRING AN OVERBEARING COACH: Speaking of Coughlin, he’s head of football operations in Jacksonville now, and he and new head coach Doug Marrone removed the ping-pong table from the Jaguars’ locker room this offseason. Not to be outdone, new Bills boss Sean McDermott removed the locker room’s pool and air hockey tables and its video game setup. (Though he kept the ping-pong table.)

Such behavior demonstrates nothing more than a new head coach’s commitment to humorlessness—teams can win with or without mild amusement in the locker room. That said, if the Jaguars and Bills meet in the AFC championship game, and both teams credit the absence of petty locker-room distractions, I will gladly let a red-faced Tom Coughlin berate me for hours on end.

5. THE TEAM THAT POSTED A MISLEADING RECORD THANKS TO CLOSE WINS: How illuminating are close games? A blowout reveals which team is superior—not so for a tight finish. How often would you pick the winner in a rematch? 80% of the time? There’s a school of thought that certain teams just know how to win and can perform disproportionately well in close games thanks to astute clock management, steady special teams or a quarterback with a flair for comebacks.

More often than not, though, such success is the product of season-to-season randomness. The 2015 NFC champion Panthers went 6–1 in games decided by a touchdown or less. In 2016, they went 2–6 in those games. They couldn’t have just forgotten how to win.

This season’s analogue to Carolina is Oakland, the favorite story of 2016. The Raiders outscored their opponents, in the aggregate, by 31 points last year. By the numbers, Oakland should have won eight or nine games; instead, they won 12.

(In contrast, the Broncos outscored their opponents by 36 and won nine games.) A repeat 12-win performance would likely require a better underlying season from Derek Carr, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper and the rest. We’ll have to wait ’til the fall to know whether they have it in them.

6. THE TEAM THAT MADE ALL THE RIGHT MOVES IN FREE AGENCY: Basketball and baseball have for years spoiled fans with franchise-defining free agency. Kevin Durant and LeBron James switched teams as free agents; so too did Albert Pujols and Robinson Cano. In football, thanks to the franchise tag and the brevity of the average career, the best players rarely hit the open market.

Those who do generally fit into one of two categories: the veteran with only one or two good years left who’s worth a contender’s splurge, and the younger player whose limited history of excellence scores a large guarantee from a team other than the one that drafted him. Players in the former group offer incremental upgrades, players in the latter one constitute lottery tickets.

Jacksonville added players who fit into both groups this offseason. The team spent a small fortune this offseason on former Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who will be 31 years old in Week 1, and ex-Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye, who had hardly played before a breakout season in 2016.

Bouye may well be the real deal, but Jaguars fans would be forgiven if they were reminded of 2015 free-agent cornerback signee Davon House. House lasted little more than a season in his starting job and was cut in March. The Jaguars went 5–11 that season (and 3–13 in 2016).

7. OH HELL, THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: The team has been all of these teams at various points in their 22 seasons. Sometimes, as now, they have been two or three of these teams at the same time. It doesn’t matter. It never matters. Until they present convincing evidence otherwise, this ruling holds: They stink.

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According to CBS report on if he is being blackballed or not.

The letter G is interesting, in that the Rams have a couple young players I'd love to put on the list. One made the list because he has early accomplishments. The other...is mentioned later and could quickly climb the list in the coming years.

1. Roman Gabriel
2. Kevin Greene
3. Rosey Grier
4. Cleveland Gary
5. Todd Gurley
6. Ken Geddes
7. Sean Gilbert
8. Mike Guman the gooo man!
9. Gary Green
10. Bruce Gossett

Honorable mention: Wayne Gandy, Mike Gruttadauria, Brandon Gibson, Chris Givens, Gaston Green, EJ Gaines, Larry Grant, Leo Goeas.

Notable: Jared Goff, LaRoi Glover, Trent Green

No: Mardy Gilyard

Preseason showing play-action will be crucial for Sean McVay's Rams
4:00 AM PT

• 
  
  Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Four of Jared Goff's first five passing attempts against the Raiders this past Saturday came off play-action, including his touchdown. A week earlier in the preseason opener against the Cowboys, play-action produced his longest pass of the afternoon.

If you can't already tell, play-action passing will be a big part of Sean McVay's offense with the Los Angeles Rams.

