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Aaron Donald noncommittal on reporting to training camp
Posted by Michael David Smith on June 29, 2017, 4:08 PM EDT
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Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald wants a new contract, and he won’t say whether he’ll show up to training camp if he doesn’t get what he wants.

“I’m just working, just grinding and we’ll see what happens,” Donald said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Donald wouldn’t say whether there are any reasons for optimism that a deal will get done.

“I’m just letting my agents handle that,” Donald said. “All I can do is keep working to keep myself in top shape.”

Donald did report to mandatory minicamp despite the absence of a new contract, so it would seem likely that he’d report to training camp as well. But he’s not going to promise that without a new deal in hand.

Powerful stuff to see something someone loved come to an end. I disagreed with a lot of what Jeff did towards the end but I still respect the guy and his passion. And Singletary at the end was awesome. When the camera goes on Boras you can almost see the "this is my fault" look on his face. Nothing to celebrate with this clip even if you agreed with the move like I did. But interesting look at the personal emotion involved.

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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/28/nfl-james-urban-cincinnati-bengals-wide-receivers-coach

Every NFL Play Is a Brutal Game of Chess
Football games are won on the merits of power, speed and a refined intelligence. James Urban, the Bengals’ receivers coach and one of the most respected assistants in the league, walks us through the nuances of how plays are designed, routes are run, and passes get thrown
By Andy Benoit

Bengals receivers coach James Urban
Photo: AP

We hear all the time that football is a chess match. But in football, the pieces move all at once, and the movements aren’t constricted to certain squares and patterns. Plus, everyone’s pieces are different. And every piece runs the risk of getting knocked down and taken out of the play. There’s a lot going on with every snap.

To better understand this, we called upon one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NFL: James Urban, the Bengals’ seventh-year wide receivers coach. Under Urban, A.J. Green has fulfilled his superstar potential. Mohamed Sanu improved to the point where we earned a big free-agent contract from Atlanta last offseason.

Marvin Jones also got one from Detroit. Last season Brandon LaFell joined the Bengals in free agency and outperformed Sanu and Jones’s numbers from the year before, catching 64 balls for 862 yards. Now Urban is working with young receivers Tyler Boyd (a second-round pick in 2016) and John Ross (the ninth overall pick in 2017).

Prior to coaching Cincy’s wide receivers, Urban was Andy Reid’s quarterbacks coach in 2009 and ’10. You might recall 2010 being the season that Michael Vick recaptured his magic and had the best season of his career.

Urban spent over an hour taking us through two plays from Cincinnati’s Week 7 game against Cleveland last year. It was quite the lesson. We’ve lightly edited his analysis for length and clarity, but we’re going to let the expert take it from here.

* * *




This is a 21-yard completion to Brandon LaFell. We’re in an empty formation. By putting all five eligible receivers outside the offensive tackle box, you create a clearer picture of which defenders the offensive linemen must block. On this play, there are two high safeties and no linebackers inside the box. Our five O-linemen just have to handle the four defensive linemen.

In most empty formations, you’re in a 3x2 set, with three eligible receivers to the wide side of the field and two eligible receivers to the short side of the field (the boundary). That’s what you see here. On this play, we put our two starting wide receivers, A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell, to the boundary. To the wide side of the field we have, beginning from the outside in, running back Giovani Bernard, tight end Tyler Kroft and wide receiver Tyler Boyd.

We see cornerback Jamar Taylor lined up across from Bernard. On the inside, linebacker Demario Davis is across from Boyd. This reveals that it’s zone coverage. If it were man, the cornerback would have followed our wide receiver, Boyd, inside and the linebacker would have gone with our running back, Bernard, outside.

So our quarterback, Andy Dalton, knows that it’s zone coverage. He can also see that it is a two-high safety coverage. There are a few basic variations of two-high safety zone coverage:

• Cover 2, where each safety rolls over the top of the outside corners and is responsible for a deep half of the field.

• Cover 4, where each safety is responsible for his 1/4 strip of the field (the outside corners each have the other 1/4 strips).

• Cover 6, which is Cover 2 on one side and Cover 4 on the other.

This is a pretty clear Cover 2 look. Both safeties are aligned inside the field numbers and are many yards deeper than the cornerbacks. If it were Cover 4, the safeties would be aligned a few yards closer to the line of scrimmage.



The design is a concept built off our “4 verticals” play. On “4 verticals,” you have four deep routes (usually run by the two widest-aligned receivers on each side) plus an underneath option route (usually run by the running back; on this play, it is run by the tight slot receiver, Boyd). On an option, the receiver has the option to take his route inside or outside, depending on his defender’s location.

This play, however, is a variation of our “4 verticals.” The slot receivers, LaFell and Kroft, will run vertical “bender” routes down the seams. But the widest-aligned receivers, Green and Bernard, will run hitch routes. To a defender, a hitch route initially looks the same as a vertical Go route.

Against Cover 2, Dalton will work LaFell’s or Kroft’s “bender” route along the seams. The idea is to throw over the top of the linebacker and in front of the safety. LaFell is able to do that, even though linebacker Christian Kirksey plays it pretty well.

(It’s tough for a linebacker to guard a wide receiver.) The ball needs to be placed 18 to 22 yards downfield. Any shorter and Kirksey can reach it. Any further and that safety over the top can reach the ball or drill LaFell.

There’s a variation to this Cover 2. Defensive tackle Danny Shelton drops underneath, making it a three-man rush and putting eight defenders in coverage. More and more defenses are dropping eight defenders against spread empty formations such as this one. Shelton’s presence impacts Boyd’s option route, which we’ll get to in a minute.

On these seam “bender” routes, each receiver’s primary defender has different leverage. The linebacker near LaFell, Kirksey, is playing inside of LaFell. The slot corner near Kroft, Tramon Williams, is playing outside of Kroft.

In the NFL, you’re facing the best coaches and the best players in the world. You assume they’re playing these defensive techniques for a reason. Kirksey is inside of LaFell by design and Boddy-Calhoun is outside of Kroft by design. This impacts how each man runs his route.

When running a route, a receiver must attack the individual coverage technique of his primary defender. We teach our receivers to read their primary defender and their side of the field, not the whole defense. It’s the quarterback’s job to read the whole defense. By limiting the receivers’ reads, you allow them to play fast.

On this play, the Browns had not disguised anything presnap. LaFell knew the whole way that Kirksey would be inside of him. LaFell initially attacked Kirksey’s outside shoulder. Then, LaFell drifted outside, dragging Kirksey with him.

This created the space to complete the top of the “bender” route. The second LaFell got over the top of Kirksey, he whipped his head around. This is a timing-based throw; he knew the ball would have to be in the air by then.

Kroft did a similar thing on the other side. He initially stemmed his route outside ever so slightly, which caused his defender, Williams, to widen. That set up the angle for Kroft to bend his route inside.

The ball didn’t go to Kroft because middle linebacker Demario Davis was over on his side. That left LaFell with the one-on-one matchup (against a linebacker, no less). Dalton threw a strike to LaFell.

Davis was toward Kroft’s side because that’s where our tight slot receiver Tyler Boyd was. Let’s examine Boyd’s option route. It has a lot of pieces. First off, the defense is in Cover 2, not Tampa 2. The difference is that in Cover 2, the middle linebacker stays in the shallow middle of the field. In Tampa 2, that middle linebacker sinks back deep down the middle.

If this had been Tampa 2, those seam “bender” routes would probably not be open. Those are longer throws and that sinking middle linebacker would have time to react. Dalton would have likely targeted Boyd underneath.

At the snap of the ball, Boyd must peak inside. If no defensive linemen drop back, he carries his route inside and runs the option over the shallow middle of the field (it’d look like a crossing route initially). However, in this case, you have DT Danny Shelton dropping back. So instead of running inside toward Shelton, Boyd keeps his route outside and options off of that middle linebacker, Davis.

Here’s the tricky part: Boyd is only optioning off of Davis because it’s Cover 2. If it would have been Tampa 2, Davis would have been aligned two or three yards deeper before the snap and would have been sinking back after the snap. Boyd would then have taken his route inside and run his option off of Shelton. In certain designs, it’s important that Boyd use his option route to attack his primary defender.

If he is running it on the linebacker, we’d want him to run at the linebacker. If he is running it off the defensive tackle, theoretically, we’d want him to run at the defensive tackle. We’d do that to help open Kroft’s seam “bender.” If Boyd sucks the middle linebacker in, there’s a clean window to Kroft.

