NFC West Q&A: Who will win the division, and how many teams will make the playoffs?

ESPN.com

Alden Gonzalez, Los Angeles Rams reporter: I have the Seahawks winning the division, pretty easily, and nobody else making the playoffs.

The 49ers are rebuilding under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan; they made some nice moves through free agency and the draft but have a ways to go. The Rams aren’t necessarily in a rebuilding phase, but they also have brought in a new head coach, are coming off a 4-12 season and have sported the NFL’s least-productive offense in each of the past two seasons. They’re probably still at least a year away.

Then there are the Cardinals. They were a popular Super Bowl pick heading into the 2016 season, but a lot has happened since. Mainly, Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald got a year older and the Cardinals finished with a 7-8-1 record. They then lost several important pieces on defense and didn’t necessarily get better on either side of the ball.

The Cardinals just don’t seem to have enough to make the playoffs, and they definitely don’t have enough to catch the Seahawks. I’m not sure how much longer this Seahawks defense will be dominant. But it should happen for at least another year, especially with safety Earl Thomas back. Seattle's offense will be better, as well, with Eddie Lacy in its backfield. I still have questions about the Seahawks' offensive line, but this roster, if healthy, should be good enough to coast to a division title.

Nick Wagoner, San Francisco 49ers reporter:The Seahawks will be the only NFC West team to make the postseason. The NFC West's days of dominance have come to an end. While the Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers made this the toughest division in football in the recent past, that is no longer the case. The Niners had the biggest fall of all and are now in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild. Although they won't admit it, the Rams are in the same situation and have a long way to go to get to the postseason. Arizona boasts a lot of talent, especially on defense, and could sneak its way back into the mix, but it's fair to wonder if Palmer is still good enough to lead that charge. Seattle would be considered more vulnerable to a drop-off in a better division, but having the best defense and quarterback in the division, combined with plenty of big-game experience, should land the Seahawks their fourth division crown in five years and sixth straight postseason appearance.

Sheil Kapadia, Seattle Seahawks reporter: It will be a two-team race for the division between the Seahawks and Cardinals. Both teams will get into the playoffs, but Seattle gets the nod here as NFC West champs. The Seahawks' defense is loaded, even though it’s getting a little bit older, and a healthy Russell Wilson will go a long way in the offense bouncing back from a lackluster 2016 campaign. But the Cardinals have a legitimate shot to finish first. Offensively, there are question marks, but David Johnson is the most dynamic playmaker in the division. I really liked Arizona's draft; Haason Reddick and Budda Baker have a chance to be impact players right away on what was already a strong defense. The race to clinch the division should go down to the wire, and who knows, maybe we’ll even get another 6-6 overtime tie.


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The Atlanta Falcons' new stadium will sell food and beer at unbelievably low prices

In a world of constant inflation and outrageous stadium food prices, the Atlanta Falcons could emerge as one of the most fan-friendly teams in all of sports.

Atlanta's new home turf, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is set to open its doors on August 26, and once it does, Falcons fans will be able to buy concessions at prices most fans can only dream of. ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted an image of the intended rates on Tuesday.



Buying expensive stadium concessions can be frustrating for fans. In 2015, for example, the combined price of a hot dog, a soda and a small beer at a San Francisco 49ers game was $22, meaning a group of four could easily spend upwards of $100 on food.

But that won't be a problem at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — not with its bottom-barrel prices. Fans will be able to purchase that same hot dog meal for just $9, much more in line with grocery-store rates, or perhaps fast-food rates.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he authorized the low prices in an effort to better accommodate the fans.

"We focused from the beginning on building a unique fan experience at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a goal of helping those who visit to leave the stadium with great memories shared with family and friends, not aggravation and frustration about their experience," he said in a statement.

The Falcons will play their first-ever game in the new stadium on September 17, hosting the Green Bay Packers. Expect the concession stands to be just as popular as the action on the field.

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NFLer Tyler Higbee pleads guilty to felony assault, avoids jail time

Former Western Kentucky University football standout and current Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee pleaded guilty in Warren Circuit Court on Friday to assault under extreme emotional disturbance.

Higbee said little during the hearing beyond “yes sir” to questions asked by Warren Circuit Court Judge Steve Wilson.

Bowling Green Police arrested Higbee, 24, in 2016 on charges of second-degree assault, second-degree fleeing or evading police and alcohol intoxication in a public place following an April 10 incident in which he punched a Saudi national, Nawaf Alsaleh, in the face. The assault resulted in Alsaleh sustaining a concussion and brain bleed, according to city police records.

Under the plea agreement, Higbee avoids jail time if he successfully completes a minimum of five years pretrial diversion.

During the diversion period he must pay undisclosed restitution to the victim. He must not violate the penal code or the Controlled Substances Act, must remain drug and alcohol free, be subject to random testing, not own or possess any firearms and perform 250 hours of community service work.

The charges of public intoxication and fleeing police were dismissed as part of the plea.

Assault under extreme emotional disturbance is “many times referred to as a heat of the moment assault,” Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron said.

If Higbee fails to successfully complete the diversion, he could serve two years in prison.

At the end of the diversion period, once successfully completed, the case can be dismissed and expunged from Higbee’s record.

“The main thing we want to convey is Mr. Higbee as well as the victim are happy to put this behind them both. Mr. Higbee wishes him continued good health, and we believe it’s a fair outcome given the circumstances,” Higbee’s attorney Brian Lowder said, adding that Alsaleh has since returned to Saudi Arabia.

At the time of the April 2016 incident Higbee told police he and his girlfriend had been to Dublin’s Irish Pub on State Street where they encountered Alsaleh, who Higbee said bothered his girlfriend, police records show. Higbee said Alsaleh rubbed his head against his and his girlfriend’s faces and was told to stop multiple times.

Higbee and his girlfriend then left and went to the parking lot of Tidballs on Morris Alley to buy food at the Shogun food truck when Alsaleh approached the couple again, records show. Higbee said Alsaleh got into his personal space and he hit Alsaleh one time, knocking him out, records show.


Alsaleh was treated at The Medical Center and then flown to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville after tests showed that he had suffered a concussion as well as a brain bleed.

Witnesses at the scene told BGPD officers that Alsaleh’s hands were down and that two white males were arguing with him before the punch, with one of them yelling ethnic slurs at him.

Lowder said Higbee and Alsaleh have since shaken hands and Higbee has apologized to Alsaleh for the assault.

“The racial slurs were not made by Mr. Higbee,” Lowder said. “The person who made the comments has acknowledged responsibility for having said the things he said.”

Cohron said the state worked with the victim’s attorney, Steve Downey, to ensure that a restitution plan was in place before resolution of the criminal case.

“It is not unusual in cases where there is significant injury for us to allow the resolution of restitution to be addressed up front so as it would be in the best interest of the victim,” Cohron said.

Downey was not immediately available for comment.

Alsaleh was treated at The Medical Center and then flown to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville after tests showed that he had suffered a concussion as well as a brain bleed.