"Being able to have plays that start out looking the same that are different," is how McVay described the benefits of successful play-action. "I think it forces the defense to kind of have to adjust and react accordingly. You have to be able to run the football for them to honor the play-action pass. You have to show that you can be a threat in the play-action game, so now maybe you're going to dictate a different box count, and now you’ll get some better run looks. So, it all ties together."

stimulating offensive showing this past Saturday, in an eventual 23-21 win, began with Todd Gurley, who was able to pick up 38 yards on only eight carries. It ultimately helped the Rams sell the threat of the run. Goff faked a handoff and found Robert Woods and Gerald Everetton back-to-back pass attempts, with each of them able to get into the open field for big gains. Later, he faked a handoff to Gurley and found Cooper Kupp wide open over the top for a 23-yard touchdown. Seven days earlier, Kupp also hauled in a 19-yard pass near the sideline off play-action.

McVay's 2016 Redskins offense sported the NFL's best completion rate off play-action (72.6 percent) and its second-highest yards per attempt off play-action (10.96). That success is even more impressive when considering that those offenses averaged only 106 rushing yards per game, 14th in the NFL. The threat of the run wasn't necessarily there, but they were somehow still effective at selling it.

"We did run the ball efficiently," McVay corrected, alluding to the fact that the Redskins ranked ninth in rushing yards per attempt at 4.47. "I just had to give us a little bit more opportunity in terms of calling some of those runs last year."

McVay's Redskins were seventh in the NFL in passing attempts per game last year, but his Rams may be a little more run-heavy. The personnel is different, the strengths are elsewhere. That Redskins team had a polished Kirk Cousins at quarterback and a bevy of accomplished receivers, including Jordan Reed, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. The Rams have done a nice job of improving at receiver this calendar year, but Goff is only 22 and Gurley remains their best offensive player.



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"It’s hard to be a dominant offense if you’re not balanced," said Rams center John Sullivan, a backup in Washington last year. "You have to be able to make teams worry about both facets, the run game and the pass game. Obviously, everybody loves to see big-chunk plays and throwing the ball vertically down the field. But the way that you open that up sometimes is by running the football effectively. The one feeds off the other."

Effective as last year's Redskins were on play-action, they didn't go to it frequently. Eleven teams ran play-action more often. And only 22.5 percent of the Redskins' passing plays that went 20 or more yards came off play-action, which ranked 14th in the NFL. The Falcons, the team with the NFL's most explosive offense last year, led the NFL in that department. An NFL-best 36.9 percent of Atlanta's 20-plus-yard passing plays came off play-action.

The quarterbacks coach for that team was Matt LaFleur, who is now the offensive coordinator with the Rams.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-a...rterback/7e5046e0-f7ac-410b-b660-18d020e3f7ad

Despite being the 250th pick in the NFL draft, Trevor has beaten out 1st round pick Paxton Lynch for the starting job 2 years in a row. Obviously I am a fan of Trevor because we played together in high school and he is a great dude but I don't get why so many want to see him on the bench.

Trevor has not performed poorly in his starting work. He has thrown for 3,401 yards, 18 TDs in 12 games with a 59.5% completion rate and an 84.6 QBR. He had the benefit of sitting behind Peyton Manning in his final Super Bowl season so he was taught by a legend.

The media and general public dismiss him as a temporary option until Lynch is ready but why can't anyone believe Siemian could be the guy?

Just going to do a little bragging.

My mom just got nominated to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

She is an amazing woman and Western Artist http://velmillerart.com/about and also a great mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

She has had shows in Italy, China, US Embassies, and throughout the US.

She sculpted the trophy for the Tail Hooker of the Year award the Navy gives out to the best .... well..... aircraft carrier "hooker". (Pretty sure that's the guy with the flags).

Shortly after the hostages were released in Iran, one of the hostages sent her a letter letting her know that her artwork in the Western Horseman Magazine was his reminder of home and was what kept him going during the harrowing ordeal. They still keep in touch.

So wish her luck. She should hear back soon if she made it in. She's in her 80s now and took two weeks to gather together all the info and materials for them. Now she is preparing for her next art show. Hardest working woman I know.

