These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/05/29/nfl-memorial-day-notes-peter-king-richard-sherman-seahawks

An NFL Memorial Day Medley
Here’s a holiday look on what’s happening around the league, including items on the Sherman-Seahawks situation, a fledgling flag football idea featuring Michael Vick, a Texan’s triumphant return to the field and more
By Peter King


David Quessenberry, here in 2014 serving as a Texans honorary captain, returned to the field last week after a three-year battle with lymphoma
Photo: David J. Phillip/AP

• David Quessenberry’s comeback from a harrowing fight with cancer begins.Quick back story: Quessenberry was drafted by the Texans in the sixth round of the 2013 draft and missed his rookie season after he went on injured reserve with a foot injury. The next summer in June 2014, Quessenberry was diagnosed with lymphoma.

For three years, he battled the cancer. When the chemotherapy and radiation caused him to lose 50 pounds in 2015, Quessenberry barely recognized the man in the mirror. “I felt like the furthest thing from my mind was being a football player,” he said the other day, his fourth day of practice after cancer robbed him of three seasons.

“Describe what getting back on the field was like,” I asked him.

Pause. Five, seven seconds. “It’s hard to put into words,” he said, finally, quietly and with emotion. “If I could describe it, I’d say first, my prayers were answered. It was so spiritual the first day back. Getting taped up, my helmet hanging in my locker, the jersey there, trainers hollering at me, riding me, teammates hollering at me, they wanted to see my back, putting my cleats on … all of it just special, just very very special.

Because I could just feel how much everybody else on this journey with me wanted me to get back out there. My teammates never forgot me, never let me just drift away. That made this week even better.

“I woke up every day this week, and my neck was sore, fingers banged up, legs are tired and achy, I was having to drink so much water and Gatorade, sweating in the Texas sun … loving every minute of it. Really, I almost forgot how much I love this feeling, the bruises on arms, the sore shins, that sting you feel when you make a block. I missed it so much.”

Then … football. There’s no full-on contact this time of year, but when a coach told Quessenberry during one practice: “Go get some reps at right tackle,” in he went. Across from him, on either side, were two of the best defensive players in football—J.J. Watt at tackle, Jadeveon Clowney at end.

“There’s 99 [Watt] and 90 [Clowney],” Quessenberry said, reliving it. “We’re just in a jog through. But I’m thinking: I got butterflies right now! I haven’t felt this excited about a play in years. But then: ‘Okay man, this is where you’re at, you’re back. You’re not trying to maintenance chemo, you’re not just working out. You are staring across at a couple of the best players in the league. Time to play football.’”


According to a recent ESPN story, Richard Sherman hasn’t gotten over the Super Bowl 49 loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots
Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

• The Seth Wickersham/Seahawks story. The respected Wickersham reported from a slew of sources, basically, that Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman cannot get over the game-losing interception from the Super Bowl 27 months ago, and his frustration continues to point mostly at coach Pete Carroll for enabling the play-call at the New England one-yard line, and at quarterback Russell Wilson for throwing the interception.

I’m going to re-live the key play in a moment, but I’ll just say this: Those who live in the past are condemned to repeat it. I have not spoken to Wickersham’s sources, but I do not doubt the veracity of his story.

And if Sherman continues—as he did last year, when he verbally harangued offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell on the sidelines of a game—to bring up that losing play, Seattle should trade him after the season. (I’d say now, but without significant reinforcements at the position on a contending team, losing Sherman would be a major blow to going far in the playoffs this year.)

One other point: This is, in part, Carroll’s doing. He has created a don’t-worry-be-happy atmosphere in which it’s almost okay to be insolent because it’s part of his freedom environment. It’s fine when you’re winning, not so fine when you’re not dominating. Now, I don’t think the Seahawks will trade Sherman or let him go this year, because they’re a cornerback-needy team, and premier cornerbacks like Sherman are rare.

My guess: Sherman will be on his best behavior this season (at least as it relates to this incident, and further disruptive sideline incidents) because he knows all media and team eyes will be on him because of this story. But 2018? Nothing is guaranteed.

• The Seahawks play in question. So I went back over the weekend and watched the play in question a few times on NFL Game Rewind. Actually I watched four plays from New England’s Super Bowl win over Seattle. Seattle ran four snaps on third-and-one or third-and-two in that Super Bowl. On three of those, Marshawn Lynch ran the ball—for zero, three and zero yards. (Wilson threw an incompletion on the fourth third-and-short play.)