Witnesses at the scene told BGPD officers that Alsaleh’s hands were down and that two white males were arguing with him before the punch, with one of them yelling ethnic slurs at him.

Lowder said Higbee and Alsaleh have since shaken hands and Higbee has apologized to Alsaleh for the assault.

“The racial slurs were not made by Mr. Higbee,” Lowder said. “The person who made the comments has acknowledged responsibility for having said the things he said.”

Cohron said the state worked with the victim’s attorney, Steve Downey, to ensure that a restitution plan was in place before resolution of the criminal case.

“It is not unusual in cases where there is significant injury for us to allow the resolution of restitution to be addressed up front so as it would be in the best interest of the victim,” Cohron said.

Downey was not immediately available for comment.

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Report: Ezekiel Elliott bracing for a suspension
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 14, 2017

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Nearly a year after prosecutors announced that Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott would not face charges over allegations of domestic violence, the NFL continues to investigate the matter. And it’s not looking good for Elliott.

Adam Schefter reported on ESPN today that Elliott and people around him are starting to conclude that the NFL is going to suspend Elliott for the start of the season.

“Ezekiel Elliott at this point in time is bracing for a short suspension,” Schefter said. “Maybe one game, maybe two games, but as one person told me, in quotes, ‘It looks like the NFL is trying to pin something on him.'”

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Schefter suggested that Elliott could be looking at a two-game suspension, forcing him out for Week One against the Giants and Week Two against the Broncos. It’s unclear why Elliott would be suspended only two games, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said when he introduced the league’s domestic violence policy that a six-game suspension would be the standard for a first offense.

Elliott burst onto the scene as one of the league’s brightest young stars last year. This year the NFL may sit one of its brightest stars for the start of the season.

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10 WORST SUPER BOWL-WINNING QBS
BY PRESSROOM

In the NFL, the legacy a quarterback leaves behind and their rank on the all-time list of greatest QBs is determined by a number of factors. Perhaps more so than passing yards, TDs, or career wins, the number of Super Bowl rings a QB has is one of the most significant measurements of their greatness, fair or not.

While some of the greatest QBs of all time, like Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton, and Jim Kelly, never won a ring, some far inferior gunslingers have been able to pilot very strong teams to victory in the Big Game, showing just how inaccurate a measurement “counting the rings” can be when discussing NFL history.

10. Terry Bradshaw

Source: Twitter @sportsphotos

Chuck Noll found the Steelers’ franchise QB down at Louisiana Tech, and took him with the first pick in the 1970 draft.


Source: Twitter @TodoNFL

On one hand, Bradshaw is a Hall of Famer who led the Steelers to four championships in the 70’s (two Super Bowl MVPs), and made four Pro Bowls…On the other hand, those Steelers teams we absolutely loaded with Hall of Famers, and Bradshaw’s career completion percentage is 51.9% with a 212-210 TD-INT ratio.

9. Trent Dilfer

Credit: Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images

Dilfer was a stud at Fresno State, and the Bucs took him sixth overall in 1994. He made a Pro Bowl with Tampa in 1997. In 2000, his only year in Baltimore, Dilfer took over as the Ravens starter midway through the year and game-managed them to a Super Bowl win over the Giants. The Ravens’ suffocating defense forced five turnovers in the game, and Baltimore had two return TDs.

Dilfer became the only starting QB to be released following a Super Bowl win. He’d play for three more teams and have a career TD-INT ratio of 113-129.

8. Ken Stabler


Source: Twitter @TheSportPics

The late Stabler led the Raiders over Tarkenton’s Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Though that 1976 season was probably Snake Stabler’s best, his career was wildly inconsistent, with a TD-INT ratio of 194-222, though he did make four Pro Bowls.

Every dog has his day, though, and when The Snake eventually makes it into the Hall of Fame, it will be in part to his outdueling Tarkenton that day, along with his offense that included four other Hall of Famers.

7. Mark Rypien


Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Sport

Rypien took over as Washington’s starter in 1989 and had a Pro Bowl year, throwing for 22 touchdowns and 13 picks. His best season was 1991, when the QB threw for 3,500 yards and 28 TDs, made the Pro Bowl again, and led Washington to a Super Bowl win.


Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Sport

The following year, Rypien’s TD-INT ratio was 13-17, and he would never play in more than 12 games again.

6. Brad Johnson


Credit: Allen Steele/Getty Images Sport

Johnson was largely a backup in his time at Florida State and went in the ninth round of the 1992 draft to the Vikings. The journeyman Johnson would move on to Washington where he was solid in 1999 and made the Pro Bowl.

The pinnacle of Johnson’s career was 2002 in Tampa when he made the Pro Bowl again after throwing 22 TDs and only six INTs, and led a loaded Bucs team to a Super Bowl win. He was a solid, but not spectacular player.

5. Joe Theismann

Source: Twitter @CoachDanDodd

Coming out of Notre Dame, Theismann first went to the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts before joining the Redskins in 1974. Theismann had a good couple seasons in 1982 and ’83, going to consecutive Pro Bowls and Super Bowls, winning the first, then losing the second to Jim Plunkett.

The QB is probably most widely remembered for his gruesome, career-ending injury in the form of a broken leg at the hands of Lawrence Taylor. His career completion of 56.7% isn’t nearly as memorable.

4. Jim McMahon


Source: Twitter @Mike_Uva

McMahon starred at BYU, and was the number five overall pick of the Bears in 1982. 1985 was McMahon’s hallmark year, he led the supremely talented Bears to a Super Bowl win and made the Pro Bowl, even though his TD-INT ratio was 15-11.

In his seven seasons in the Windy City, McMahon never completed 60% of his passes and only threw 10 more TDs than INTs in his career.

3. Jim Plunkett


Source: Twitter @Super70sSports

The Heisman trophy-winning Plunkett came into the league with much fanfare as the number one overall pick to the Patriots in 1971. The Stanford grad would have a statistically subpar career, throwing 164 TDs and 198 picks, and a QB rating of 67.5.

That said, Plunkett was able to lead the Raiders to Super Bowl wins in 1980 and 1983, and was the MVP of the first game. In his career, Plunkett never made a Pro Bowl and was 72-72 as a starter.

2. Doug Williams


Source: Twitter @redskinsfacts

Williams was a star at Grambling under coaching legend Eddie Robinson, and was taken 17th overall in 1978 by the Buccaneers. After five subpar seasons with the Bucs, then three with the USFL, Williams went to Washington, and in 1987, played the game of his career in the Super Bowl, dominating Elway’s Broncos 42-10.

That Super Bowl was Williams’ one shining moment as his career completion percentage was 49.5% and he only threw seven more touchdowns than interceptions.

1. Joe Namath


Source: Twitter @NeurOptimal

Broadway Joe chose to go to the AFL’s Jets who took him first overall in their draft in 1965, over the more established NFL’s Cardinals who took him 12th. Namath was a four-time AFL All-Star and made the Pro Bowl in 1972. He’s most remembered for his guarantee of victory over the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl III, a game the Jets won, helping to legitimize the AFL’s standing in the football world.