On this play, however, the routes are not intertwined. In this “4 verticals” concept, Kroft’s seam “bender” is unrelated to Boyd’s option route. Which means we want Boyd running his route to get himself open. So here, instead of attacking LB Davis, Boyd runs six yards and simply turns around. Take the easy stuff.

If we ran this concept the next week, we might put in the wrinkle of having Boyd attack the middle linebacker in order to create a clear window for Kroft. It just depends what we see from the defense on film that week.

One small negative on this play: Boyd initially stemmed his route toward the outside, running it behind Kroft. He should not do that. We do call those tandem releases at times, but not on this play. Boyd should just release straight downfield off the line.

If this had been Cover 4, instead of Cover 2, those “bender” seam routes would have been impossible because they go right down the 1/4 strips of the field that the safeties are covering. Dalton in that case would have thrown to one of the hitch routes outside. Dalton also would have worked those hitch routes if it had been a single-high safety coverage. That would have left one-on-one coverage all the way outside.

Let’s talk about Dalton’s options on those hitch routes. He’d have a choice to make: throw to Green or throw to Bernard? On the surface, the choice is easy: you throw to your superstar receiver, Green, especially with him on the boundary side, which makes for a shorter throw. But notice the cushion that cornerback Jamar Taylor has on Bernard down below.

That can be tempting, too. But remember, Bernard is not accustomed to running routes. He’s a running back. His practice reps are spent primarily on running plays. When he does practice a pass play, he’s often practicing a blitz pickup. So you’d have to really like the cushion Bernard is getting from that corner if you’re going to throw to him.

On this play, Green released his hitch route outside of the cornerback. In certain designs against Cover 2, the outside receivers have a mandatory outside release. In other words, their first few steps on their downfield routes must be toward the sideline.

(This is usually to create more space for a quick-out route for the slot receiver inside of them.) That was not the case here. Green released outside, but only because his corner cheated so far inside.

There are also cases where Green’s hitch route could convert to a Go route. We like to convert hitch routes into Go routes against bump-and-run coverage by a corner or against certain Cover 2 looks. It was Cover 2 on this play, yes, but on this particular play design, Green’s route was “locked.” In other words, he had to run a hitch no matter what.

* * *

Later in the game, the Bengals ran a similar concept. Only this time it was in the red zone and the Browns played man-to-man.



So here is the same formation as before, only flip-flopped. Now we see LB Christian Kirksey follow Bernard outside and cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun follow Boyd into the slot. This tells Dalton it is man-to-man. With the two safeties so wide like this, Dalton also knows it will be “2 man.”

(That means man-to-man with two safeties over the top.) It is highly unlikely that either safety would become a robber and swoop into the middle of field. This is all expected; it was third-and-5, a situation where you often see “2 man” coverage.



In “2 man” all of the defenders play inside of their receivers. The two safeties over the top make it very difficult to throw vertically, especially on the seam “benders.” However, you get a great opportunity with your option route.

Here you see Boyd one-on-one in the middle of the field against Boddy-Calhoun. It’s a four-man rush this time, not a three-man rush, so no defensive lineman is dropping back. There is a ton of space for Boyd.

In the event that Boyd absolutely burns Boddy-Calhoun off the snap, he can convert his option route into a crossing route and just keep running. Nine times out of 10, however, the cornerback will be in position to still chase down the receiver after the catch.

So it’s imperative that the receiver gain his separation before the throw, which usually requires that he follow through with the original option route.

To gain separation, Boyd will start out on a crossing route but then sharply cut back the other way.



Boyd did a tremendous job. Look at the separation he gets from Boddy-Calhoun. This is not a timing and anticipation route like on the previous play. It is a “see it” route. Dalton must see Boyd get open before he can throw. Boyd shouldn’t look back to the quarterback until he is ready for the ball.

That’s how Dalton knows to throw it. We get everything you want here, but the pass protection does not hold up. The pocket closes down, creating an inaccurate throw. Boyd must go to the ground to catch it. Gain of three, creating fourth down.

This is the kind of stuff Urban spends his days teaching. Increasingly more, pro football is an academic endeavor. Players spend more time in the classroom than they do on the practice field.

Position coaches like Urban, who can teach their players not just the mechanics of their job but how their job fits into the greater sum of the offense, are the ones who become coordinators. They’re the ones who eventually usher along the game’s evolution.

Anyone check out his twitter account lately? :rolllaugh:
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Everyone is going nuts because Irsay tweeted a photo of a nude woman and left it up for quite a while. The tweet has since been deleted, but a quick trip over to DeadSpin and you'll find the NSFW post.

2017 NFL Preview: Boring Rams need their new coach to fix Jared Goff

by Frank Schwab
Shutdown Corner

Los Angeles won’t stand for boring, and no team in the NFL last season was more boring than the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams’ strange, blind loyalty to Jeff Fisher had to end, and it finally did. None of Fisher’s five Rams teams finished .500 or better, and none of them ranked higher than No. 23 in the NFL in points scored. He was fired during last season.

Two men will determine if the Rams can actually move the needle in L.A. over the next few years: new coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff.

Hiring McVay is the kind of bold move the Rams needed to make. He’s just 31, the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He’s young, but he has already drawn praise for his acumen as an offensive coach. With McVay as their offensive coordinator last season, the Redskins finished third in the NFL in yardage and 12th in points scored. The last time the Rams finished higher than No. 21 in points scored or No. 24 in yardage was 2006.

A competent offensive coaching staff will help 2016 No. 1 overall pick Goff, but he comes into his second season with serious questions. Goff sitting behind Case Keenum for the first nine games of last season, or being third-string behind Sean Mannion out of the preseason, can be explained away by coaching incompetence. But it’s not like Goff did much when he got the chance. The Rams went 0-7 in his starts. Goff had a 63.6 rating. He was sacked an astonishing 11.3 percent of the time, and a quarterback does have some control over his sack rate. It shows that Goff had trouble identifying where to go with the ball and getting rid of it. The game seemed like it was going too fast for him.

Goff was playing behind a bad offensive line, with a lackluster set of receivers, under a coaching staff that had no idea how to generate an offense. The only thing the Rams can do is blame the outside factors and let Goff start 2017 with a clean slate. After giving up so much last season to trade up and draft him, it’s not like they have a choice.

If the Rams could be simply decent on offense with McVay calling plays, Goff looking like the first overall pick and Todd Gurley running like he did as a rookie, the Rams might not be bad. The defense is talented, and new coordinator Wade Phillips is one of the best in the NFL. His track record in his first year with a new team is impressive. There are some reasons to be optimistic. It’s just hard to set aside how bad the Rams – who were 0-2 against the 2-14 San Francisco 49ers – looked most of last season. They lost 11 of their last 12 games after a good start.

It’s not like Los Angeles was clamoring for its own NFL team (and it definitely didn’t want a second team … good luck with that, Chargers). The NFL has tried pushing the notion that everyone is excited about football being back in L.A., but that wasn’t the case last season. Then again, the product the Rams put out for their fans in the ancient Los Angeles Coliseum wasn’t worth watching.

If McVay can make the Rams watchable and get L.A. excited – and that’s even more important with the new Inglewood stadium delayed a year – that would be a great first step.

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The Rams’ big move this offseason was signing longtime Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth to a three-year, $33.75 million deal. Even though Whitworth is 35 years old, it was a good addition. The Rams have to protect Jared Goff better if he’s going to develop. They also need a few weapons for him and … they signed receiver Robert Woods to a five-year, $34 million deal. Forget 1,000-yard seasons, Woods never had a 700-yard season for the Buffalo Bills, and had 12 touchdowns in 57 games. It’s curious why the Rams didn’t spend for a more dynamic receiver, or just retain Kenny Britt after his 1,000-yard season. Because the Rams severely overpaid in the Goff trade, they had no first-round pick. Second-round pick Gerald Everett is an interesting tight end prospect and maybe receiver and third-round pick Cooper Kupp can help right away. Grade: D-plus

The Rams defense has legitimate talent, and you’d assume Wade Phillips will take a good unit up a notch. The Rams finished ninth last season in yards allowed, and also fifth in pass yards per play allowed and eighth in rush yards per play allowed. Assuming the players take to Phillips’ scheme, the Rams can have a top-10 defense. Then if the offense can go from horrendously awful to just kind of bad, more wins should come.