On those three Lynch runs, New England didn’t have its full package of run-stoppers in the game. On each, 335-pound Vince Wilfork and 325-pound Sealver Siliga were on the defensive front with lighter defensive linemen—and, in fact, Lynch was stopped for no gain on the first of those plays, when New England had only two down linemen (Wilfork and Siliga) on the field.

Now to the ultimate play. Second and goal from the New England four-foot line, with 26 seconds to play and Seattle with one timeout left. When Wilson came to the line, he saw this across from him, from his left to right: Wilfork, 335, on the left tackle … Siliga, 325, on the left guard … Alan Branch, 324, on the right guard … Chris Jones, 309, on the right tackle.

On the three previous short-yardage runs in the game, Seattle faced New England alignments with two defensive tackles in the game; now there were four. If Bevell wanted to call Lynch’s number here, once, no one would have faulted him.

That’s his money back, on the money play of the season. But would he have gotten in? We’ll never know, but based on the mediocrity of the offensive line and New England’s approach, I’d say it’s highly unlikely Lynch would have scored.

So let’s say he doesn’t score. Now it’s third-and-goal, with either one or two plays left. (Seattle would likely have called time after the second-down failure, and thrown on third down. An incompletion would have given Wilson a fourth-down try.) In the end, Seattle chose the element of surprise, throwing on second down, and Wilson’s throw for Ricardo Lockette was a millisecond late and Malcolm Butler made the play of his life to collide with Lockette at the same time he picked off the ball at the goal line.

The conclusion: No one can bitch if Bevell calls the running play on second down. But I feel strongly that Seattle would have had to throw it or get a fluky Wilson scramble to get the ball in the end zone to win—regardless of down.

* * *

• There might be a national touch football league coming. If a 7-on-7 touch football game featuring some big names like Mike Vick on June 27 in San Jose shows well, a New York financier named Jeff Lewis intends to start a national touch football league in 2018. Big if, obviously. But with the fear of continued head trauma in the tackle game, and the enthusiasm about touch football from NFL stars like Drew Brees, Lewis thinks it's time to try taking the game national.

“The analogy is this is a pilot for a TV show,” he said last week of the touch football trial in San Jose, which will feature some fast and quick players and magnetic flags on the hips. (When the flag gets pulled, a sensor will pinpoint the exact point forward progress stopped.)

“Because this game has never been played by athletes like this, we don't know what we’re going to see. We’re all gonna see it together for the first time June 27. If I find it’s not compelling, I won't bang my head against the wall. But I think it's got a chance to be a fast, great, beautiful game.”

Vick will play in this game, but not necessarily in 2018 if the league does fly. He’s serving as an adviser to Lewis now. For the future, Lewis would love to say half the league comprised of prospects from football and other quick-twitch sports, and half from a national tournament that would winnow teams from around the country down in tournaments. “Wouldn't it be fun to have a massive kind of U.S. Open style, with teams that rise up out of a giant scrum of a tournament?” Lewis said.

* * *

“All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue. ‘If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game.’ It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional, emotional issue.”

—Giants co-owner John Mara, to Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB, in her story about how the Colin Kaepernick story lives on.

* * *

Things I Think I Think

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

1. I think the amazing news of Sunday was this, from Pro Football Talk, via the San Francisco Chronicle: The Oakland Raiders, the football definition of a lame-duck franchise, have sold out season tickets for the 2017 season.

The combo platter of excitement over a long-lousy team and the acquisition of local legend Marshawn Lynch melted a lot of anger in folks ticked off at the Raiders for signing an agreement to leave the city for Las Vegas in 2020.

2. I think the NFL’s decision to cut overtime from 15 to 10 minutes probably won’t result in more ties, because coaches will play more aggressively in overtime. I’m not crazy about the change, but I understand it. Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio and the Sporting News had a great stat that plays a part too:

In the past five years, 10 teams have followed a Sunday overtime game by playing on Thursday night. Those 10 teams are 2-8 in those games. Not enough to get a rock-solid sample, of course, but an indicator that fatigue could be a factor four days after a long game.

3. I think I’ve got to give you one more story about the kind of person Cortez Kennedy was, in addition to being a Hall of Fame player. (I wrote about Saints GM Mickey Loomis’ anguish over his good friend’s death the other day.) The media relations czar of the Saints, Greg Bensel, told me one more story about the late Cortez Kennedy—who died in Florida the other day, cause unknown—that I simply have to pass on.

Said Bensel: “Tez was the greatest human. I once rolled over in my bed at a road hotel ... to the sound of a large black man snoring in my bed. It was Tez. He had a key to my room and wanted to come watch a movie. I told him, ‘You have 10 minutes and the TV goes off and you MUST leave my room; and do not have any part of your body touch mine.’ He laughed and sipped his Courvoisier and said, ‘Why the hate, Bensel?’”