It’s not too difficult to argue that Namath is only in the Hall of Fame because of that Super Bowl. He was a career 50% passer who threw 47 more picks than touchdowns.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-defensive-line-techniques-the-2017-prototypes

Defensive Line Techniques - The 2017 Prototypes
BY BRETT WHITEFIELD

In 2011, PFF’s Sam Monson identified the leagues prototypes for each defensive line technique. Fast forward to 2017, and defensive fronts have changed dramatically along with the types of players NFL teams are searching for as positional prototypes.

Today, we examine the updated version, so-to-speak, on how the classic defensive line techniques have changed and who the current prototype is for each alignment. While their may be variances or more nuances to the naming system for each technique, we will use the defensive line numbering system below as a reference.



Essentially, the numbering begins from head up over the center, and works its way outward in either direction. Each shade along the way will receive its own number or contain an ‘i’ modifier, which stands for “inside”. Moving across the front you will see that even numbers are head up alignments, odd numbers are outside shaded alignments and those containing an ‘i’ are traditionally shading just inside.

0-TECHNIQUE (3-4 NT) – DAMON HARRISON, NEW YORK GIANTS

The 0-technique, also called the Nose Tackle (NT), plays directly over the center or “head-up” on him. The 0-Tech is generally responsible for defending both gaps between the center and the guard (A-gaps) and is most often used in a 3-4 defensive front.

His main job is to shut the run game down from pushing directly up the middle. To do this, he must control the center while often drawing a double team from either guard. That is why the heaviest players in the NFL typically play NT in the 3-4 front. They use a combination of their massive size and strength to anchor and win against blockers at the point of attack.

Harrison stands 6-foot-3 and over 340 pounds, and uses every bit of that size to dominate the run game. Dominate isn’t overselling it either as no interior defender has been more destructive against the run since he entered the league in 2012.

During that time, he leads all interior defenders in run stops (166) and run-stop percentage (14.9 percent). That career run-stop rate would have led the league by a distance among all defensive tackles in 2016, and in fact every other year of the past decade.

The 0-technique spot doesn’t typically generate large amounts of pressure on the quarterback, but with more hybrid single gap 3-4 fronts being utilized these days, you will find coordinators using smaller, explosive players to shoot one of the A-gaps and get to the quarterback quickly, particularly in sub packages.

New England has recently done this with Trey Flowers in passing situations who racked up 18 pressures rushing from 0-tech last season which was almost double the next closest defender.

Alternative prototypes: Danny Shelton, Alan Branch.



1-TECHNIQUE (4-3 NT) – DAMON HARRISON, NYG

The 1-technique is also referred to as Nose Tackle, and is very similar to 0-technique in that they both play over the center. The defining difference between the two, is the 1-technique shades over one of the shoulders of the center and usually is responsible for just one gap.

The 1-technique, like the 0-tech, is expected to take on double teams from the center and guard which produces one-on-one matchups for the rest of the defensive line, allowing them to attack the backfield. The difference is that this alignment has been most often used with a 4-3 front.

From 2012 to 2015, we saw Harrison establish him as the prototype 0-tech and after switching teams in 2016, Harrison established himself as the prototype 1-tech as well. Whatever defensive front you run, Damon Harrison is the nose tackle you want in the middle of it.

Harrison is that good, and in his first year as a 1-tech he racked up ten more run stops than the next closest interior defender, while also leading the league in run-stop percentage at 15.8. A good 1-technique can make the lives of the entire defensive front seven easier, so it is no surprise to see the Giants defense elevate their play the way they did last season.

Alternative prototypes: Linval Joseph, Chris Baker.

3-TECHNIQUE (4-3 PASS RUSH TACKLE) – AARON DONALD, LOS ANGELES RAMS

Arguably, the most well-known alignment technique is 3-tech. 3-technique is the premier interior pass-rushing alignment in every defense. While 4-3 defenses feature a player aligned in a 3-technique on most snaps, even 3-4 defenses use the alignment on most passing downs in today’s NFL.

Unlike the nose tackle, this alignment was designed to put the 3-tech one on one with an offensive lineman, allowing him to attack the B-gap (between guard and tackle), and the position’s success is predicated almost entirely on penetration.

Whether defending the run or rushing the passer the 3-technique’s focus is to wreak havoc in the backfield. Typically, the most athletic defensive interior players play this spot on passing downs regardless of their alignment on base downs.

When thinking about a prototypical 3-technique, think Aaron Donald who is 6-foot-1 and roughly 285 pounds. In a short time, Donald has changed how the league defines a “prototype” 3-technique, shaving weight and size from the previous standards in favor of speed, quickness and leverage. Donald is a bit smaller compared to former successful 3-techniques but significantly more athletic.

Donald’s production on the field is dragging the league’s standards for the position in his direction. Since entering the league, no 3-tech has been more effective against the run or the pass. His career run stop percentage of 11.0 percent is the best among 3-techniques in that span and he has led his position in pass-rush productivity in each of the past two seasons.
Alternative prototypes: Geno Atkins, Kawann Short, Gerald McCoy.



4 OR 5-TECHNIQUE (3-4 DE) – J.J. WATT, HOUSTON TEXANS

Over the past few seasons, arguably no position in football has changed more than the 3-4 defensive end spot. With multiple-front defenses becoming more popular, combined with the fact that nickel defense has become the new base, 3-4 DEs find themselves playing all over the defensive front. In its most traditional form, much like the 0-technique, the position was a two-gap player, lining up directly over the offensive tackle and being responsible for the B and C gaps on his side of the formation.

These players are typically long and stout with a skill set that allows them to stack big offensive tackles and shed them in order to make a play on the ball carrier. As the league has developed into more of a pass-happy landscape, so the position has developed into one that plays the pass first and run second, and the amount of two-gapping done in today’s league is a fraction of what it was ten or more years ago.

These defensive ends are moved around across multiple techniques and are far more likely to be operating in one gap and looking to penetrate into the backfield.

The prototype 3-4 DE is easily J.J Watt. He is both long at 6-foot-5 with 34-inch arms, and heavier than a 4-3 DE at 295 pounds, which allows him to play the traditional 5-technique position, holding his gap on run downs.

In sub packages, Watt moves all over the front playing both on the edge and inside at 3-technique. This is common among the league’s best 3-4 DEs. In Watt’s last full year of action, he led the league among 3-4 DEs in run stops (37) and in pass-rush productivity (12.4).

Alternative prototypes: Calais Campbell, Leonard Williams, Jurrell Casey.



7 & 6-TECHNIQUES (4-3 DE, 3-4 OLB) – KHALIL MACK, OAKLAND RAIDERS

Another area the NFL has changed is the way defensive coordinators try to get pressure on the quarterback. In the past, the league’s best pass rushers rushed from the right side, the quarterbacks “blind side”. Thus, the 7-technique was often used by teams that run a 4-3 on the left side of the defense as the run-stuffing, power end and in some fronts, was referred to as the “Closed End”.