The four youngest coaches of the Super Bowl era, before McVay was hired, were Lane Kiffin, Raheem Morris, David Shula and Josh McDaniels. That list make you feel confident? (In fairness, John Madden was the fifth coach on that list and he did OK.) While it felt like the Rams needed to do something dramatic, hiring a 31-year-old coach is dangerous. McVay has just three years as an offensive coordinator and a few more as a position coach. He was 14 years old when Tom Brady was drafted. Maybe McVay is Madden. Or maybe he’s Kiffin. We just don’t know.

There have been the obligatory offseason stories about Jared Goff looking much better. The truth is, he couldn’t look much worse. Most rookie quarterbacks struggle, but you’d like to at least see a few impressive moments. Goff very rarely looked like a No. 1 overall pick. Goff put on some muscle, should play behind a better line with Whitworth protecting his blind side, and has a coach who seems to know how to call an offense. That’s great. Because if Goff plays as poorly as he did last season, then what?

Some would argue defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the best defensive player in the NFL. If he’s not No. 1, he’s on a short list. That’s why the Rams have to figure out his contract situation. This is not a team that can afford to lose an elite player, and ask them how franchise-tagging Trumaine Johnson twice has worked out (here’s the answer: Johnson, a good-not-great cornerback coming off a disappointing season, has the fourth-highest base salary in the entire NFL at $16.7 million). You’d assume Donald will get paid like J.J. Watt, Justin Houston or Von Miller and live happily ever after, but you’d also like to see the Rams handle the situation sooner rather than later.

From Yahoo’s Liz Loza: “The most exciting thing about the Rams was their new stadium, and even that’s delayed now. But there is a glimmer of hope. No, I’m not referring to Todd Gurley’s bounce-back potential (though if you want to read about that, check this out). Rather, I believe Lance Dunbar has an opportunity to produce for PPR enthusiasts.
“Before Sean McVay moved west, he got creative using Chris Thompson in Washington. The pass-catching back averaged over 9 fantasy points per game in PPR formats and closed out 2016 within the top-30 overall producers at the position. Given their overlapping skill sets, a similar fate is not out of the question for Dunbar. A late round stash in PPR leagues, I have the former Cowboy ranked ahead of Thompson.” [Check out Yahoo’s Pressing Questions for more on the Rams’ fantasy outlook.]

The Rams were as bad on offense as an NFL team can possibly be. They were last in the NFL in points scored, with 40 fewer points than the Cleveland Browns. They gained 262.7 yards per game, and second-to-last was the San Francsico 49ers at 308.1. That’s a huge gap. The Rams were also last in the NFL in first downs, passing touchdowns and net yards per passing attempt. They were 31st in passing yards, 30th in interceptions, 31st in rushing yards, 31st in rushing yards per carry, 26th in rushing touchdowns … you get the point. According to metrics from Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders, the 2016 Rams were the fourth worst offense of the past 30 NFL seasons. The Rams could be significantly improved on offense this season and still be the worst offense in football. They were horrific a year ago.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TODD GURLEY?

Here’s a report from our colleague Greg Cosell of NFL Films from Gurley’s 13-carry, 50-yard game against a bad New Orleans Saints defense on Nov. 27: “Gurley did not run well, he did not show good vision at times leaving yards on the field, he also looked mechanical and robotic, not fluid and quick – not the same decisive and explosive runner he was a year ago.” It’s amazing how much worse Gurley was than in 2015, when he won NFL offensive rookie of the year. His yards per carry dropped from 4.8 to 3.2. He didn’t have a 100-yard game. He only broke 80 yards once. A bad line, horrendous quarterbacking and a poor offensive staff did not help. But Gurley needs to play much better than he did last season. The dynamic, decisive runner from 2015 was nowhere to be seen last year.

If you spent the past few years criticizing Jeff Fisher, you have to also believe the Rams will improve just by changing coaches. Jared Goff is young and there’s a reason he was the first pick. Todd Gurley looked like a future star just a year ago. If the Rams have the 31st-ranked offense in the NFL it would be a quantum leap from where they were, and that’s why Sean McVay was hired. Wade Phillips’ track record, especially in his first season with a new team, could mean great things for the defense. Finishing .500 (or better?) isn’t totally out of the question.

If Jared Goff isn’t good, the Rams are in serious trouble. They mortgaged the franchise for him and he showed nothing last season. It’s hard to believe Goff will be that bad again, but that’s what the Rams should fear. If Goff is a bust, the move to go get him in the draft will set the franchise back for years. It doesn’t help that they passed Carson Wentz, who had some impressive moments as a rookie.

We all know coaching matters, and the Rams got no help in that department. Sean McVay is not a sure thing, but at least a new voice should add some enthusiasm. Also, he will run an offense that looks like it’s from this century. It’s impossible to look at the Rams’ offensive numbers (or Jared Goff’s game film) from a year ago and rank them much higher than this. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Rams far exceed expectations due simply to better coaching and improvement from Goff.

To read about the other 31 teams click the link below.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/28/...-school-approach-draft-game-planning-charting

How All 32 NFL Teams Handle Analytics
Who is embracing the new wave of information (and how), and who is still leaning old school in the NFL
By Albert Breer

LOS ANGELES RAMS
The Rams are invested in analytics big time—five analytics staffers are on board and more are likely coming—and the presence of youthful new coach Sean McVay makes it certain that more growth is on its way.

GM Les Snead came up in Atlanta, so it isn’t difficult for him to buy into what young analysts like Rebecca Lally, Ryan Garlisch and Jake Temme are selling.

Chiefly, Snead and his staff use the numbers to create boundaries in their evaluations, and to try to find prospects where others might not be looking. As one staffer described it, “It’s a club in the bag that you’re going to use a lot.”
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To read more about analytics in the NFL click the link below.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/27/...endencies-player-tracking-injuries-chip-kelly

Analytics and the NFL: Finding Strength in Numbers
How number crunching has worked its way into NFL decision making at all levels. And how, with some of football’s greatest minds, it has always been that way, even if they didn’t know it
By Albert Breer

Hi guys, I've been wrapped up in the McVay Rams bubble this offseason and I really do think we've made some huge strides already. The only problem is that I've not been paying attention to the rest of our division. Has anyone been keeping up with the Seahawks, Cardinals & 49ers? With these guys playing 6 times this season, IMO we must try and win these matches.

Can anyone fill me in on whats been happening with the other teams?

Anyone planning on going? Would love to meet up and tailgate. I'll show y'all fools a good time.

Some Rams conversation and just good overall NFL talk.. Listen to the whole thing

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Sean McVay on Jared Goff, Plans For The Rams & More

LA Rams’ Head Coach Sean McVay joins the Rich Eisen Show to talk about Jared Goff, Plans For The Rams and Much More.

Watch McVay Talk Rams with Eisen

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pr...sive-line-units-heading-into-the-2017-season/

RANKING ALL 32 OFFENSIVE LINE UNITS HEADING INTO THE 2017 SEASON
PFF's Mike Renner breaks down the PFF rankings for all 32 offensive line units as they stand, heading into the 2017 season


(Corey Perrine/Getty Images)

The 2017 season is still a couple months away, but with rosters set, it’s time to start previewing the league’s best units.

We’ll start with the offensive line, where we are taking a purely grades-based approach. We came up with a multi-year grade based off snap counts and performance and then summed those up across all five positions, right tackle, right guard, center, left guard and left tackle. Unknown quantities – like rookies or new starters – were assigned a slightly below-average number.

And with that, your rankings for all 32 NFL team’s offensive line units:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Out of all the offensive lines in the NFL, the Eagles currently have the fewest holes. Their biggest question mark heading into 2017 is center Jason Kelce, who is a former PFF All-Pro (2013) in his own right. They also have dominant players like Lane Johnson, who was the best right tackle in the NFL a season ago when on the field.

2. Cleveland Browns
The offseason free agent spending spree could pay off huge dividends in Cleveland. J.C. Tretter and Kevin Zeitler both bring well above-average grades from a season ago at center and guard, respectively. The only question mark comes at right tackle where Shon Coleman looked at least competent in his 62 snaps as a rookie.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers
If you’re projecting purely off the final nine games from a season ago, the Steelers would be the No. 1 line in the league. Alejandro Villanueva came on extremely strong over that period, but his poor play from 2015 drags them down a bit. Over that final nine-game stretch, he allowed just 12 pressures. If that level of play continues, Ben Roethlisberger will be a happy man.

4. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee is in the midst of building something special along its offensive line. First-round tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin have lived up to the hype and then some, while former undrafted guard Quinton Spain has turned into a gem of a find.

5. Chicago Bears



Fifth might seem steep for Chicago, but at the moment there isn’t a better interior offensive line in the NFL. Left guard Josh Sitton, center Cody Whitehair, and right guard Kyle Long are all Pro Bowl-caliber players. The issues arise at tackle where Charles Leno and Bobby Massie have never proven themselves more than below average starters.

6. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons finished as our sixth-ranked offensive line a season ago and they’ve replaced by far their biggest issue in right guard Chris Chester. The only problem is that there is no guarantee that Wes Schweitzer or Ben Garland will prove to be an upgrade.

7. Oakland Raiders
If the right tackle position didn’t exist, this would be the best offensive line in football. Unfortunately for Oakland, we’re still including the position in our analysis. Whether it’s Austin Howard, Marshall Newhouse, or Vadal Alexander, it looks like right tackle will continue to be a problem area in Oakland. Center Rodney Hudson buoys their rank as he finished with PFF highest pass blocking efficiency among centers last year.

8. Green Bay Packers
While Green Bay still has two of the best pass-protecting tackles in the NFL in David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga, the interior has taken some lumps over the past two offseason. Gone are Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, and J.C. Tretter, but if one of either Kyle Murphy or Jason Spriggs can make the switch effectively to guard, Green Bay could still be a top-10 line.

9. Dallas Cowboys

They’ve been the class of the league for so long, but a line can only survive so many hits. Ronald Leary and Doug Free weren’t at the caliber of Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, or Zack Martin, but they were quality players in their own right. The big question mark is La’el Collins moving to right tackle. Tackle was his more natural college position, but his below-average performance at guard isn’t too encouraging.

10. Buffalo Bills
After the right tackle position in Buffalo had been a wasteland the past few seasons, they addressed it in a big way in Temple tackle Dion Dawkins in the second round of the draft this past April. Every other position along the line was solid a season ago, so the rookie right tackle will likely make or break this line’s ranking.

11. Washington Redskins
Continuity doesn’t really play a role in theses rankings, but if it did the Redskins would get a bump. They bring back the same starting five from a season ago and a line that had four of the same five starters in 2015. Understanding what the man next to you is going to do isn’t necessarily something we can capture in a grading system, but it certainly is important to an offensive line’s effectiveness.

12. Carolina Panthers
The interior of the Panthers line is solid, but the tackle position is still a concern. They spent big money this offseason on Matt Kalil, who has graded out below-average every single season since a successful rookie campaign. Injuries have played a part there, but there is no guarantee he regains that form. The wild card here could be rookie second-round pick Taylor Moton, who was consistently one of our highest-graded linemen between tackle and guard in college.

13. Jacksonville Jaguars

This might be the most surprising ranking of any that our grades spit out. Carrying the unit is center Brandon Linder, who doesn’t get talked about as much as he probably should. He’s turned into one of the game’s elite centers and has been extremely consistent since entering the league in 2014.

14. Minnesota Vikings
Truthfully, I’m surprised myself at the Vikings’ ranking here. Realistically, they shored their line up enough to where there aren’t any glaring weaknesses, but at the same time there’s little in the way of high level play either. They finished 29th in our end-of-year 2016 rankings so this would be quite the bump up.

15. Kansas City Chiefs
This is one line that I could very well see sneaking into the top 10 by the end of the season. It’s still a very young line that saw all five players be at least average by the end of 2016. Though he had a rough start to his career, former No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher has steadily improved every season.

16. New Orleans Saints
The injury to Terron Armstead torpedoes the Saints’ rankings. Armstead was legitimately on the way to being a top-five left tackle before injuries derailed his 2016 and now 2017. The first-round selection of Ryan Ramczyk looks prescient at this point and his ability will be crucial to the line’s success. He was our highest-rated tackle in this draft.

17. Arizona Cardinals

The success of this line will be largely dependent on 2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries. He couldn’t crack the starting lineup as a rookie and last season took his lumps on the right side, yielding nine sacks. He’s in line for the left tackle spot in 2017 and will need to take big strides for this line to improve.

18. Los Angeles Rams
Going from Greg Robinson to Andrew Whitworth should make Jared Goff’s life considerably easier. Whitworth had the highest pass-blocking efficiency of any tackle in the league last year. Even if he takes a small step back in his advanced age, that will still be one of the biggest offseason upgrades at any position around the NFL.

19. New England Patriots
This ranking is purely a quirk of the system we used to compile it. Since they were compiled off two-year sample, players like right guard Shaq Mason and right tackle Marcus Cannon — who both drastically improved a season ago — get underrated. Realistically, this is the same line that finished last year ranked 10th and should only keep improving.

20. New York Jets
The Jets rank this highly solely due to the fact that each player along the line has proven as least competent. This is the ranking for not having any “holes” along the line. That being said, there’s little reason to get too excited that this line will improve drastically as all starters will be 26 or older by the time Week 1 rolls around.

21. Los Angeles Chargers

Is it possible that Chargers won’t be dreadful once again on their offensive line? It’s been 10 straight years that San Diego has had its offensive line grade out below average, but it’s possible that the move to Los Angeles will lift the curse. On paper, they should be massively upgraded with Russell Okung, Forrest Lamp, and Dan Feeney all added this offseason.

22. Indianapolis Colts
For the Colts, it’s more of the same along the offensive line. They made it through the offseason without seriously addressing any starting position, which means they’ll be relying on improvement from youngsters to boost this ranking. It’s very possible they do end up with a better line though as four of their five starters are still on their rookie contracts with two more backups drafted within the first four rounds the last two years.

23. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are rock solid at left tackle (Ronnie Stanley) and right guard (Marshal Yanda), but every other position is a big question mark. Left guard Alex Lewis and center John Urschel have flashed potential in the past and could push this ranking higher. The same though cannot be said for right tackle James Hurst.

24. Detroit Lions
The loss of Taylor Decker crushes the Lions ranking here. Going from him to Greg Robinson is a night-and-day difference. It doesn’t help that Robinson will be sat next to easily the weakest position on the Lions line where neither high draft picks in Graham Glasgow nor Laken Tomlinson have proved themselves even average starters.

25. Denver Broncos

Much of the Broncos projection comes down to how first-round pick Garett Bolles performs. If he’s a solid starter from Day 1, the Broncos could have an above average line with a Pro Bowl-caliber guard in Ronald Leary and Pro Bowl-caliber center in Matt Paradis. If Bolles can’t even beat out Donald Stephenson, our second lowest-graded tackle a season ago, they’ll have issues.

26. Miami Dolphins
After finishing with the league’s two lowest-graded guards in 2015, Laremy Tunsil brought some semblance of competency to the position last year. They could very well be back to that 2015 level again though, as Tunsil moves to left tackle, where he is an unknown. Right guard Jermon Bushrod finished as the fourth-lowest-graded tackle in the league last year, while projected left guard Anthony Steen wasn’t much better in 408 snaps last year.

27. San Francisco 49ers
Left tackle Joe Staley is the only saving grace for the 49ers, but at 32 years old, even he isn’t the All Pro force he once was. If there is any hope for this line, it comes in the form of guard Josh Garnett. The first-round pick in 2016 was a nightmare in pass protection as a rookie, finishing dead last in pass-blocking efficiency.

28. New York Giants
Few teams have larger chasms on their offensive line than the left side of the Giants line. Ereck Flowers has had serious issues in pass protection over the course of his career and led all tackles in pressures allowed as a rookie. Next to him is left guard Justin Pugh who has been a top-15 guard when healthy over the past two years.

29. Houston Texans

The emergence of Nick Martin and Julie’n Davenport could work wonders for this line, but there’s little hope for the status quo from a season ago. Left guard Xavier Sua-Filo looks like a bust at this point after back-to-back seasons as a bottom 20 guard.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Tampa’s line has the potential to be much better than this ranking, they have yet to prove anything. Ali Marpet is a star in the making after finishing as the 13th-highest-graded guard in the league in his sophomore campaign, and his transition to center could pay dividends. However, the same cannot be said for fellow 2015 draftee Donovan Smith. He finished 66th out of 78 qualifying tackles a season ago in overall grade and that was an improvement.