4. I think Aaron Donald will have a new contract with the Rams by opening day. They’re going to pay their best player.

5. I think players should attend off-season organized team workouts, but when they don’t, I’d remind people that they’re voluntary. And yes, they’re good for chemistry and for things like getting quarterbacks and wideouts on the same page.

But I’ve never heard one losing coach in December or January stand in front of the press and say: “If we only had John Doe at those workouts in shorts in May, we’d have made more plays today.” Odell Beckham is a different guy, and there’s probably a story there. But if/when he catches six for 126 in the opener at Dallas, not a soul will care about the May weirdness.

6. I think Victor Cruz has always been a class guy, grateful for his life in football and a very good teammate. I was stunned to hear the ridiculousness of him implying last week that Eli Manning purposely passed up throwing to Cruz when he was open because the Giants didn’t want him on the team anymore.

There are absurd things to think about, and then there is the thought that coach Ben McAdoo put Cruz out on the field and instructed Manning to not throw him the ball. Ten versus 11. Yeah, that’s the way to win football games.

7. I think I love the fact that Ty Montgomery, atop the Packers’ depth chart at running back, will keep the number 88. I’m a cool-numbers guy: Jim Otto 00, Devin Gardner (at Michigan) 98. I’d love to see the NFL mix it up.

8. I think I have had enough conversations with Chip Kelly to have a good feeling about him being a TV guy. He signed Friday with ESPN to be a college football analyst. The thing I always appreciated about Kelly, when you actually had long conversations in which he could go deep on a bunch of subjects, was how imaginative he was about football, and how excited he’d get talking about getting receivers open, or inventing new ways for quarterbacks to make plays. I hope that’s the guy we see on TV.

9. I think it’s amazing how fast Darrelle Revis fell off the face of the earth.

Rams preview: Jared Goff looks for fresh start under Sean McVay
By Lindsay H. Jones

Training camps are still in the distance, but USA TODAY Sports is providing five things you need to know about every team in the NFL to catch you up on the offseason. Today, the Los Angeles Rams ...

1. The McVay era begins

Sean McVay, the 31-year-old former offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins, was a surprising hire, but perhaps it is fitting that one of the league’s youngest rosters also would have the youngest head coach in league history. He is tasked with changing the culture of a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2004 and hasn’t had a winning record since 2003. To turn things around, McVay will need to bring fresh energy and ideas and earn the respect of his players, all while balancing the important job of calling offensive plays.

2. Goff is in control in Year 2
There will be no quarterback competition this year. The Rams will start Jared Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Goff had to wait until November to replace Case Keenum last season and struggled at times during his seven starts, throwing seven interceptions and five touchdown passes while completing less than 55% of his passes. McVay’s biggest task is to develop Goff, and the Rams spent this offseason trying to upgrade the talent around their young quarterback. The most important new pieces are veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth, 35, a longtime standout and leader with the Cincinnati Bengals, and former Southern California wide receiver Robert Woods, who could replace Kenny Britt as the Rams’ No.1 target.

3. Wade will get a warm welcome
McVay’s most important hire was longtime NFL coach Wade Phillips to lead the defense. Phillips built the Denver Broncos' defense into a top-five unit in each of his three years and helped lead that team to a championship in Super Bowl 50. Phillips has installed his 3-4 scheme, a change from the 4-3 under former head coach Jeff Fisher. That means star players will have to learn different positions. Pass rusher Robert Quinn will move to outside linebacker (picture him in a DeMarcus Ware-type role) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald will be used all over the defensive line.

4. Gurley is looking for a rebound year
Perhaps he had a sophomore slump or was affected by the team’s overall offensive struggles, but running back Todd Gurley had a dismal 2016 season. He rushed for 885 yards (and a paltry 3.2 yards per carry) and six touchdowns, disappointing numbers after his stellar offensive rookie of the year debut in 2015 (1,106 yards, 10 TDs). Gurley figures to be the focal point of the Rams offense, especially with a young quarterback. It will be interesting to see what sort of schemes McVay can concoct to keep Gurley from facing as many eight-man boxes as he did last season.