This player lined up in the gap between the right tackle and tight end, or head up on a tight end (6-tech) and was considered the edge-setter in the run game. This player had to be big and strong enough to stuff the run but athletic enough to beat the right tackle to cause pressure.

While this is still certainly true for some defenses in today’s NFL, offenses are far more balanced now, and right tackles have to deal with just as many of the league’s most fearsome pass rushers as their blindside counterparts. In fact, most of the league’s most devastating pass rushers are seen weekly going against right tackles one-on-one.

Khalil Mack is the prototype for the new take on the position. In 2016, Mack lead the league in pass-rush productivity at 15.0 and while he is smaller in stature than 6/7-techniques of past, he is athletic enough to make a major impact in the run game. His 32 run stops ranked third among all edge defenders.

Alternative prototypes: Cameron Jordan, Joey Bosa.



9-TECHNIQUE (4-3 DE, 3-4 OLB) – VON MILLER, DENVER BRONCOS

The 9-technique is primarily a pass-rush specialized alignment and is only used outside of those confines by a handful of teams. Players lined up in 9-technique are far outside of the offensive tackle and rely heavily on speed and bend to crush the edge. With no blockers near the 9-technique they are able to hit full speed before either making a distinctive move or using a low center of gravity to bend the edge flying by the offensive tackle.

In many cases, the offensive tackle will anticipate the speed rush and over commit to the outside making themselves susceptible for an inside counter move. It is a technique that comes in and out of vogue in the NFL, because all of that extra width opens up significant space along the line that can be exploited by the offense.

Von Miller can play in any edge technique, but he is the leagues prototypical rusher from the 9-technique. Miller uses a variety of moves to beat opposing offensive tackles but one that sticks out is his bull-rush. Miller will use his speed to get the offensive tackles feet moving and then devastate them converting his speed to a powerful bull-rush.

Almost 28 percent of Miller’s 79 pressures in 2016 came from the bull-rush. This number is substantially higher than other elite pass rushers like Mack (16 percent), Jordan (15 percent)) and Olivier Vernon (eight percent).

Alternative prototypes: Cliff Avril, Brandon Graham.

LA Rams To Pay At Least $550m For Relocation As Team Value Doubles, St. Louis Lawsuit Rages On
The after effects of the Rams’ move to LA are still filtering out...
by 3k Jul 14, 2017, 7:39am PDT

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...-relocation-st-louis-fee-lawsuit-stan-kroenke

When NFL Owners approved the relocation of the Rams back to Los Angeles from St. Louis, they set in motion a number of events.

Yes, the Rams themselves moved. But the approval also kicked into gear the relocation of the San Diego Chargers to LA as well as the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas. The ramifications of those moves continue to play out with three major storylines this week.

Skyrocketing value
In St. Louis In 2015, the Rams were estimated by Forbes to be worth $775m that I will not link to because it’s the most annoying, worst-designed slideshow on the internet. Last year, that value doubled to $1.4b. Now? The franchise valuation has exploded as they are now the 12th-most valuable sports franchise on Earth worth $2.9b.

It’s worth remembering that Kroenke paid $80m for his initial 40% stake in the Rams in 1995. That 40% stake is now worth $1.16b, a net profit of $1.08b.

It’s not hard to understand why Kroenke wanted to move the team. The ridiculous amount of wealth he’s accumulated in the move alone, to say nothing of the expansive development in Inglewood, is staggering.

Pay day
Both the Rams and the Chargers will pay a relocation fee of $645m over the next decade on a 10-year loan to the other 30 teams. The fee is essentially an incentive against relocating, but also a way to disperse valuation increases throughout the league. As mentioned above just by moving the team, Kroenke essentially created more than $2b in value in his holdings. The 31 other owners were going to want some kind of payment to allow him to do so. It’s just how cartels work.

So the Chargers will reap the benefit of the Los Angeles market (their own valuation jumped 36% to cross the $2b mark) and the other 30 teams will get a $40m cash windfall (none of which will go to the players, FWIW).

The Raiders meanwhile will pay a lesser $378m fee over 10 years beginning when they move to Las Vegas.

Rams seek arbitration in suit in St. Louis
There was a minor development in the lawsuit filed by the city of St. Louis, St. Louis county, and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority against the Rams this week.

The suit contends the Rams, and the NFL, broke the terms of their contracts by lying about relocation for years prior to the move and in doing so led those entities to spend capital that they otherwise wouldn’t have had the Rams not suggested they were staying in St. Louis.

The Rams moved this week to dismiss the case on two counts or to have the suit dealt with through arbitration instead of heard in front of a jury in St. Louis.

We’ll have to see if either of the two dismissal motions are upheld. If not, the call for arbitration could be interesting as it relies upon the terms of the lease the Rams signed in moving to St. Louis in 1995, a lease they terminated themselves.

It’s hardly the first shady move on behalf of Kroenke and the Rams since relocating. In March of last year as the Rams were out the door, they hit the 2016 free agency period trying to negotiate contracts as if they were remaining in St. Louis. The reason? worker’s compensation in California is much more pro-employee than in Missouri.

The suit will likely be the last avenue of closure for the St. Louis area. There is no timetable on a decision on the three motions.

A ‘Nothing’ Season for Rams Turns Into Compelling TV

by Kalyn Kahler

What’s interesting about an NFL team losing 75 percent of its games and firing its head coach before the end of the season? Plenty, as the NFL Films creators behind the Amazon Original series ‘All or Nothing’ learned

On Dec. 12, in a team meeting room, Los Angeles Rams punter Johnny Hekker fights back tears as he stands to address his teammates.
“That man is gone because of us,” Hekker says.

He’s talking about head coach Jeff Fisher, who has just left the room for the last time. Some of his former players openly sob, others sit in stunned silence, processing the fact that their leader was fired that morning.

The aftermath of Jeff Fisher’s post-Week 14 dismissal is one of the most compelling scenes from NFL Films Amazon Original series, All or Nothing: A Season with the Los Angeles Rams. In its first season, the series followed the 2015 Arizona Cardinals, a 13-3 team that was one win away from reaching the Super Bowl. This season in L.A. went an entirely different direction—a franchise on the move, a losing season, and organizational dysfunction. The MMQB talked to NFL Films coordinating producer and All or Nothing show runner Keith Cossrow and the director of the series, Shannon Furman, about the challenges of making the 4-12 Rams season into a compelling series of binge TV.

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Orlando Pace: Bruce & Holt Deserve to Be in the Hall of Fame –Video

Hall of Famer Orlando Pace talks about which of his former teammates deserve to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Watch Pace Talk HOF

NFC West Q&A: Who is on the hottest seat in the division?

Les Snead's job security would get a big boost if Jared Goff shows major improvement in his second season. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Les Snead's job security would get a big boost if Jared Goff shows major improvement in his second season.

Who is on the hottest seat in the NFC West?