Practice Report: First Day Back at Cal Lutheran
Posted 15 hours ago

Kristen LagoRams Writer/Reporter@kristennlago



VIEW GALLERY | 28 Photos
PHOTOS: Sammy Watkins' First Week as a Ram


The Rams were back on field on Monday afternoon, practicing in a non-padded session at Cal Lutheran. The team had worked out of UC Irvine since late July for training camp, but has now shifted practices to its football headquarters for the rest of the season.

After a day off, head coach Sean McVay said practice focused on situations, which was designed to keep the liveliness of practice high. And even though it was their first practice back at the facility and the team was just in shells, McVay said he thought “the energy, the focus and the concentration was excellent.”

INJURY REPORT

After sitting out Saturday’s game, many members of the Rams’ defense were back for practice on Monday. Linebackers Mark Barron and Robert Quinn, as well as cornerbacks Kayvon Webster and Nickell Robey-Coleman, all returned to the field. Quinn has been limited throughout much of training camp and has been held out of the first two preseason games. McVay said a lot of the reasoning behind Quinn’s restricted reps was “preventative” in nature. And though he practiced on Monday, McVay and his staff have yet to decide whether Quinn will play on Saturday against the Chargers.

“We’ve got some different guys, where Robert’s one of our more veteran players, on a maintenance program,” McVay said of holding Quinn out. “He obviously had the hand thing in the offseason program, so being mindful of just getting him back and being smart about how we approach the season and him being at his best September 10th is really the key for us.”

“If we feel like getting him out there with his teammates is going to be worth it, then we’ll end up doing that. But we’re going to do what’s best for Robert and then for our team, being mindful of that date with the Colts.”

WATKINS ADJUSTING TO RAMS’ OFFENSE

The newest addition to the Rams’ offense, wide receiver Sammy Watkins, caughta pair of passes in his debut on Saturday and is expected to see more game action against the Chargers.

During training camp, Watkins said it would take him “about a week and a half” to fully master the Rams’ playbook. After 10 days on the roster, McVay said Watkins “has fit in great with the team” thus far, calling him “a good, natural football player.”

“I thought he made a couple key plays, that third down was a big time play even though it’s a four or five-yard gain, but it moves the chains,” McVay said Monday. “The first play of 7-on-7, he makes a big play down the field today.”

“I think you’ll continue to see him get more comfortable and that’ll enable him to be able to play faster where he’s not really thinking and then you can just kind of let your talent show and be the best version of yourself.”

OFFENSIVE LINE AIMS FOR CONSISTENCY

It is no secret the Rams’ offense struggled to protect quarterback Jared Goff in 2016, as he was sacked 26 times in just seven games.

Coming into 2017, the Rams made a pointed effort to reinvigorate the offensive line, bringing in veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan, along with a new offensive line coach in Aaron Kromer. And after an entire training camp and two preseason games, there has been a lot of noticeable improvement from the position group as a whole.

Left guard Rodger Saffold, who is now entering his eighth season as a Ram, said Monday the new additions to the line have provided the team with a heightened level of chemistry and focus.

“To have some of those veteran guys to help out on both sides… Whit and Sully those are two guys who make it a lot easier to be able to see things, and we’re able to adjust off of each other, so it’s getting better and better,” Saffold said of the line’s progress. “I think that Jamon Brown and Rob Havenstein are both getting really good at doing their roles and they are starting to perfect their technique, which is going to do nothing but help us come September 10th.”

The veteran guard also touched on the major differences in this season’s outlook, stressing the added accountability placed on the line under Kromer and McVay.

“We’re constantly challenged,” he said. “And I think that’s what has allowed the level of play to step up in the right direction. We’re seeing guys making giant strides that we didn’t see last year.”

PRESS POINTS

A bit of the media attention following today’s practice was focused on something other than the field — the solar eclipse. On Sunday, McVay said he didn’t know too much about the eclipse and was asked again on Monday whether or not he had watched it. Check out what he had to say below:

On whether or not he watched the solar eclipse today: “I did not. I saw a good couple jabs that people took at me about that with the shades coming down on me.”

On if any of the players watched the eclipse: “They did. A lot of the guys were talking about it today. It was something that you heard guys frequently discussing. I was just holed up in the office with no window and I didn’t see it.”

Unbelievable! Incompetence should not be rewarded.