5. The battle for L.A. is on
The Rams had the Los Angeles market to themselves after relocating last year, but they will share the city after the Chargers’ move from San Diego. Los Angeles can be a fickle sports town, and the Rams will need to earn and maintain the support of fans both at the Coliseum and on television. The Rams have intriguing players to market, starting with Donald, Gurley and Goff, but improving on the field will be the key to winning the market.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

[www.usatoday.com]

My cousin Adam Grego and I are trying a new project and would love for you to check it out. It's all things NFL and this is just a side project and will not interfere with Downtown Rams or our podcast. Please let me know what you think. Thank you, guys!

https://bumpers.fm/e/b4lo5qsihs20010dg3u0

This is an article from NFL.com about who will have the Best Front seven ( Defense) in 2017! I don't care for the Ranking, the Rams are Ranked 10th. out of 12! But it's a slow News day, so I thought we could discuss it!

www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000810526/article/top-front-sevens-in-2017? Texans, Seahawks, Panthers

2016 wasn't a great season for front-seven units. The playoffs were marked by good-enough defenses simply trying to slow down great offenses (and usually falling short).

Like most NFL trends, this shouldn't last. Recent champions like the 2015 Broncos and 2013 Seahawks had all-time defenses that were overwhelming up front. Many of the best front-seven groups have reloaded for this season with the complementary pieces necessary to rush the passer and stop the run.

I've ranked the best front sevens below with one simple question in mind: Which group would I want to roll with for the 2017 season?

12) New York Jets

Seven key cogs: Leonard Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Darron Lee, David Harris, Steve McLendon, Lorenzo Mauldin.

The 2016 Jets' front seven was so much less than the sum of its parts. Williams, Wilkerson and Richardson should be awesome, but they don't quite fit together. They are all brute strength and not enough speed. Candidates for the Jets' best edge rusher include ... Mauldin and Jordan Jenkins?

New York still cracks this list over some near misses like the Dolphins, Jaguars, Bucs and Bears because the Jets' Big Three should be so much better. Williams can be a first-team All-Pro. Wilkerson, consistent as a ShackBurger in his first five seasons, shouldn't suddenly be washed up at 27 years old. For all the criticism he took in 2016, Richardson was a top-five run-stopper among 4-3 defensive ends, according to Pro Football Focus. And that came in his worst season.

11) Kansas City Chiefs

Seven key cogs: Justin Houston, Chris Jones, Dee Ford, Bennie Logan, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Allen Bailey.

The Chiefs, like the Jets, get knocked for not being complete. They tried to address a run-stopping deficiency by signing Logan, but the team has question marks at defensive end and inside linebacker that remain unsolved. That's why they are low on the list, but they are included because of a killer one-two punch. Houston remains one of the most devastating, complete defenders in football. Jones could wind up being the second-best defensive player from the 2016 draft class behind Joey Bosa.

10) Los Angeles Rams

Seven key cogs: Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron, Dominique Easley, Connor Barwin.

Donald will become one of the highest-paid defensive players in NFL history soon, an honor he richly deserves. The rest of his Rams defensive teammates have been living off reputation and Gregg Williams quotes for too long.

Brockers and Easley form an intriguing duo inside, but they combined to play fewer than 900 snaps last season. Quinn was last a consistent force in 2014 -- and his 2013 season, when he was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, stands out as an anomaly in his career.

It remains to be seen how Ogletree and Barron fit into Wade Phillips' defense, but the Son of Bumalways finds a way.

9) Philadelphia Eagles

Seven key cogs: Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Jordan Hicks, Timmy Jernigan, Vinny Curry, Nigel Bradham, Derek Barnett.

Philadelphia's cornerbacks made this group look worse that it really was last season. The Eagles' front consistently applied pressure under Jim Schwartz. And the unit boasts enviable depth, with players like Chris Long and Beau Allen not listed above. Cox and Graham would be bigger stars if the Eaglesweren't knee-deep in that 7-9 bull---- the last two seasons. Jernigan and Barnett should add more juice than departed Eagles Connor Barwin and Bennie Logan supplied.

8) Los Angeles Chargers

Seven key cogs: Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, Corey Liuget, Denzel Perryman, Brandon Mebane, Kyle Emanuel, Jatavis Brown.

The list of defensive players I would rather have in 2017 than Joey Bosa: J.J. Watt, Von Miller and Khalil Mack.

The list of defensive players I would rather have for the next 10 years than Joey Bosa:

Bosa is a more natural fit for Gus Bradley's 4-3 defense in Los Angeles than as a 3-4 outside linebacker in San Diego -- and Bosa should be even scarier with a full offseason and training camp to get ready. He's surrounded by a group of players that covers all bases. Perryman provides thump at inside linebacker, while Brown adds speed. Ingram is a complete bookend to pair with Bosa, while Mebane and Liuget bring quality beef to the interior defensive line. The Chargers are ranked low on this list for the same reason that Bradley's old team in Jacksonville didn't make the list at all. Thus far, this group has looked better on paper than on the field.