Alden Gonzalez, Los Angeles Rams reporter: Snead. He came in around the same time as former coach Jeff Fisher, received an extension with Fisher, but wasn't let go alongside Fisher. When the Rams fired Fisher toward the end of the 2016 season, COO Kevin Demoff said everybody was under review, including Snead. It wasn't until the new coach, Sean McVay, was brought in that Snead's job status for 2017 solidified.

Snead is now one of few Rams executives or coaches who remain from 2016, not to mention 2012. In this offseason alone, an entirely new coaching staff was configured and a handful of scouts were fired. From 2012 to 2016, the Rams finished no better than 7-8-1 and as bad as 4-12. They have yet to construct an adequate offensive line or receiver corps, and they still don't know if they have a franchise quarterback.

A lot of that blame fell on Fisher, who had most of the control. But the pressure's on Snead to build chemistry with McVay and make the type of prudent moves that can finally steer this franchise in the right direction. The Rams badly want to be legitimate playoff contenders by the time they move into their new stadium in 2020, especially with the Chargers now giving them competition in the market.

Read Complete Article
[www.espn.com]

Sorry I'm too far regressed from tech savvy, but in his latest talk about the four teams that he hope he doesn't hear from, he talks about what a true fan is. Long story short, I might be stupid, might be crazy. But who cares? I'm a fan.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...have-been-fun-to-win-super-bowl-in-cleveland/

Kurt Warner on ’99 expansion draft: It would have been fun to win Super Bowl in Cleveland
Posted by Charean Williams on July 13, 2017

Getty Images

In 1999, the Browns used the 29th spot in the expansion draft on Scott Milanovich of the Buccaneers and then selected Tim Couch No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. Milanovich never threw a pass for the Browns, and Couch lasted only five seasons, going 22-37 with 64 touchdowns and 67 interceptions.

The Browns have had 26 other starting quarterbacks besides Couch, and are yet to find a franchise signal caller.

But the Browns could have had that guy in 1999 when the Rams left Kurt Warner unprotected in the expansion draft. Warner, of course, was a nobody then, having thrown only 11 career passes.

Warner said Thursday nothing would have changed for him, except the team he played for, but the Browns would have won a Super Bowl with him if they had foresight.

“Had I gone to Cleveland, how would my career be different? I have no idea,” Warner said on a Pro Football Hall of Fame conference call. “It would have been fun to win a Super Bowl in Cleveland, though. But I think when you’re going through the process, and you get to this point I always felt like wherever I was, I would be successful.

A lot of people I think when they see my career, they hear or they remember I sat on the bench for four years in college, got cut by the Packers, worked in a grocery store and then won the Super Bowl. That’s kind of the timeline that people see when they hear Kurt Warner.

When I look at the timeline, I look at it and say, ‘Played one year in college, was player of the year in my conference, I played three years in Arena Football, went to the Arena Bowl twice and was voted the best quarterback in the league all three seasons, went to Europe for a year and was the top quarterback statistically the season I played there.

So I look at it and say every time I played I was successful. Everybody else looks at it and says he didn’t play very much. So there were two different perspectives on it.

“So had I gone to Cleveland, I would have expected nothing else except to have success, somehow, someway, some form. Had I been on the field, I would have expected to play well and have success. . . . I believe had I gone there and had a chance to play, I would have helped that franchise go to places they’ve never been before.

Whether it’s arrogance or confidence or whatever you want to call it, that was my mentality when I stepped between the lines on a football field that I was going to make my team and somehow, someway, I was going to find a way to succeed.”

Things worked out just fine for Warner. Trent Green got hurt; Warner got his chance and won a Super Bowl for the Rams, and he enters the Hall of Fame in the Class of 2017. Meanwhile, the Browns’ search for a quarterback continues.

Who is on the hottest seat in the NFC West?

Josh Weinfuss, Arizona Cardinals reporter: Rams general manager Les Snead. He's in Los Angeles. He has a new coach. He has a top pick as his quarterback. He has a running back with elite capabilities. It's starting to become now or never for Snead. If his team struggles again, it might just be time for owner Stan Kroenke to make a change. There's too much at stake, even if the move-in date for their new stadium is three years away. The Rams can't afford to have another losing season in 2017 and scare off a fickle Los Angeles crowd, which, as everyone knows, loves a winner. Another losing season and the Rams could very likely be all but invisible to the Los Angelenos, who have at least 10 other major sports teams they can watch. And with the Cardinals and Seahawks in control of the division for the time being, the Rams need to start winning to be relevant again in the West.


Alden Gonzalez, Los Angeles Rams reporter: Snead. He came in around the same time as former coach Jeff Fisher, received an extension with Fisher, but wasn't let go alongside Fisher. When the Rams fired Fisher toward the end of the 2016 season, COO Kevin Demoff said everybody was under review, including Snead. It wasn't until the new coach, Sean McVay, was brought in that Snead's job status for 2017 solidified.

Snead is now one of few Rams executives or coaches who remain from 2016, not to mention 2012. In this offseason alone, an entirely new coaching staff was configured and a handful of scouts were fired. From 2012 to 2016, the Rams finished no better than 7-8-1 and as bad as 4-12. They have yet to construct an adequate offensive line or receiver corps, and they still don't know if they have a franchise quarterback.

A lot of that blame fell on Fisher, who had most of the control. But the pressure's on Snead to build chemistry with McVay and make the type of prudent moves that can finally steer this franchise in the right direction. The Rams badly want to be legitimate playoff contenders by the time they move into their new stadium in 2020, especially with the Chargers now giving them competition in the market.

Nick Wagoner, San Francisco 49ers reporter: Snead. The 49ers and Rams were the worst teams in the division a year ago and both made major changes in an effort to right the ship. But while the 49ers started over with a new coach and general manager, the Rams kept Snead on board. Fisher had a lot of say in the team's drafts and Snead was able to survive in part because many of the failed personnel decisions could be attributed to Fisher. Still, this will be Year 6 for Snead, and the Rams haven't posted even a .500 season during his tenure. It's always difficult to try to pair an incumbent general manager with a new head coach after the honeymoon period ends. The Rams will need to make progress this year or they could be seeking a new tag-team partner for McVay.

Sheil Kapadia, Seattle Seahawks reporter: Snead. This is an easy one. The organization finally parted ways with Fisher, and the changes to the coaching staff -- specifically hiring Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator -- should pay dividends. But that means Snead will no longer have a good excuse if this looks like a roster devoid of talent. And specifically, if Jared Goff fails to progress in his second season, it will be tough to make a reasonable case that Snead should keep his job.

http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/126452/who-is-on-the-hottest-seat-in-the-division

http://deadspin.com/richard-sherman-players-have-to-be-willing-to-strike-1796866377

Richard Sherman: "Players Have To Be Willing To Strike"
By Lauren Theisen


Photo: Harry How/Getty Images

In an interview with Jalen Rose, Sherman gave his unsurprisingly unfiltered view on the NFLPA and their need for strength in labor negotiations.

“If we want to get anything done, players have to be willing to strike,” Sherman said. “That’s the thing that guys need to 100 percent realize. You’re going to have to miss games, you’re going to have to lose some money if you’re willing to make the point, because that’s how MLB and NBA got it done.”