Btw there's someone named Scooby writing articles for SI.com now.
****************************************
Report: Roger Goodell Close to Receiving Contract Extension
SCOOBY AXSON

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is close to receiving another contract extension, reports Sports Business Journal.

Though a deal is most likely to get done, those talks for Goodell's new deal have not progressed, ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reports.

Goodell, 58, has been the top executive in the nation's most popular sport since Sept. 1, 2006, when he succeeded Paul Tagliabue.

Goodell's current contract ends in 2019 and his new deal will extend him until the year 2024.

While no terms were reported, the new deal is expected to be similar to his past deal with compensation exceeding $30 million.

Goodell made $44 million in the 2013–14 fiscal year and $34 million the next year. His salary and bonuses don't have to be reported anymore as the NFL dropped from being a tax-exempt, not-for-profit company in 2015.

Through his tenure as the commissioner, Goodell has had to deal with several issues, including player discipline and safety, and team scandals such as the New England Patriots' dealing in Spygate and Deflategate and Bountygate involving the New Orleans Saints.

Labor peace has also been an issue, with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire in 2020. The NFL survived a lockout in 2011, before the owners and the union reached an agreement.

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith told The MMQB last week that an NFL strike or lockout in 2021 is 'almost a virtual certainty.'

http://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2...oger-goodell-is-getting-a-contract-extension/



4 reasons Roger Goodell is getting a contract extension
By: Michael Colangelo

Roger Goodell is a great punching bag for fans and the media. He always seems to do the wrong thing. He over-suspends — Brady and Deflategate — or under-suspends — Ray Rice — players every time he gets power over discipline. He has a contentious relationship with DeMaurice Smith of the NFLPA. He has been slow to react to the changing media landscape.

He angered two of the most powerful owners in the NFL — Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft. For all of the above issues, he will be rewarded with a five-year contract extension. For all the mistakes made by Goodell, here is why he is being extended:

1. The man knows how to make money
Plain and simple the growth of the league has never been higher under Goodell. Prior to his role as commissioner, he worked with NFL International and was one of the leads on new content and television rights deals. He might not be good at doling out discipline, but he is great at increasing the NFL’s bottom line. That’s simply not debatable. He knows how to make money.

He knows how to sell the NFL. He understands the need for new products and new partners. Just look at what he did to sell Thursday Night Football rights to tech companies. The rights aren’t even exclusive and he’s still squeezing money out of these deals.

We haven’t even discussed relocation fees owners have been able to receive. Public funding for stadiums still exist. League expansion is constantly being discussed. International growth is finally starting to gain traction.

This is the most important thing to owners. They all want to win, but in the end, they all care about making money more. They understand that although Goodell doesn’t always make good operational decisions when it comes to actual football, he knows how to make money. He knows how to grow the game. He understands the economics better than almost anyone involved. It’s Goodell’s best skill, and it’s his most important skill.

2. He’s a great and willing target
Goodell seems to understand that there’s no way to please everybody. He has to do what he thinks is right for the game. He has to do what is best for 32 constituents. That may mean being booed in New England. It may mean having fans fly over his vacation home with derogatory remarks attached to a plane. It may mean thousands of people wearing a shirt that depicts him as a clown. He’s a target, and there’s simply no way getting around it.

The NFL owners like that. They don’t want to be the objects of scorn. Goodell isn’t the one making money off of players who may suffer head injuries that lead to CTE. It’s not Goodell’s money that goes into the salary pool — or is hidden from the salary pool. And, it’s not his desire to make money hand over fist while leveraging stadium deals with local governments.

Most of the time the owners would be the villains. No one cheers for billionaires who take advantage of their fans and labor pool. But, it’s never the owners that get the criticism that Goodell receives. He’s a willing target and owners can’t buy that type of protection — well they can, and it comes with a five-year extension.

3. Continuity matters
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement runs out prior to the 2021 season. Roger Goodell’s contract runs out in 2019. That’s a problem. Two years is not enough time for new leadership to take control of the league, understand its problems, engage and build relationships with the players and NFLPA leadership, and negotiate any new television deals that are coming up at the same time of the CBA.