7) Pittsburgh Steelers

Seven key cogs: Cameron Heyward, Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt, Bud Dupree, James Harrison, Javon Hargrave, T.J. Watt.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has stocked his roster with defensive cornerstones for his defensive-minded coach. Mike Tomlin was allowed to depose a franchise legend in former coordinator Dick LeBeau in order for Tomlin to fully execute his defensive vision. Other than Harrison, the key players in this front seven are squarely in the middle of their respective primes. Tuitt, Heyward and Shazier can all excel against the run and pass.

It's time for this group to grow up together and play as one. This is the year.

6) Denver Broncos

Seven key cogs: Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, Shane Ray, Shaquil Barrett, Brandon Marshall, Domata Peko, DeMarcus Walker.

There is no such thing as "too many edge rushers." Even with DeMarcus Ware retired, the Broncoscould possess one of the most productive outside pass-rushing trios in football in Miller, Ray and Barrett.

Miller will make up for a lot of sins, but the team's inability to stop the run wasn't fully addressed by signing Peko, the 32-year-old longtime Bengal. Even though Wolfe and Ray have the potential to enjoy breakout seasons, this is a top-heavy group that lacks the depth of the team's championship squad, which included Ware, Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan.

5) New York Giants

Seven key cogs: Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, Devon Kennard, Dalvin Tomlinson, Jonathan Casillas, B.J. Goodson.

If this exercise only ranked defensive lines, the Giants would probably finish No. 1. Harrison puts a great run-stopping group over the top. JPP and Vernon play an incredible amount of snaps without sacrificing a consistent pass rush.

The Giants' problem: The three players behind the defensive line count, too. GM Jerry Reese has been skimping at linebacker roughly since Antonio Pierce left town. Goodson, a second-year fourth-round pick who barely played as a rookie, is taking over at middle linebacker. Kennard isn't trusted on passing downs. It looks like another year of the Giants' defensive line and secondary trying to cover for the guys in between.

4) Minnesota Vikings

Seven key cogs: Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Brian Robison, Datone Jones.

The Vikings don't have the marquee names in lights like most of the teams on this list. They do have a balanced and versatile group with few weaknesses. The young linebacker duo of Barr and Kendricks can excel on any down, covering receivers, stopping the run or rushing the passer. (Barr can play better than he did a year ago.) Hunter, like his two young linebacker teammates, has the potential to break out if he hasn't already. Joseph and Griffen were both given eye-opening, monster contracts by Minnesota, which now seem like forward-looking bargains.

It's not too late for this Vikings group -- with everyone but Robison still under 30 years old -- to achieve the type of dominance that coach Mike Zimmer expected last season. This entire Vikings team has some post-hype potential.

3) Carolina Panthers

Seven key cogs: Luke Kuechly, Kawann Short, Thomas Davis, Julius Peppers, Mario Addison, Charles Johnson, Shaq Thompson.

This is the only front-seven group on this list led by off-the-ball linebackers. Kuechly's concussion problems are concerning, and Davis isn't getting any younger, but this is the fastest, savviest linebacker duo in football until proven otherwise. Thompson, still coming into his own in the NFL at age 23, provides freakish athleticism of his own.

It's not like the defensive line lags far behind. Short was rightly paid as one of the game's best defensive tackles. Peppers, Addison and Johnson form an experienced trio of defensive ends who have been Brady-like in ignoring the ravages of time. Carolina is primed to bounce back in 2017, with this group leading the way.

2) Seattle Seahawks

Seven key cogs: Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, Cliff Avril, K.J. Wright, Frank Clark, Malik McDowell, Ahtyba Rubin.

This front seven might never fully get its due, which is a shame. Blame the Legion of Boom's marketing department. Blame Malcolm Butler.

The foursome of Bennett, Wagner, Avril and Wright remains a force, incredible for its longevity in an era built to break up teams, especially great ones. Bennett's ageless versatility and strength is the key, although Wagner and Wright have steadily grown better each season. Clark is a worthy third-wheel pass rusher, allowing Bennett to move inside on passing downs. McDowell landed on the perfect team to maximize his raw talent.

While there is a risk that the Seahawks' stew grows stale, the team's defensive decline was overstated last season. Seattle finished third in points allowed, first in yards-per-carry allowed and fifth in defensive DVOA in a down season. The team's front seven, not the secondary, now leads the way.