31. Cincinnati Bengals
No line can lose two Pro Bowl-caliber players and expect to still perform at a high level. This is especially true for the Bengals who look completely at a loss to fill the shoes of left tackle Andrew Whitworth and right guard Kevin Zeitler. The loss may be felt the most at tackle where the drafted replacements – Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi – have looked lost anytime they’ve seen the field.

32. Seattle Seahawks
Even with the addition of Luke Joeckel, there’s little reason to think this won’t yet again be the worst offensive line in the NFL. They finished dead last a season ago in snap-adjusted run-blocking grade and snap-adjusted pass-blocking grade. Getting PFF’s lowest-graded left tackle, George Fant, out of the starting lineup should help, but it won’t fix the unit overnight.

Many, if not all of them, seem to have some common themes among them. Themes that were often lacking among some of the Fisher players before them.

Football smarts.
Great teammates (Always willing to do extra practice with Goff, for example)
Solid players rather than athletic freaks.
Inspiring work ethics.
Healthy players in their previous work history for the most part.
Love the game.
Will know and understand their playbook and schemes.

Did I mention that they were smart football players? Lol.

TBH, we see the same threads running through every single one of our draftees, too, don't you think?

Obviously, all the above is not a coincidence. I just love the way this staff is putting together their pieces for the '17 season. Coaching and planning matter.

To coin a phrase, gives this old Ram fan a peaceful, easy feeling.

Click the link below and scroll down to listen to the podcast.
*************************************************************
The NFL’s 10 Best Cornerbacks
Apparently the players themselves get fired up about these things, so have a listen to our countdown of football’s 10-best cornerbacks and let your emotions get the best of you
By Gary Gramling and Andy Benoit


Rob Carr/Getty Images; Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; Joe Robbins/Getty Images

You’ll probably agree with some of the rankings. Then you’ll be upset about others because they are names that you know with good résumés, and just like Darrelle Revis, cornerbacks always stay exactly as good as they were in previous years.

Number 10—2:51 - Josh Norman(Redskins)

Number 9—6:56 - Richard Sherman(Seahawks)

Number 8—16:41 - Janoris Jenkins(Giants)

Number 7—17:59 - A.J. Bouye(Jaguars)

Number 6—20:35 - Xavier Rhodes(Vikings)

Number 5—22:37 - Desmond Trufant(Falcons)

Number 4—25:24 - Aqib Talib(Broncos)

Number 3—31:18 - Marcus Peters(Chiefs)

Number 2—35:35 - Chris Harris(Broncos)

Number 1—41:43 - Patrick Peterson(Cardinals)

*Trumaine Johnson got an honorable mention.*

Ok, I scrolled through 4 pages of archives and did not see this notice,so here it is. Amazon Prime will start a series on last years LA Ram season on June 30th. It looks like a darker next part of the story after Hard Knocks, that goes through a last team meeting by Jeff Fisher telling the team that he was fired. They showed footage of McVay, although I don't know how much there is of that, or whether it's worth signing up for Amazon Prime to see this series.

I was for firing Fisher when it happened, but seeing the aftermath kind of hits you where you live. Seeing Fish humbled like that made me feel for him.

Connor Barwin feels at home in Wade Phillips' 3-4 scheme

Rams linebacker Connor Barwin participates in organized team activities on the campus of California Lutheran University on May 22. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

By Gary Klein

Photos posted to Connor Barwin’s social media accounts last week showed the NFL veteran enjoying a honeymoon trip in Italy.

Upon his return to Southern California, the eight-year pro will resume preparations for his first season with the Rams.

After stints with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, including last season’s trials as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, Barwin has been reunited with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Perhaps more importantly, he is again playing outside linebacker in Phillips’ hybrid 3-4 scheme.

The position feels like home.

“It really does,” Barwin said this month at minicamp before leaving for Europe. “I mean there’s certain things I can do and I can take advantage of that you can’t necessarily do being down in an even front every single play.

"And it feels good to be back in this system.”

Barwin, 30, is one of several free agents signed by the Rams during the offseason. Barwin, offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and receiver Robert Woods were pursued for their on-field talent and the leadership and example they would bring to the locker room, new coach Sean McVay said.


Barwin, 6 feet 5 and 255 pounds, played in college at Cincinnati and was a second-round draft pick by the Texans in 2009. He had 4½ sacks as a rookie but was sidelined nearly the entire 2010 season because of an ankle injury.

In 2011, Phillips took over the Texans’ defense and installed a 3-4, turning Barwin loose off the edge. Barwin developed into a premium pass rusher and produced 11½ sacks.

Six years later, Barwin has 50½ sacks.

“He’s bigger and stronger than he was,” Phillips said. “He ran a 4.5-something at the [NFL scouting] combine when he came out, so he can run.

“But he’s a big, strong fast guy now.”

Barwin is three years removed from his most productive NFL season.

In 2014, playing in a 3-4 scheme for the Eagles, Barwin recorded a career-best 14½ sacks and was voted to the Pro Bowl.

He moved to right defensive end last season when the Eagles switched to a 4-3. Barwin did the gritty work against elite NFC East left tackles such as Tyron Smith of the Dallas Cowboys and Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins.

But he was credited with only five sacks.

“It was a big adjustment for me,” said Barwin, who in March was released by the Eagles in a move to clear salary-cap space. “I thought the last month of the season was probably my best four games. And I was excited to be back there and continue to adjust in that new role because it takes time.

“But that didn’t work out and this couldn’t be a better situation for me.”

Barwin joins a Rams defense that includes three-time Pro Bowl tackle Aaron Donald, veteran tackle Michael Brockers, inside linebackers Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron, and outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who played end in a 4-3 scheme in his first six NFL seasons.

Barwin is “energetic and fresh, like a rookie,” Brockers said, and already has made an impression with his knowledge of the 3-4.

“He just locks up his side and does what he has to do for the defense,” Brockers said. “You don’t have to stress about a new guy in a new position.

“He’s been in this defense and he knows what he’s doing. So you just throw him in there and he gets to work.”

After Barwin was released by the Eagles, he weighed an opportunity to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals. But the chance to play again for Phillips in the 3-4 was too attractive.

Phillips, 70, has not changed all that much, Barwin said. But Phillips’ 3-4, while familiar, has evolved.

“There’s a lot of calls I remember from my two years in Houston with him,” Barwin said, “but there’s a bunch of new stuff that, I think, is a sign of a good coach.

“He’s always evolving with what’s happening in the league and making adjustments. And that’s who Wade’s always been and that’s why he’s been so good.”

The Rams expect Phillips to bring out the best in Barwin, who will earn $3.5 million on a one-year contract, with potential for millions more in bonuses.

“This is really where I want to be playing, the system I want to be in and where I’m going to have the most success,” Barwin said. “And, obviously, this is a great set of guys on defense already.

“So, hopefully, I can add to the group.”

[www.latimes.com]

B/R’s Miller: “Goff Will Have Better Year Than Wentz”
https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...than-carson-wentz-bleacher-report-matt-miller by 3k Jun 26, 2017, 1:59pm PDT
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller is making a pretty bold prediction for the 2017 season.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has been making some news as of late.

A week ago, it was the suggestion that former Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher could be an appropriate candidate for the Chicago Bears’ gig if John Fox is fired by season’s end.

Today, it’s Miller’s opinion on the franchise QB that Fisher and Les Snead traded up for the #1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to be able to select:

Jared Goff will have a better year than Carson Wentz.

Define "better year" however you want as long as we're not talking about wins and losses (team stat), Goff will take the next step this season with an improved offensive line and a competent coaching staff around him. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Cooper Kupp lead the team's receivers in catches.

I like Wentz a lot, but his slow release and trigger need to be improved before I'm ready to call out his sophomore season as an improved year. If that can be fixed, Wentz has a chance to become a top-10 quarterback this season. I'm betting on seeing more of the same from Wentz with Goff playing like the former No. 1 overall pick that he is.

A couple of things.

I think we’re all in agreement that it’s pretty much impossible for the Rams’ offense to get worse. That would almost certainly include Goff who threw for 155 yards per game at a 0.71:1 TD-INT ratio. The problem is that by comparison, Wentz threw for 236 yards per game with a 1:0.875 TD-INT ratio. That’s a pretty significant separation. Even if Wentz puts up mirrored numbers, that’s asking a TON of Goff to improve upon without the benefit of a star first-round prospect coming into the roster.