Goodell almost made it necessary that the NFL keep him around. The NFLPA is already telling everyone who will listen a work-stoppage is coming. The commissioner has a history of dealing with them and has already gotten one CBA negotiation done without actually missing any games.

Commissioners don’t lose their jobs unless they want to or unless they really mess up. Gary Bettman has been the commissioner of the NHL forever. David Stern basically had a lifetime appointment with the NBA until he retired.

Bud Selig stepped down, but he could’ve stayed on if he wanted. Continuity is extremely important. It helps with players associations but also helps with business partners who have done deals with current leadership. Goodell leaving in 2019 would have created unnecessary chaos.

4. He’s not that bad
I know this is impossible to say to Cowboys fans — or Patriots, Saints or Dolphins fans — but Goodell isn’t as bad as everyone makes him out to be. It’s fun to flip out in the current internet age. Roger Goodell has a thankless job. There is no winning.

In the end, he’s avoided lockouts and grown the game. He also is hopefully gaining important institutional and experiential knowledge that no one else could have without what he’s gone through. Goodell doesn’t want controversy, it just happens because someone is always going to disagree with him at every decision.

He’s done what has been asked. He’s made many — A TON — of mistakes. The hope is that he will learn from there and continue growth. He’s also had numerous success stories.

Commissioner of the NFL is a pretty thankless position. He’s never going to be loved by all players and fans. Adam Silver has an amazing Q-rating and there are still people mad at him for decisions he makes. Goodell is in charge of the most popular sport in the United States.

He’s been criticized left and right. The thing is, he isn’t an employee of the fans. He’s an employee of the 32 owners in the NFL. For those 32 people, he’s done a fine job. That means there was little chance he wouldn’t be extended.

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Former Rams coach Mike Martz: Sean McVay a QB expert? 'Wait a minute while I puke'
NFL

• Thomas Lott Omnisport
  
  
  Updated at 9:19 a.m. ET
  
  
  Former Rams head coach Mike Martz does not think Sean McVay was the right head coach for second-year QB Jared Goff.
  
  "This guy is a quarterback expert? An offensive expert? Wait a minute while I puke," Martz said, in an excerpt from Thomas George's upcoming book, "Blitzed: Why NFL Teams Gamble on Starting Rookie Quarterbacks."
  
  
  "Right, he's going to be able to teach and handle and guide Jared through tough times because of all of his expertise and knowledge? Right. I'm not going to drink that Kool-Aid."
  
  McVay was hired as the Rams head coach this offseason after spending the previous three years as the Redskins' offensive coordinator. In his time with Washington Kirk Cousins had two 4,000-yard passing seasons along with two seasons of 25 or more touchdown passes.
  
  But his head coach was also Jay Gruden who is known as a quarterback guru and a great offensive coordinator and he got a lot of credit for the team's offensive success. McVay, who is 31 years old, got some of the credit, but many didn't know his name when the Rams announced him as their head coach during the offseason.
  
  Meanwhile Martz, who was the offensive coordinator for the Rams when they won their Super Bowl in 1999 and was the head coach of the team when the Rams lost the Super Bowl in 2000, worked out both Goff and Eagles QB Carson Wentz prior to the 2016 draft. He thought both could succeed but said Goff was not put into a position to succeed with the Jeff Fisher regime in Los Angeles during his rookie season.
  
  "I watched the Rams offense last season. It was awful football," Martz continued in the excerpt. "There was nobody there on that staff that could teach him, develop him. You have a high-value guy like that and he went to the worst offensive place, the Rams."
  
  READ THIS
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    http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/b2/2a/goff-jared-081217-getty-ftr_tgdqap93g8ov1af4aya9ptr3g.jpg?t=-642425763&w=178
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    http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/omnisport/5/6f/sean-mcvay-032917-usnews-getty-ftr_ls9frcrnraoe17f8ai8hgkht0.jpg?t=463006475&w=178
  Goff completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,089 yards as a rookie but had a less-than-stellar TD-to-INT ratio (5-7). Now, Martz said the Rams are just hiring a friend for Goff and not a coach that can give him the instruction he needs.
  
  "What is he, a couple of months older than Jared?" he asked. "They hired a buddy for Jared. The NFL has nothing to do with being the friend or the buddy of the quarterback. You've got to coach them and work them hard with respect. But buddy?"
  