1) Houston Texans

Seven key cogs: J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, D.J. Reader, Benardrick McKinney, Brian Cushing, Christian Covington.

By the end of last season, Clowney and Mercilus were among the most devastating duos in football. Adding the best defensive player of the century to that tandem isn't fair.

This ranking assumes Watt returns as close to the same player that he was before back surgery. If that happens, this trio could make up for so much: Tom Savage, a so-so Texans linebacker group and possibly the nation's debt. Watt, Clowney and Mercilus are the best front-line trio in football because all three can play in multiple formations, on any down, against any style of offense. The team is also confident in Reader's ability to provide an upgrade from Vince Wilfork.

I started this column looking for a complete front seven, and the Texans don't exactly qualify, lacking in coverage linebackers. But the awesome potential of Prime Watt, Clowney and Mercilus playing together overwhelms the competition on this list, just like it should overwhelm AFC South offensive lines.

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald was absent because of a contract situation, but the Rams completed their first week of organized team activities.

They have seven workouts remaining over the next few weeks, and they also will hold a mandatory mini-camp June 13-15.

Now, on to your questions. Keep them coming at @latimesklein or gary.klein@latimes.com.


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BlueBlood_Rams @Blueblood_Rams
What is the state of negotiations between @RamsNFL and @AaronDonald97 ? Prediction: https://twitter.com/latimesklein/status/867416543046516736 …




Aaron Donald did not participate in the first week of organized team activities, which are voluntary.

That means there is no financial penalty for being absent. If Donald skips the mandatory mini-camp next month, he could be fined more than $70,000.

But in the grand scheme of things — when we’re talking about deals that could guarantee more than $50 million or $60 million — that doesn’t cause much pain for an elite player.

I do not know the exact state of the negotiations, but it’s clear the Rams want to keep Donald happy and in the fold.

And Donald, in my experience being around him last season, is one player who does not enjoy missing team workouts.


Follow
Dave Shull @tattooer_dshull
@LATimesklein Do you see Tavon being phased out?


Receiver Tavon Austin is not participating in OTA workouts while recovering from wrist surgery. But he is performing drills on other areas of the practice field and is expected to be ready for training camp.

Coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur have spoken about finding the best ways to utilize Austin, who signed a four-year, $42-million extension before last season.

The Rams added receiver Robert Woods and drafted receivers Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds. They also have second-year pros Pharoh Cooper and Mike Thomas, among others.

Until it proves otherwise, that’s not a receiving corps that will necessarily strike fear into defensive coordinators.

So look for McVay to make Austin an integral part of the scheme.

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Sly Gonzalez @ThinkBlue47
@LATimesklein Any word on scouting department hirings or people of interest


A few weeks before the NFL draft, the Rams told Ran Carthon, director of pro personnel, and three scouts that they would not be retained.

Carthon was hired last week by the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams have been interviewing candidates for various positions but have not announced any hires.

They reportedly had interest with Joe Hortiz, the Baltimore Ravens’ director of college scouting, but he is expected to remain with the Ravens.

Andrew Whitworth to play left tackle will take some of the onus — and perhaps officials’ attention — off Robinson, who is now playing right tackle.

McVay was offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, who committed 55 offensive penalties, three more than the Rams.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips comes from the Denver Broncos, who were called for 48 defensive penalties last season, the same number as the Rams.

Jared Goff in a Thursday night game at Seattle.

Thomas, however, made several outstanding special teams plays throughout the season.

After the first OTA workout last Monday, McVay noted that Thomas had made a couple of nice plays on offense.

So it’s reasonable to expect that Thomas has matured and grown.

Despite the success of some rookies, the initial transition to the NFL is difficult for most first-year players.

With a season behind him, perhaps Thomas will develop into a more reliable pass-catcher.

Jeff Fisher’s staff included one of his sons, Brandon, who coached defensive backs.

McVay’s staff includes offensive line coach Aaron Kromer and his son, Zack, an offensive assistant.

David Carpenter @carpy45


@LATimesklein How would you compare Goff and Mannion at this point for accuracy and knowledge of playbook and McVay's system?

12:47 PM - 25 May 2017

The Rams have made only one practice open to reporters so far during OTAs, so it’s a small sample size.

Jared Goff and Sean Mannion both looked accurate at times. Both also made some poor throws.

I could not give you an accurate read on their knowledge of the playbook, though Goff did note that he has had an easier time learning this scheme.

Goff is getting the first-team reps so he will probably progress faster.


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Robert Schaeffer @MynamesPierce
@LATimesklein #16 gained 5-10lbs. How high should he get? He needs much more muscle. Thoughts?