#yikes

But if we’re alluding to the coaching staff and surrounding talent as being part of the reason why, that would certainly invalidate Miller’s call to ignore wins as a “team stat.” I’m not disagreeing with him there, but nearly all traditional statistics measure a group output more than an individual one.

That being said, his suggestion of an “improved offensive line” is one of the biggest assumptions about the 2017 Rams that I’m eager to see play out early on in the season. I’ve said before that the biggest addition to the line compared to 2016 is the subtraction of Greg Robinson whom the Rams traded two weeks ago. While I’m hopeful LT Andrew Whitworth can come anywhere close to matching his play in Cincinnati in years of late, I think it’s worth remembering that he’s 35-years old. I’m nowhere near sold on the rest of the offensive line as a unit, so if we’re pinning all of our hopes and all of the sincerity of the idea that the Rams will boast an “improved offensive line” in a 35-year old left tackle? That’s risky as hell.

As for rookie WR Cooper Kupp leading the team in receptions? I think there’s some credibility to that idea, though I’d note the concern with a third-round rookie leading your team in receptions especially after signing WR Robert Woods to a pretty big deal while WR Tavon Austin is enjoying a much bigger contract in the meanwhile. Only five players caught more than 16 receptions last year. WR Kenny Britt led the team with 68 receptions. He’s now on the Cleveland Browns. Austin was second with 58 receptions out of 106 targets, a target rate I don’t know he gets half of in 2017. TE Lance Kendricks has taken his 50 receptions in 2016 to the Green Bay Packers. RB Todd Gurley had 43 catches out of the backfield. WR Brian Quick joined the Washington Football Statistic Creators on a one-year deal after 41 catches. So for Kupp to lead the Rams in catches, it might not require all that much in the first place, especially if Goff spreads the ball around with a huge number of potential wide receivers and tight ends on the forthcoming 2017 53-man roster.

Overall, it’s asking a ton for Goff to catch up to Carson Wentz in the course of a single offseason when he’s starting so far behind. Were it to happen, both Goff and certainly new Head Coach Sean McVay would be in for MAJOR commendation. But in the offseason where everything’s positive and every signing is perfect and every player is getting better? Yeah, this is where something like this fits.

We released Tyrunn Walker due to the sexual assault investigation. I wonder if the coaches are content with our depth along the DL. There are still some intriguing vets available in FA, including:
Jared Odrick
Sen'Derrick Marks
Vance Walker
Sean Lissemore
Tyson Jackson
Arthur Jones
Glenn Dorsey (more of a NT)
Dan Williams (more of a NT)

Obviously, none of these guys are elite players, but some of them are intriguing to think of as rotational DEs. Walker and Lissemore both have experience in Wade's scheme. We still have some roster slots open, IIRC. I wonder if we see a veteran DL added.

Hey all, thinking about setting up a site with a couple buds for the new Vegas hockey team, and of all the message boards I have seen this one is the best I have encountered, so wondering if someone in the know can give me an idea what type of software & hosting type stuff you all utilize for it and maybe what it's going to cost to set up and also maintain.

Just considering it, seems like a good idea up until I see the cost I am sure loool.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/06/26/rams-trying-to-keep-the-lid-on-ticket-sales-in-2017/

Rams trying to keep the lid on ticket sales in 2017
Posted by Darin Gantt on June 26, 2017

Getty Images

The Rams are trying to sell fewer tickets this year.

According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Orange County Register, the Rams are trying to cap ticket sales in the 70,000 per game range, to alleviate crowding at concession stands and in parking lots.

The Rams sold more than 70,000 season tickets last year, and made 80,000 or more tickets available to games last year. That’s far from capacity at the Coliseum (93,607), but the Rams heard from their customers that the “fan experience” was compromised by the sheer amount of people.

“The environment in the building was spectacular,”Rams vice president of ticket sales Jake Bye said. “But what we learned was that the tradeoff at times came in ways that sometimes compromised the fan experience. The ability to purchase concessions in a quick orderly manner. Or the challenge of parking around the building, which was strained by putting that many people in the building.

“Now that we have a year’s worth of research in that building and seeing how NFL fans behave and when they arrive and what gates they are going through and what items they are buying at concessions stands, we can really take all that information and be so much smarter in how we approach the building and delivering the best experience in year two compared to year one.”

The Rams drew more than 80,000 for five games, and more than 90,000 for the opener. And they’re keeping the option to sell more tickets for certain opponents (i.e. the ones people want to see).

But trying to rein in the number of tickets available should help keep the supply and demand in control.

These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below. Greg Bishop is a retired offensive tackle. He played for the Giants and Falcons and is now a writer for Sports Illustrated.

Even without Peter King this week, there are still plenty of mentions of Brady and the Patriots. PK must have sent out a memo to all guest writers, smh.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/26/guest-monday-morning-quarterback-greg-bishop-nfl

The NFL's Optimism Season
Our guest columnist checks on some positive vibes emanating from New Orleans, Buffalo and Minnesota, among other places. Plus a closer look at Derek Carr’s contract, a former player gets sweaty in retirement and more
by Greg Bishop

As the NFL entered its dead period this past week, that blink of a break between the end of minicamps and the start of training camps, optimism reigned. Always does this time of year.

Every story about every player on every team oozed with hope and possibility. No fan base called to replace its starting quarterback (although Jets fans would like to find one), no coach found his proverbial seat at a temperature above lukewarm, and every team could at least extol its playoff chances, although some sounded more realistic than others.

The Panthers say it feels like 2015 again, and in Los Angeles, Todd Gurley is communicating better with his offensive linemen after a rough second season. Even Cleveland quarterback Brock Osweiler sounded like a Comeback Player of the Year candidate.

Thus this attempt to fill in for the vacationing Peter King in this space—which I liken to how Brian Griese felt in Denver after John Elway retired—will focus on what’s possible across the league, as Optimism Season ramps up. Below you’ll read about...

• A Saint who thinks New Orleans can win the Super Bowl (and a fan who thinks so too).

• A nosetackle in Buffalo who’s excited about the new regime, and a Vikings linebacker who sees dominance ahead in Minnesota.

• A Seahawks defensive end who builds homes in Haiti when not tearing down opposing quarterbacks.

• A retired running back’s business pursuit to become the Gatorade of hygiene.

• A nod to the next project at The MMQB—Smarter Football Week begins Tuesday— and the most intelligent players I’ve covered.

And so much more. Let’s get it going...

* * *

When The Saints...


Cameron Jordan hopes to help unstick the Saints, who have finished 7-9 in each of the past three seasons
Photo: Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

You could argue that the Saints’ Cameron Jordan is the most underrated player in the game. Pro Football Focus bolstered that argument recently when it ranked Jordan 15th overall on its list of 101 Best Players from last season.

The website touted the defensive end’s total QB pressures (79, tied with Broncos sackmaster Von Miller) and his “consistent” play against the run as factors that solidified his ranking.

So why isn’t Jordan a household name outside of Louisiana? “Well, we finished the last three seasons 7-9 and our defense was in the mid-20s,” he told me. “That’s not where we want to be. Last time we were a top-five defense we made the playoffs [2013, defense ranked fourth]. That’s what we want to be.”

Jordan is high on the Saints this season, particularly on defense. He notes the addition of free-agent pass rusher Alex Okafor, how New Orleans deepened its linebacker core and the signing of running back Adrian Peterson, who will share a backfield with Mark Ingram (a Pro Bowl replacement in Jan. 2015) and quarterback Drew Brees (one of the best players on earth).

“We’re building a team to win a Super Bowl,” Jordan says. “We’re not building for the future. It’s hard not to believe in our team. We’re ready to win it now.”

Here’s what else Jordan had to say about the Saints (and Tom Brady):

• On Brees: “Is there a better quarterback? You tell me how many 5,000-yard seasons have been produced in NFL history. I would say eight. (Close, but it’s nine.) Drew has five of those seasons.”

• On Brees/Brady: “That being said, TB12 is the GOAT when it comes to rings. But when it comes to the King of the Air, we’ll call him Drew.” (May we suggest a Game of Thrones spin-off?)

• On Brady: “Can you ask him to adopt me? Between him and Giselle that’s a lot of money.”

• On Peterson: “I’m a fan. He runs the angriest of any back I’ve ever hit.”

For more proof that Jordan rules, here he is competing against Ingram in a lip sync battle for charity.