Sherman also criticized players for taking huge “fake” contracts inflated with non-guaranteed money, noting that some guys get an ego boost from big numbers, but that those contracts can “pop like a balloon.”

“I think guys need to re-evaluate how they look at contracts,” he said.

The NFL’s last CBA was agreed upon following a lockout in 2011, and it won’t expire until 2020. The last round of labor negotiations resulted in changes that included reduced practices and the rookie salary scale. The NFL hasn’t had a strike, however, since 1987, in a season that infamously featured scab players in three consecutive weeks.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/07/12/richard-sherman-player-need-to-be-willing-to-strike/

By Mike Florio

Sometimes, things need to be said. Even if they invite criticism.

In this case, the things said by Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman should elicit praise. He has become the first star NFL player (who also happens to be a member of the NFL Player Association’s Executive Committee) to say what needs to be said at a time when players throughout the league are confounded by the disparity between NBA and NFL player pay.

To improve their individual pay, NFL players need to improve their collective pay. To improve their collective pay, they need to be willing to strike.

He’s absolutely right, and he needed to say it. When the owners didn’t like the labor deal, they first opted out of the contract and then locked the players out of their livelihood. And the owners were willing to extend the lockout into the regular season. The players weren’t, the owners knew it, and a deal was resolved with only one game (the Hall of Fame exhibition contest) missed.

This doesn’t mean a strike is inevitable. But without the threat of a strike, the players will never get the terms they want, and an imbalance will linger. (If you don’t think there’s an imbalance, consider this: Has any owner complained once about the financial terms of the CBA since it was finalized six years ago?)

Of course, the threat of a strike will be meaningless if they don’t follow through on it. But that’s a story for a different day. For now, the players need to be willing to include “strike” within their potential options for proceeding come 2021.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/ne...front-seven-units-headed-into-the-2017-season

Ranking all 32 team's front seven units headed into the 2017 season
BY LOUIE BENJAMIN

We’re in mid-July which means two things, it’s hot in the northern hemisphere and NFL training camps are approaching rapidly. Over the past few weeks, we’ve ranked all 32 teams offensive lines as a unit and more recently, how each team stacks up in the passing game headed into the 2017 season.

With that in mind, we’ve shifted to the defensive front, more specifically, the defensive front seven. Defensive linemen like Aaron Donald can interrupt games at another level while linebackers like Jerrell Freeman might as well be another defensive back with how well they can cover receivers.

With that, here are our exclusive rankings for each team’s front seven headed into 2017 as a unit:

1.

The Texans Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus make this a formidable unit, but add in arguably the best defensive player the world has seen this decade in J.J. Watt, and they become downright terrifying for opposing quarterbacks.

Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham provide a combination of experience, talent and potential at the linebacker position. D.J. Reader will be looking to improve upon his promising rookie season while taking on a larger role filling the void left by Vince Wilfork’s departure. Reader’s 7.3 pass-rush productivity topped all rookie interior defenders in 2016.



2.

The Seahawks boast the most productive linebacker duo of 2016 in Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, who both graded in the top eight last season. Michael Bennett is still effective as a versatile chess piece, while Frank Clark and Cliff Avril both finished in the top eight of pass-rush productivity among 4-3 defensive ends last season.

Avril’s 12.1 and Clark’s 10.9 pass-rush productivity marks ranked them fourth and eight, respectively. It will be interesting to see how the Seahawks use the highly talented Malik McDowell, their top draft pick of 2017.

3.

This 2017 Eagles unit could easily challenge for the No. 1 or No. 2 spot on this list as the season progresses, as there are no real weakness to this front seven. Fletcher Cox and Jordan Hicks both ranked in the top five in their positional grades, while Brandon Graham finished with a 93.3 overall grade, second best of all edge defenders.

They added PFF’s No. 3 overall prospect in the 2016 draft in edge defender Derek Barnett, as well as veteran Timmy Jernigan, who had the best stop percentage last season among all 3-4 defensive ends (10.8 percent).

4.

Luke Kuechly leads this unit as one of the league’s best defenders, and Kawann Short finished last season as the third highest graded interior defender with an 87.7. Edge rushers Mario Addison (second at 14.1) and Charles Johnson (10th at 10.8) both were top 10 last season in pass-rush productivity among 4-3 defensive ends, and Julius Peppers returns to add depth and experience.

5.

Aaron Donald, alone is good enough to rank this unit higher than some other front sevens. Donald not only led all interior defenders with 82 QB pressures, that mark was good enough for fourth among all defensive linemen, edge rushers included.

A healthy Robert Quinn would be a big boost if he can return to form, as well as solid players such as Michael Brockers and Mark Barron lands this unit in the top five.

Dominique Easley is another solid young player who has flashed some potential to disrupt plays as an interior defender as well.



6.

Linebacker Anthony Barr had a down year in 2016, but in 2015, he played to an elite level, and still has the talent to do so. In his sophomore campaign, Danielle Hunter finished with the sixth best pass-rush productivity rate (11.5) among 4-3 defensive ends and it still just 22 years old, while Everson Griffen graded out as the 26/109 best edge defender last season.

Both Eric Kendricks and Linval Joseph are stellar run-stoppers manning the inside of this front seven unit. Joseph’s 9.3 run stop percentage ranked him tied for 14th among DIs while Kendricks 10.2 run stop percentage ranked him 11th among ILBs.

7.

Von Miller is as effective as any at getting to the quarterback, and he has graded at an elite level in every season of his career, while his pass rush productivity of 14.4 was surpassed by only Khalil Mack (15.0) last season. DeMarcus Ware retired, but young talents Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett provide a solid edge rotation.

The interior of the defensive line was a weakness last season, and it remains to be seen if any of the journeymen acquisitions such as Billy Winn or Zach Kerr can step up their game on the inside.

8.

The Cardinals strength will be getting after the quarterback, as Chandler Jones was the seventh best edge defender last season, and Markus Golden finished his sophomore campaign grading at a solid 81.5, 24th best among all edge defenders. Deone Buchanan and Haasan Reddick are exciting young players, but are both undersized linebackers, and combined with the loss of elite interior defender Calais Campbell, the Cardinals have question marks against the run.

9.

The key for the Chiefs front seven unit this season will be to stay healthy, as they had a handful of players either miss chunks of time or play hampered by injury. Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali are aging but proven veterans, but a healthy return of Justin Houston would be a game-changer.

The emergence of Chris Jones, who finished as the highest graded rookie interior defender last season, should help ease concern over the free agent departures of Dontari Poe and Jaye Howard.



10.

It’s amazing that at 38 years old James Harrison still played at such a high level last season. He finished seventh among 3-4 OLBs in pass-rush productivity rate of 12.2, and his coverage grade (75.8) was the best among all edge defenders.

Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt are both extremely talented young players, but they miss way too many tackles. Despite missing three games last season, Shazier missed 21 tackles, fourth most among all linebackers, while Tuitt had the most missed tackles among all interior linemen.

11.