Follow
Robert Schaeffer @MynamesPierce
@LATimesklein Maybe you #132 could give #16 some of your cookies.


Quarterback Jared Goff said he added five to 10 pounds during the offseason and the Rams now list him at 6-feet-4 and 223 pounds.

I would not venture to designate his ideal weight. But it was clear last season that he needed a sturdier frame, especially if the offensive line does not improve.

Goff will almost certainly rely on the Rams’ strength and conditioning staff and, perhaps, a personal trainer to improve his physical condition and add weight.

The Christmas cookies that colleague Lindsey Thiry heroically brought to the Dec. 24 game against the 49ers last season would have no chance of ever leaving the press box uneaten.

Thanks, as usual, for the great questions. Let’s do it again next week.

[[URL='http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-mailbag-20170526-story.html']www.latimes.com][/URL]
Follllow Gary Klein on Twitter @latimesklein

After everything that happened during the 99 season,this game kinda got
pushed to the back row of my memory.
However at the time,there was no game bigger.The previous 17 games
between these two teams had resulted in a Ram loss.
Nov. 25, 1990 was the last time we had beaten these guys.

Todd Lyght drafted by the Rams in 1991 had played his entire
career without a single victory against the 49ers.
As a matter of fact there was not a single player on the
99 roster who had beaten the 49ers as a Ram.

We were 4-0 and I was still not sure if, what was happening up to this point
was real or just a blip that would end as quickly as it had started.
The 49er's were 3-1 and this game was for command of the West.

I remember driving 25 miles to the closest sports bar that
would air the game.Living in NC this game would not be
aired on the local channels.I remember thinking,If the Rams
are truly the real deal,this is going to be the game that proves it.


Issac Bruce in his 5th year showing you just how huge this
moment was.Watch what he does at the end of this clip.
A little out of character for the Reverend.LOL.

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



Moment of Clarity:
I remember sitting in the sports bar at this exact moment
in the game and thinking."Oh shit!This is for real."
This is not a dream or some fluke.The Rams are for
real . My freaking Rams are for real !!

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enZmBh7z_KQ


Here is the link to the full game of highlights

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVmVcchQzD0

Okay one can surmise that the Los Angeles will add another signal caller before Training Camp starts, hell, they will add a camp leg too, but who wants to write about that? Anyway the Rams had three Quarterbacks try out at the rookie minicamp and none of them might be signed because a team could release a Quarterback the Rams could be interested to give a look to like the Colts releasing Center Austin Blythe for example, but let’s take a look at Matt Davis of SMU and Bryan Scott of Division III Occidental College as I for one hope the Dylan Thompson shipped has sailed.


Matt Davis from the highlights seem to get a majority of the snaps and does offer a different dimension at the Quarterback Position. He can run and did that more often in college than pass for the most part. He will never be confused with Bobby Douglas as Davis is just under 6-1 and 194 pounds so size and the ability to run a pro-style offense will come into question, however, he ran for 761 yards in 2015 and 10 touchdowns and I can’t remember a Ram signal caller having the ability to run since James Harris and please to don’t respond to this about T.J. Rubley.

Also let’s keep in mind that the camp arm will most likely be added to the practice squad and Davis would be a good candidate to get the Rams ready for a Dak Prescott or a Russel Wilson for example with his elusiveness and similar size as well again something the Rams don’t have in Jared Goff and Sean Mannion.

Now the kid I am rooting for most is Bryan Scott because of his arm and background being that I played Division III football too, plus his size reminds of Kurt Warner. Scott is 6’2 220lbs and Warner was too. Scott has a big time arm and was invited at USC pro day as they did not have a Quarterback and had many receivers. Scott tossed 65 passes that day all were caught with the exception of two, one dropped and the other because the receiver ran the wrong route.

Scott not as elusive as Davis, but does offer the ability to stand strong in the pocket and was compared to Big Ben for the fact that unlike Lindsay Lohan, Scott does not go down easy. Scott also came from more conventional pro style attack so taking snaps under center should not be an issue as we did see Goff have to get acclimated to that style last season.


Overall it might be totally somebody else and if it comes down to Davis & Scott most likely Davis because offering a total different style and coming from a better program, but Scott has big hands and a big arm and at the USC Pro Day did not seem like the stage was too big form him so we shall see in the coming weeks who will be the camp arm in training camp and who knows???? They might sign both.

Our very own @Rams43 posted this on the herd board.

Rams corner Trumaine Johnson talking himself out of LA in 2018?