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I rewatched all 33 snaps Jamon Brown had vs the Raiders. Here is my unbiased report offered up to ROD.

Jamon Brown vs Raiders

Summary: Jamon showed very quick feet, good power and good assignment awareness knowing who to block and where to go on each play. He stood up well on several occasions vs defensive plays of the year Khalil Mack. He also went up against rookies 94 Eddie Vanderdoes (3rd rounder) and 90 Trayvon Hester (7th round) and won almost every battle. Jamon needs work on locking on to defenders to sustain his blocks longer and staying balanced in pass pro more consistently. He showed impressive reaction and awareness vs stunts in this game.


Total plays: 33


Rating totals vs Raiders:

Very good - 6
Better than normal plays of Pro Bowl caliber.

Good - 23
Serviceable plays where you did your job.

Bad - 4
Plays where you hurt the team or need work

Very bad - 0
Plays where you got owned.



All 33 plays: (These are my rough chicken scratch notes i jotted down when I reviewed each snap. Please excuse the punctuation, grammar, spelling etc.)

1 run -loses engage man makes tackle or is close. Bad.

2 pass -good sustained protection. Good.

3 run - pulls to left side to help open a hole for Gurley on 3rd and 1. Moves guy back with power. Very good.

4 pass- play action. He slides to left to help sell the play action which results in first down pass to Woods. Good.

5 run - this is the play where Oline moves pile for 9 yards. Brown stonewalls his man on the right side on a nice seal block. Good.

6 run - shoots out to take out #57 right inside linebacker moving him back 8 yards to open hole for Gurley for 9 yards. Very good.

7 pass - play action. This was the big gainer to Everett. Brown shoots out to take out ILB #57, initial push but then quickly disengaged by 57 who then covers up Gurley on the pass. Need to sustain block better with hands. Bad.

8 pass - play action TD to Kupp. Slides left to sell play action. Good.

9 run - blocks NT #94 to left on a Gurley outside zone run to right. Almost lost hand engage but didn't. Sustained seal block for duration of run. Good.

10 pass - the Mack sack splitting the TE's. Brown with initial team chip block on 94 with Havenstein. Then keeps head up but no one else to block really. Good.

11 pass - the dump to Gurley play. Initial chip block on 94 with sully then quick slide to pickup and double Mack with sully as 94 stunts to outside. Super job blocking Mack! Very good.

12 run - Gurley run to left. Brown chips 94 and then try's to shoot out to block LBers but they are already too far away. Looks like either he shouldn't have chipped or shouldn't have shooter out. Not sure. Neutral play but let's go good. Good.

13 pass -slides to block 94 on a Kupp first down pass to right. Nice feet and nice mirroring to his right. No pressure. Good.

14 pass - play action to left. Another play where the whole line student body's left on the fake to Gurley and Goff rolls right. He did his job selling it though Mack rushed fast to force Goff throw away. Good.

15 pass - 1st down pass to Higbee. Good initial punch and block by Brown on 94. Then Mack comes hard to Brown's right on a switch. Brown picks up Mack and 94 curls around Havenstein for a hard pressure. Goff gets it off in time. Brown might have got called for hooking Mack here, but it was a bang bang play and looked like good veteran technique because the hook was gone quickly. Mack is powerful and Brown stood slowed him for at least a second before Mack got loose. Good.

16 run - very nice seal block on #90 while Gurley runs for 8 to the right. Good.

17 pass - Kupp to the 2 yard line. Raiders come with safety blitz to Havenstein with Brown drawing Mack one on one and Sully with #90. Brown fighting intensely to hold off Mack. Everyone needs to Behold this. Mack comes in like a bull ramming Brown two yards back off the spot as Brown is in his pass pro pocket drop. Mack then Rams Brown a 2nd time another yard back while Brown finally finds his footing and locks onto Mack to WWF Mack off balance to the ground. Brown gives up a lot of ground on this play to push the pocket more than ideal but ultimately stops Mack. Because of the fact of who Brown was battling here one on one, he gets a very good. Very Good.

18 run - gurely TD. Brown stands up # 90 and gets about a 1 yard push on him. Gurley runs behind Brown for TD. Good.

19 pass - quick pass - brown slides to right to help double 94. Shows quick feet and recognition. Good.