The Chargers found a diamond in the rough in 2016 fifth round pick Jatavis Brown, who finished as the 27th highest graded linebacker. They also have an outstanding pair of edge-rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, who finished as the fifth and sixth highest graded players at their position last year (Bosa’s first), respectively.

Former first round pick Corey Liuget has had an up-and-down career, but last year posted the worst grade of his career since his rookie year at 49.3. If Liuget can improve from last year, this group could easily be on the rise.

12.

Retaining Dont’a Hightower was huge for this unit, but the recent free agent signing of David Harris is a sneaky nice add, bringing leadership and depth at a position where Hightower has played all 16 games in a season just once in his five-year career.

They have solid depth on the interior in Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Lawrence Guy. While Trey Flowers is a future star who’s talent was on display in the Super Bowl with three sacks and two QB hits, wherever the rest of the pass-rush will come from is a question mark as edge rush remains a weakness on paper.

13.

The Giants have the game’s best run-stuffing interior defender in Damon Harrison, as well as high quality (and highly paid) edge rushers in Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. Harrison led all defensive interior players with his 15.8 run stop percentage.

Devon Kennard was their best linebacker with a 79.1 grade, but he only played 46.4 percent of the teams snaps last season. The lack of depth on the defensive line but more importantly the quality of play from the linebackers are looming concerns for this front seven unit going into 2017.



14.

Malik Jackson will be joined by big-time free agent Calais Campbell, forming a very formidable interior duo. Campbell finished in the top 11 at both run stop percentage (8.0 – 11th) and with his pass-rush productivity (9.2 – fifth) last season with the Cardinals.

While the aging Paul Posluszny had a career resurgence last season finishing as the fourth best linebacker in the league, expect ultra-talented Myles Jack to steal significant snaps from him in the upcoming season, with Telvin Smith rounding out a very solid linebacker corps. The edge remains a weakness however with unknowns and health concerns, and the Jaguars did very little to improve upon the position.

15.

Khalil Mack is the type of player you build a defense around and that opposing offenses must game-plan and account for on every single play. His 15.0 pass-rush productivity rate was the highest in the league last season, at any position.

Bruce Irvin, Aldon Smith and Shilique Calhoun round out the edge with a mix of experience and upside. Major concerns lie with the rest of the front seven as no current Raiders linebacker or interior defender finished last season ranked in the top 70 for their position.

16.

The Packers lack a difference-maker at linebacker, and saw a huge dip in production from Clay Matthews Jr. last season. The interior looks to be in good shape with the consistently solid Mike Daniels finishing last season as the ninth best interior defender, while Kenny Clark had the best run stop percentage (8.8) of all 3-4 rookie defensive ends.

Nick Perry looks to build on a season that earned him a new five-year contract, in which he led all 3-4 outside linebackers with a 12.4 run stop percentage.

17.

The Dolphins front seven is headlined by DT Ndamukong Suh and DE Cameron Wake. Suh ranked within the top three among all the league’s defensive tackles in both run stops and total QB pressures while Wake tied for the highest pass-rush productivity (14.1) among 4-3 defensive ends last season.

The Dolphins brought in long-time Pittsburgh Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons to join Kiko Alonso and Koa Misi on their linebacking corps. Timmons fielded a much higher run stop percentage (8.8) than Alonso (6.6) last year, and could help bolster their run D.



18.

Leonard Williams is not only arguably the best player on the Jets front seven, he is arguably the best player on their entire team. His 85.1 overall grade ranked him 11th overall among all interior linemen, his 29 run stops tied him for seventh and his 48 QB pressures tied him for 11th.

However, aside from Williams, the only other member of the Jets defensive line that finished in the top 30 in any PFF signature stat was Sheldon Richardson’s 37 QB pressures – which ranked 29th among DEs.

With Darron Lee and Lorenzo Mauldin struggling in their first and second seasons, respectively, the Jets brought back LB Demario Davis from Cleveland, who despite grading with the second highest grade of his career (58.4), only ranked 59th among all linebackers.

19.

Save for Sylvester Williams, each member of the Titans front seven graded at a 76.5 or higher last season, all trailing Jurrell Casey, who for the fifth season in his six career years, graded out above 85.0 on the season.

Casey ranked in the top 10 in both run stop percentage (8.2) and pass rush productivity (8.9) among 3-4 defensive ends, while Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo finished with PRP’s in the top 11 among 3-4 outside linebackers.

20.

Vic Beasley led the league in sacks and Deion Jones impressed with an 83.0 overall grade in his rookie season, good enough for 20th among all linebackers. Both player still have room to improve and get even better in 2017. LB De’Vondre Campbell struggled in both pass and rush defense, finishing with the 20th, out of 34 tackle efficiency, missing six tackles last season, three in each run and pass defense.

Grady Jarrett ranked 18th among defensive tackles with his 18 run stops a season ago, but his run stop percentage was good enough for just 32nd, and he may have a new lease of life with Dontari Poe alongside him in the middle this year.

21.

Terrell Suggs is another aging veteran who is still playing at a high level for the Ravens, as he finished 2016 with a 78.3 overall grade, 39th among edge defenders. This marked the eighth season he has graded at a 78.0 or higher.

C.J. Mosley had a great year among the Ravens LB corps and Michael Pierce(second) and Brandon Williams (11th) each impressed against with their run stop percentages of 12.5 and 9.9, respectively.

However, Baltimore is young and inexperienced elsewhere on their front seven after losing Timmy Jernigan, as only Albert McClellan played enough snaps last season to qualify for a position rank with his 42.3 overall grade – 99th among edge defenders.



22.

DT Gerald McCoy may be one of the game’s best interior defenders and DE Robert Ayers had the fifth most QB pressures among 4-3 defensive ends along the right side of the D-line last year.

The Bucs also brought in former Redskins DI Chris Baker to draw attention away from McCoy. If LBs Kwon Alexander (22 missed tackles) and Lavonte David (13 missed tackles) can cut down the missed tackles, this front seven unit could certainly rise from 22 next season.

23.

The Bengals are solid at seemingly four of their front seven positions. Geno Atkins, Vincent Rey, Vontaze Burfict and Carlos Dunlap all graded at an 83.7 or higher last season, and each ranked in the top 15 of their respective positions. Cincinnati brought in LB Kevin Minter from Arizona who had a career-year as they’ll hope he can keep that up.

Outside of the aforementioned players is where the Bengals struggle. Michael Johnson graded out as the 105th ranked edge defender, out of 109 qualified EDs. Wallace Gilberry and Pat Sims who each finished with their worst, and second-worst graded seasons, respectively, last year. Can one of their rookies or second-year players emerge for Cincinnati?

24.

With a full season in Cleveland, LB Jamie Collins could improve this Browns front seven. Oh, and throwing in No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett in there could also help. Collins ranked in the top 12 in both run stop percentage and pass rush productivity among 4-3 OLBs last season, in just his time in New England alone.

Christian Kirksey signed an extension with the team after an impressive 2016 season, and DT Danny Shelton rounds out the standouts on the Browns front seven as he finished with the second most run stops (39) behind Giants’ Damon Harrison from the DT spot.