* * *

Smarter Football Week at The MMQB


Photo: George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Please keep an eye out for our Smarter Football stories this week at The MMQB. We’ll examine the cerebral side of America’s favorite sport, the growth of advanced analytics and examine how one big-brained linebacker prepares for games.

I think people who fall easily into stereotypes get it wrong about pro football players. I’ve covered many sports, from pro cycling to gay softball leagues to the NFL, and I’ve always found football players to be the most insightful and thought-provoking in sports. That whole dumb-jock thing was always a dumb concept, especially in football locker rooms.

Think of all the information football players have to process, the decisions they make in seconds, over and over, that determine the outcomes of their games, even all the plays they have to memorize. To hear football people talk about the game itself is to hear a foreign language, Football French.

The sport is brutal, yes, but it’s cerebral in its soul as well. Most of the best football players mix brawn and brainpower. They see openings before they exist, guess plays before they unfold and win because they studied more than they practiced.

At the risk of some blowback, as a general rule, I’ve always found offensive linemen to be the smartest players in a locker room. I’m not sure exactly why that is. As for individual players, I’d cite Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (who asks astronauts about astrophysics), Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin (who recommends Netflix documentaries on the prison industrial complex) and the retired fullback Tony Richardson (who’s fluent in wine snobbery, acupuncture and leadership).

* * *

The Haitian Creation


The Seahawks’ Cliff Avril uses his on-field dominance to help those in need
Photo: Joshua Weisberg/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images

Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril saw the damage Hurricane Matthew did to Haiti last October and pledged to build a house there for every sack he registered last season. Then he made the Pro Bowl, after registering 11.5 sacks. Then he built 12 homes.

Avril’s parents grew up in Haiti and came to the United States in the 1980s. He used to visit relatives there most summers during his childhood, but stopped visiting once he started playing college football.

Then he saw his former teammate, running back Marshawn Lynch, doing charity work in Haiti, and so Avril went back, helping how he could, along with Lynch, Michael Bennett and others. (Quick aside: Avril agrees with my assessment that all roads in the NFL lead back to Lynch.

He’s like the football version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. “One of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Avril said.)

To build the homes, Avril partnered with the charitable organization New Story, and they used Haitian workers and local materials in their efforts, helping to boost the local economy. When Avril visited the completed residences this spring, the occupants cried and prayed. He also saw their old homes, with dirt floors that turned muddy when it rained.

As for the Seahawks, Avril notes that the defense returns with its core intact, now that safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are back to full health after both suffered injuries in the past two seasons. “I feel like we’re getting back to who we are,” he said.

Avril plans to continue with his pledge this season.

* * *

The New-Look Bills and a Voice of Reason


Marcell Dareus made minimal impact in playing only eight games for the Bills last season
Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

So much is new in Buffalo this season, from a new coach in Sean McDermott to a new general manager in Brandon Beane. For defensive tackle Marcell Dareus that’s a good thing. Dareus made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and ’14, when he also was named first-team all-pro.

The next off-season he inked a six-year extension for $96.5 million (with $60 million guaranteed, the highest guarantee at that time for a non-quarterback in NFL history). But his numbers dropped in the past two seasons, thanks in part to a four-game suspension and a hamstring injury in 2016.

Now, Dareus appears primed for a resurgence—and, if all goes well, the Bills hope to end the longest playoff drought in the league. (Their last appearance was in 1999.) To that end, Dareus praised quarterback Tyrod Taylor for taking a more active leadership role this spring.

But here’s a twist: even in this Optimism Season, Dareus wants to see how the team actually plays before he makes any pronouncements. “We have a lot of pieces,” he said. “But I always say everything looks good on paper. Everything sounds good on the radio. But until we put the toys on and run around you just don’t know.” Points for honesty there.

Also worth noting: Dareus loves Bills fans. He does a lot of charity work when he’s in town (including a “Marcell Dareus Day” at the minor league stadium for the Buffalo Bisons) and said members of Bills Mafia have stopped him at Starbucks, Toys “R” Us and even tried to talk football … in a theater … during a movie. “Bills fans are crazy,” he said affectionately. “Most of them feel like they should be head coach.”

* * *

In Minnesota, Pointed Forward


After a tumultuous 2016 season, Eric Kendricks believes the Vikings are ready to break through
Photo: Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In his two seasons in Minnesota, inside linebacker Eric Kendricks has … established himself as a dominant force on an underappreciated defense … seen a legend (Adrian Peterson) leave … studied under a defensive guru in Mike Zimmer, until Zimmer was sidelined with eye surgeries for a detached retina … and witnessed an injury to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater that was so gruesome some teammates threw up. “We’ve gone through a lot,” Kendricks said. “I can’t say I’ve ever been on a team that went through that much in one year.”

Yet Kendricks prefers to look forward to next season, rather than back at the insanity that unfolded in 2016. He cares little that PFF ranked him as the sixth most-improved player in the league last year—his overall grade improved from 48.3 to 80.3—but agreed with my contention that the Vikings could make the postseason next fall.

(I’ll throw in some disclaimers there: if quarterback Sam Bradford minimizes mistakes, the offensive line improves and the offense keeps the Vikings’ D in games. Is that a lot of disclaimers? Well, it’s the Optimism Season!)

Kendricks says his improvement last year stemmed mostly from becoming more comfortable on the field, thinking less and following his instincts. He learned that from Zimmer, who guided the Vikings to third overall in total defense last season, sixth in points allowed per game and ninth in Football Outsiders’ Defense-adjusted Value Over Average rankings.

Like Kendricks, Minnesota’s D is young, improving and ready to join units like the Broncos, Seahawks and Texans in competition for the league’s best. I think the Vikings can compete with the Packers for NFC North supremacy next season.

* * *

Sweat Equity for Forsett


Former NFL running back Justin Forsett co-founded a company that helps athletes tackle hygiene
Photo: Getty Images :: ShowerPill

Back inside the Cal the locker room in the mid-2000s, running back Justin Forsett and his teammates would lament how they often had to choose between showering and eating lunch. They would make jokes about needing to take a shower pill to continue with their day.

Then one of those teammates, Wale Forrester, became a firefighter and one day after a workout, he was called suddenly into work. He stopped by a sporting goods store and asked if they sold wipes for athletes after workouts. And the salesman said that the store did not but added that it would love to.

That’s when the ShowerPill Athletic Body Wipe was born. It’s an extra-thick disposable wipe that athletes can use when they don’t have time to shower. The product, launched commercially in 2014 but now consuming Forsett’s time post football, has been approved by the FDA and kills 99.9 percent of germs. Perhaps it can even help sportswriters.

As Forsett played for seven teams over nine seasons, he often brought the wipes into the locker room. The feedback was intense. In Seattle, even the team employees started using the wipes after yoga sessions or long flights.

Forsett started the company with Forrester and Wendell Hunter, and they donated their product to residents of Flint, Mich., during the water crisis, along with homeless communities in Baton Rouge and the people of Haiti after Hurricane Matthew.

The product is backed by NFL stars from Ronnie Lott to Steve Smith and its brand ambassadors include Jared Goff, Golden Tate and Marshawn Lynch. (Everything comes back to Lynch, remember?)

Forsett recently purchased a home in Dallas, his first permanent residence since he started in the NFL in 2009. No NFL team has called him, and he said the running back market in particular is oversaturated, but he hasn’t entirely ruled out a return to the NFL.

In fact, he’s playing in a flag football league this summer, staying in shape. Should he return to the NFL, he’ll have to take the ShowerPill back on the road. “We’re trying to be the Gatorade of hygiene,” Forsett said.

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Stat of the Week


The Raiders now have quarterback Derek Carr under contract through the 2022 season
Photo: Samuel Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Raiders signal caller Derek Carr signed a five-year extension last week good for $125,025,000 over five seasons. The $25 million average makes him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. I agree with The MMQB’s Albert Breer that the contract is more evolutionary than revolutionary, because it’s only slightly higher than the average salaries of Andrew Luck (Colts, $24.6 million), Carson Palmer (Cardinals, $24.4 million), Brees (Saints, $24.3 million) and Kirk Cousins (Redskins, $23.9 million). In a year when the salary cap increased by 7 percent, Carr’s deal, while life changing, is closer to what should have been expected than anything transformative.

That said, no one should be more excited about the Raiders move to Las Vegas in 2020 than Carr. He’ll play out the final three years of this deal in Nevada, a state that does not tax income. I reached out to Stephen Kidder of Hemeney & Barnes in Boston, because he has a deep background in sports tax law.