20 pass - underneath to Malcom Brown. Jamon draws 94 one on one. Holds pocket for sufficient time before 94 finally shakes lose. Pass already thrown. This would have been a pressure or sack if Goff needed extended time but because Jamon held defender for reasonable time he gets positive grade. This play is Another example of how Brown doesn't sustain blocks long like the other lineman which is a concern. But his quick feet, understanding of assignment and initial engagement with defender provides serviceable pass protection. Good.

21 pass - underneath pass to Kupp for 18. Brown doubles DE 91 with Havenstein. Nice assign ment awareness. Which I'll henceforth abbreviate as AA. Brown shows a lot of AA. Good

22 run - up the middle. Brown helps center push NT back 3 yards for nice 3 yard gain. Good.

23 run - to right side. Brown shoots out to find a LB to push. Doesn't really locate anyone. Pushes pile around in a nice 5 yard gain by Malcom. Good.

24 pass - first down to Sammy. Short pass. Brown Mirrors 90 nicely in pass protection. Again provided nice pass protection for adequate pocket time but right at the end his guy sort of starts shaking free compared to how our other lineman stonewall guys a Bit longer. Good.

25 run - chip blocks 90 then shoots out to get second level block can't find a man then safety # 27 runs right past him. #90 gets half tackle because brown didn't chip him long enough. This seems to be a timing thing and coachable. I'll
Give him bad here just because his guy made the play and it's something he will need to work on to be a complete blocker. Bad

26 pass - WR screen to Sammy for not much. Brown shoots out quickly but doesn't get there in time to get a block.
Good AA of where he is supposed to be. Maybe needs to work on finding someone to block a little better. Good.

27 pass - quick pass to Kupp to the left for 1st down. Brown initial good setup to block 94 then gets off balance and loses his man. Would have been sack or pressure if it wasn't a quick pass. Need to work on staying balanced and locking on with hands. Bad.

28 pass - play action pass to Everett to the right. Another student body left for the Oline. Brown sells it fine. Good.

29 pass - Sammy TD drop. Brown fighting hard with 94. Mirrors good but gets pushed off balance. A little shaky but does the job of giving Goff just enough time. Good.

30 pass - underneath to Malcom. Initial block on 94 Who stunts with #47, Brown seamlessly switched picking up 47 perfectly and stonewalls 47 backwards for perfect team pass pro. Very good.

31 run - shoots out and power blocks #57 out of the play. Moves 57 completely out of play with power and hand usage. Very good.

32 pass - Brown blocks 94 into Havenstein on handoff then picks up 97 perfectly. Good.

33 pass - quick pass to Kupp bringing on Fg unit. Brown fires out to try to pickup a block for Kupp on the WR screen. Nothing to block. Nice AA. Good.


End of first half. Brown done for the night.

Cowboys Dodged A Bullet When Jerry Jones Tried And Failed To Trade Up For Paxton Lynch
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ried-and-failed-to-trade-up-for-paxton-lynch/

The Broncos have named Trevor Siemian their starting quarterback, and that’s a major indictment of Paxton Lynch: A year after Denver chose Lynch in the first round of the NFL draft, he’s failed to beat out a former seventh-rounder who was already on the roster. Obviously, if the Broncos had known at the time that Lynch was no better than Siemian, they never would have drafted Lynch.

Which serves as a good reminder of just how lucky the Cowboys got during the 2016 NFL draft, when Jerry Jones badly wanted Lynch in Dallas.

Jones said after the first round of the 2016 draft ended that he had been working hard to move up and get Lynch, but before he could get a deal done, the Broncos moved up to the 26th overall pick and took Lynch themselves. Jones even acknowledged that he was willing to overpay to acquire Lynch, and said his son Stephen Jones had to prevent him from selling the farm to get Lynch.

As it turned out, of course, the Cowboys took Dak Prescott in the fourth round of the draft. Prescott stepped in for the injured Tony Romo last year, led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC and won the rookie of the year award.

So as Prescott heads into his second season as the established franchise quarterback, and Lynch heads into his second season as Siemian’s backup, the Cowboys can thank their lucky stars that Jones wasn’t able to draft the quarterback he really wanted.

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I haven't heard anything about him after the cheap shot he took. Any news?