Emmanuel Ogbah, Tank Carder and Desmond Bryant should see extended playing time this season as only Ogbah qualified for a ranking with his overall grade of 44.2 – 94th overall among edge defenders.

25.

The Bills may see a bump in their rankings, if second-year LB Reggie Ragland can return to his form that got him drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. Ragland missed all of last year with a torn ACL he suffered in training camp last season.

DT Marcell Dareus had another consistently good season, as he was one-of-six defensive tackles to log 200 or more snaps in run defense, and not miss a single tackle against the run.

Kyle Williams has proven age is not a factor for him, finishing with his ninth season in a row finishing with a grade 73.2 or higher. The loss of Zach Brown and the recent arrest of Adolphus Washington will hurt the Bills front seven, and the questions remain to be answered on whether Ragland can fill that void.

26.

There’s a reason the Cowboys drafted Michigan standout Taco Charlton in the first round, and they’ll hope he can wreck havoc on opposing QBs in the NFC East, which they were unable to do last season, grading as our 24th ranked team in terms of pass rush.

While Sean Lee headlines the Dallas front seven finishing as the fifth highest graded linebacker, the rest of the Cowboys finished with average grades, which is just that, average.

David Irving generated a good pass-rushing force, but struggled in run defense with just 9 run stops, and will miss four games this year, and Anthony Hitchens was great when he rushed the passer (seven pressures on just 19 pass-rush snaps) but finished just 33rd among inside linebackers with his 8.3 percent run stop percentage.

27.

The loss of Chris Baker should be immediately filled by big Jonathan Allen who returns home to the greater D.C. area. LB Zach Brown comes in from Buffalo after a career-high 84.1 overall grade that ranked him 17th among linebackers. Mason Foster and Ryan Kerrigan are solid members of the Redskins front seven, but they lack depth.

Ziggy Hood and Preston Smith each failed to crack the top 2/3rds of their position rankings, and can Stacy McGee keep up his play from last year after missing seven of the final 10 games? The questions rise among the Washington front seven after Brown, Foster and Kerrigan.

28.

LB Jerrell Freeman might as well have been an added defensive back for the Bears in 2016. His coverage grade of 94.9 was the highest among any defensive position last season, all the while grading out as the best LB in the NFL last year.

One player along your front seven isn’t nearly good enough to limit opposing offenses however as behind Freeman and DI Akiem Hicks, no Chicago defender finished with a grade in the top 30 of their position last season.

LB Danny Trevathan was good against the run, but struggled with six combined missed tackles last season. Edge defender Leonard Floyd created a QB pressure every other 11th snap, but ranked 43rd in run stop percentage among 3-4 outside linebackers.

29.

The Saints front seven is a mix of veterans and unproven youngsters, who got even more inexperienced when they lost Nick Fairley earlier this offseason due to a medical condition. Returning to possibly give the Saints some hope along the front seven is Cameron Jordan, who tied for fourth in terms of the most pressures accumulated last season among all edge defenders.

New Orleans will have to hope for some extended high-level play from vets Dannell Ellerbe or Craig Robertson, or hope that rookie Alex Anzalone or second-year man Sheldon Rankins can breakout this season.

30.

Ezekiel Ansah and Kerry Hyder highlight the Lions front seven as booked defensive ends, however neither of them cracked the top 30 in pass-rushing productivity among edge defenders last season.

DI Haloti Ngata saw a career-low grade of 47.8 last year – his career low by almost 30.0 points. Detroit fans will bank of rookies Jarrad Davis and Jalen Reeves-Maybin making immediate impacts this season for help along the front seven.

31.

The Colts had 10 players see more than 125 snaps at linebacker last season, and with Erik Walden and Robert Mathis no longer around, Indianapolis will search for consistency along their LB corps. Former Buckeyes Jonathan Hankins and John Simon will each look to increase their grades from a year ago, but for different reasons.

Hankins saw a career-low grade of 47.1 and Simon will hope to continue to increase his overall season grade for the fifth consecutive year. Can this unit meld together and perform on a consistent basis in 2017?

32.

The 49ers will be the darkhouse candidate for possibility of most improvement this year. They’ll be banking on rookies Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster, each first round picks, while San Francisco will also hope for a re-emerging season from edge defender Aaron Lynch.

With the ageless veteran Elvis Dumervil and Navorro Bowman guiding them, this team could be solid on the front seven. Key word, could, as we just don’t know yet.

I don't sense a great deal of enthusiasm for basketball on this board, but with more and more LA fans coming back online in the years to come I hope that might change. Either way I thought an *official* Laker thread might be in order. If such a thread already exists and is just buried (I couldn't find one) please feel free to merge, MODS.

Now that all said -- HOLY CRAP Lonzo Ball looks good. It seems like he's just as good at basketball as his Dad is at bloviating, which says a lot.

Shoot me down for posing the question, but this thought has been bugging me and spinning 'round my head over the last couple of days. Don't get me wrong, I want him to succeed and I want him to do well this year and to improve every year, and reach the status of Brady, Rodgers, Brees etc, (Perennial Elite QB Status). By all accounts he's performing well this off-season, but doesn't every starter?

My question is, what happens if he still seems out of his depth on game day this year? And there is no improvement? Does he get benched, or do we plow on? And what would happen in next year's draft, do we look at drafting another QB or do we stick with our guy?

This isn't an anti-Goff post btw. I'm just interested in knowing what you guys think?

Rams LB Josh Forrest ready for year two in NFL

By Justin Beasley


Paducah Tilghman alum and former Kentucky Wildcat Josh Forrest is getting ready for his sophomore season in the NFL.

Forrest, a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, combined for nine tackles in 10 games last season before it ended with a knee injury in week 12.

The former Blue Tornado star has been back at Paducah Tilghman High School working out with his former high school football coach Randy Wyatt before he reports to training camp at the end of the month.

"I feel like it was pretty good,” Forrest said of his rookie season in the NFL. “I learned a lot and I feel like that is the goal to learn something new so you don't keep making the same mistakes."

Even though Forrest earned himself four starts in his rookie season his playing time was inconsistent in 2016, but with a full year under his belt he's hoping to see the field more this upcoming season.

"I have a little more knowledge and now I feel like my feet are wet,” Forrest said. “I think this year should be a good year for me."

“He did an absolutely wonderful job,” Wyatt said of Forrest’s first year in the league. “I was really proud of him. I know I didn't miss a game on television. Of course, I'm one of his biggest fans."

But at the same time a coach that Forrest can count on.

"I talk to coach Wyatt a lot,” Forrest said. “He gives a lot of information. He tells me what he sees on television … We kept that strong communication and bond from high school to college to now so he definitely knows a lot about me."

Forrest is the fourth Blue Tornado to play a game in the NFL along with Bryan Hall, George Wilson and Kurt Barber.

He reports to Rams training camp July 29.

[www.wpsdlocal6.com]

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OUCH!!!!!