He said that California taxes will cost Carr about $3,286,000 in income while the Raiders are in Oakland. That means he’ll pocket almost $10 million more in Nevada than he would have if the Raiders had stayed put.

Some other points of note. The top 12 highest paid quarterbacks in terms of average salary are Carr, Luck, Palmer, Brees, Cousins, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Tom Brady. (At $20.5 million per season, Brady’s deal ranks among the best bargains in sports.)

This list confirms what’s obvious: that if you have a franchise quarterback, you don’t quibble on dollars, you pay. The only franchise-caliber QB who’s not on that list if Matthew Stafford, and he’ll be there soon enough. The rest of the NFL teams are looking for their next franchise signal caller, rather than paying one.

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Factoid That May Only Interest Me

As noted by Pro Football Talk, Chiefs coach Andy Reid is currently tied for 11th on the all-time wins list, with 173. He needs 13 wins to pass Chuck Knox and move into the top 10. If Reid records an average of 11 victories in the next five years, he’d be fifth all-time, behind only Don Shula, George Halas, Tom Landry and Bill Belichick. I think that’s worthy of the Hall of Fame and a slam dunk nomination should Reid win a Super Bowl in K.C.

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Things I Think I Think

1. I think the Titans will make the playoffs next season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a run into late January, depending on the match-ups. Not only did they add free agent wideout Eric Decker, but they also drafted another receiver, Corey Davis of Western Michigan, in the first round.

Add those two into a target mix that includes Delanie Walker, Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe, plus two capable running backs in DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, plus an emerging star at quarterback in Marcus Mariota, plus Super Bowl experience from signees Logan Ryan (CB), Sylvester Williams (NT) and Eric Weems (WR). Houston will also compete in the AFC South—and maybe, dare I say, Jacksonville—but Tennessee will challenge the Texans and Jaguars.

2. I think I’d be grateful if you read some of the excellent Where Are They Now? pieces we’ll be running on SI.com in the next week. I have one on Vince Young and there’s another fascinating NFL story on retired running back Clinton Portis. Plus Lee Jenkins on Allen Iverson and more.

3. I think this story confirms that Eric Berry is a good human being and that not all football news is negative. The story, told by a stranger watching from a distance without Berry’s knowledge, describes the Chiefs safety coming out of a restaurant in Knoxville, handing food he purchased to three homeless people. They asked Berry to pray with them. He did. “I don’t do it for the attention,” Berry told The Kansas City Star. “I do it to better myself and just give back. That’s what you should do it for.”

4. I think my editor/life coach, Adam Duerson, couldn’t be more wrong when he sent a passage from a soon-to-be-released bonus story written by the legendary Steve Rushin on hot dogs and their place in sports. Duerson described one line in the passage as “nasty” and said it offended him.

The line in question: Lohr would like to criminalize even some who do eat them. “I think people over 12 who put ketchup on hot dogs should have to do 100 hours of community service,” he says. “It’s the desecration of a national food. It’s like defacing Mount Rushmore.”

The last time Duerson was this wrong was the last time he cut from one of my magazine pieces. Ketchup on a hot dog is a crime against one’s taste buds. They shouldn’t even stock ketchup at ballparks, to avoid letting anyone make a horrible, life-altering mistake. The only condiment that belongs on a hot dog is mustard. That should be obvious.

“I guess I’m alone here,” Duerson wrote back. Yes, yes you are.

5. I think it was smart of Odell Beckham Jr. to read Brady’s favorite book this off-season. It’s called The Four Agreements, and the second agreement in particular—don’t take anything personally—applies to famous football players. I called the book’s author, Don Miguel Ruiz, before Super Bowl 51 and asked how that agreement applied to Brady, after his Deflategate suspension and revenge tour.

From our Super Bowl cover story: Ruiz writes that people tend to fall into narratives that others create for them, that they’re angry because they’re expected to be angry, aggrieved because most others would be too. Brady—at least publicly—never blamed Goodell, never let the noise appear to influence him.

“Brady,” Ruiz says, “has created his own truth.”

Beckham, with years of prime ahead of him, can do the same.

6. I think that Lions president Rod Wood made total sense when he told Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com that he’s comfortable making Matt Stafford the highest-paid player in pro football. There just aren’t many franchise-level quarterbacks walking around the planet. (See Stat of the Week, above.) When you have one—and Stafford is definitely one; look what he did last season without Calvin Johnson; or check back on the 5,000-yard passing year—you don’t let them walk.

Unless you want to spend that next however-many-years looking for your next quarterback, drafting replacements, signing journeymen, etc. I also think that’s why regardless of any tension between the offense and the defense in Seattle, Russell Wilson isn’t going anywhere. With franchise signal-callers, as Wood told Rothstein, “it’s going to be whatever it takes.”

7. I think it’s wise of wideout Anquan Boldin to skip the NFL’s off-season programs and look to sign with a receiver-needy team before training camp. That’s the Walter Jones Approach to Optimism Season, named after the perpetual holdout at left tackle in Seattle. It worked pretty well for Jones, who made the Hall of Fame. If I’m Boldin, I try to sign with New England, looking for a ring. He’d also fit well in Kansas City, Washington, Minnesota and elsewhere.

8. I think that Jason Taylor’s choice of his former Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson as his Hall of Fame presenter could not be more perfect, given the year. Taylor will be inducted along with kicker Morten Andersen, quarterback Kurt Warner, running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis, safety Kenny Easley and … Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

In recent years, Jones and Johnson have both said publicly that they patched up their feud over who could take more credit for the Cowboys dynasty in the ‘90s. But look for that to continue on stage in Canton, Ohio, this summer.

9. I think you should read this story by Malika Andrews in The New York Times. It’s about Jeff Charles, a former football coach who couldn’t bring himself to watch football anymore after one of his players sustained a fatal brain injury on the field. I won’t ruin the rest of it for you.

Keeping with my theme on offense and the numbers breakdown that I will illustrate below, I had trouble at Linebacker with only keeping eight. If the Rams only keep three TE's, I could see adding a linebacker, however, I stuck to my number breakdown of the following:

9 Offensive Line

6 Wide Receivers

2 Quarterbacks

4 Tight Ends

3 Running Backs

1 Full Back

3 Special Teams


8 Defensive Line

8 Linebackers

5 Corner Backs

4 Safeties

Defense:

Defensive Line (8)

LDE…Damien Easley, Ethan Westbrooks

NT…Michael Brockers, Mike Purcell, Tanzel Smart

RDE…Aaron Donald, Matt Longacre, Louis Trinca-Pasat

I like Purcell over the others with experience at the Nose and his ability to be a run stuffer. Trinca-Pasat holds off the others, but that could go either way.


Linebackers (8)

SLB…Connor Barwin, Carlos Thompson

ILB…Alec Ogletree, Josh Forrest

ILB…Mark Barron, Corey Littleton

WLB…Robert Quinn, Samson Ebukam

Really tough cuts here as Bryce Hager & many others I like including draft choice Ejuan Price, but I’m betting on him to be put on IR. Hager could beat out Littleton as Littleton was liked by the previous staff, but seems like a natural back up to Barron. If Rams shave from another area, they could keep another LB.

Corner Backs (5)

LCB…Trumaine Johnson, Arion Penton

RCB…Kayvon Webster, E.J. Gaines

NCB…Nickell Robey-Coleman

Troy Hill is suspended for two games which gives others a shot of making the team for the first two games and I went with Penton based on his rating in college and the fact he as a chip on his shoulder. Coleman an under the radar signing enabling the Rams to move Joyner to his natural position.


Safeties (4)

FS…Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson

SS…Maurice Alexander, Cody Davis

Alexander & Joyner now are playing their natural positions and IMO, this could be a huge upgrade especially with Joyner coming on the safety blitz, which Phillips disguises much better than his predecessor...Davis very good on special teams like it or not.


Special Teams (3)

P…Johnny Hekker

PK…Greg Zuerlein

LS…Jake McQuaide

In the words of Meat Loaf, two out of three ain’t bad and in this case, Zuerlein came back nice last season to improve his accuracy. Hekker best punter in the NFL and McQuaide is so good most Ram fans don’t know who he is.

Anyone going on October 15?? Or maybe we can start or move this thread to games "we" are going to for a meet and greet in the parking lot...