[nflspinzone.com]

by Greg Archuleta19 hours ago
Trumaine Johnson’s exit from the Los Angeles Rams may be imminent if his actions don’t start matching his words.

The Los Angeles Rams have until July 15 to come to an agreement on a long-term deal with fifth-year cornerback Trumaine Johnson. The Montana product will earn $16.74 million after signing his franchise tender in March — the second consecutive year he’s played under the franchise tag. The Rams are trying to negotiate a more cap-friendly salary for Johnson for 2017. That will give them flexibility to sign their top defensive player, tackle Aaron Donald, to a long-term deal.

The longer Rams management has to deal with Johnson, the less certain they are about locking up Donald. For his part, Johnson told ESPN.com that the money aspect takes a back seat to his love for the game and for his fellow Rams. His agent and the team likely will get together after offseason training activities that conclude in June.

The Rams want to evaluate how he’ll fit defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme.

“My whole thing is, man, I’m just glad I’m playing football,” Johnson said, via ESPN. “If it was about the money for me, I would’ve left somewhere else to get bigger money. I love football, I love my teammates.”

Where that would be, exactly, is unclear. According to Sportrac.com, the Stockton, CA native will be the highest-paid corner in the league in 2017, bettering Josh Norman’s salary by $1.742 million.

In the ESPN piece, Johnson also said, “Overall, you always want a long-term deal. But right now, my focus is here, with these OTAs. We have until July 15, so I’m going to let my agent handle the business side and I’m just going to handle the football side.”

If that were true, however, Johnson would be a New Orleans Saint right now. Prior to the draft, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Saints were willing to trade a second-round pick to Los Angeles for Johnson, but he refused to agree to a long-term deal because he wanted to stay in L.A.

That love for L.A. has trumped Johnson’s love for his teammates. Johnson needs the Rams to re-sign Donald to apply the pressure to opposing quarterbacks. That will make his job on the back end that much easier.

Johnson already is coming off a down year in which he had just one interception in 14 games. He had seven interceptions in 14 games during the 2015 season while playing alongside fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The Ram did rank 25th among 111 qualified corners, per Pro Football Focus. But that doesn’t qualify him as the top breadwinner of the position for the coming season.

Next: NFL 2017: Quarterback depth chart power rankings
Johnson’s exit after 2017 might be moot if he were to have some more resolute actions behind his words. He should consider giving the Rams a hometown discount to sign Donald and their other defensive priorities.

Otherwise, Johnson’s exit in 2018 is likely a done deal in 2017.

Don't Sleep On Rookie TE Gerald Everett

http://yi.nzc.am/bLpwj2

In the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected tight end Gerald Everett. The 6-3, 245-pound South Alabama product had little problem creating yards after the catch (YAC) in college.

Everett forced nine more missed tackles than any other college tight end last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He led the nation in forced missed tackles over the past two years even though five tight ends had more receptions. In 2014, he ranked fourth in the nation while only having 17 receptions.

According to PFF, of Everett's 1,593 career reception yards, 63.5% of those yards came after the catch.

Player Comparison: Antonio Gates

PFF excerpt:

Everett may never reach Gates’ Hall of Fame status, but both players entered the NFL draft with limited football experience after growing up on the basketball court rather than the football field. Everett, like Gates, is just exploding with athletic ability at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds as he enters the draft, but his technique – both as a blocker and as a route-runner – needs to be polished up, likely due mostly to a lack of experience.

• The Rams used their first pick in the 2017 NFL draft on South Alabama TE Gerald Everett, who had no problem creating yards after the catch.
• Everett was ranked second in yards after the catch over the past two seasons while still ranking 19th in 2014 on only 17 receptions.
• In 2016, there were five tight ends to have more receptions than Everett and he still forced 17 more missed tackles than the next closest three. The Rams’ receivers and tight ends combined for 26 missed tackles in 2016.
• Of the 1,593 receptions yards Everett had in three seasons at South Alabama, 63.5 percent of those have come after the catch.

Bottom line: Everett is big, athletic and elusive with the ball in his hands. He provides an impressive presence in the middle of the field and all his physical traits, along with his basketball instincts, make him capable of shielding defenders away at the catch point even when he doesn’t create a ton of separation. He needs to clean up his technique a bit, but he shows an obvious willingness to block and it’d be tough to find an instance on film where he shies away from contact. He’s one of the more raw tight ends in the class – maybe the most — but his physical tools are so great that with some good NFL coaching he has the chance to be one of the better tight ends in all of football.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...this-millenniums-17-quarterback-draft-classes

Ranking this millennium's 17 quarterback draft classes

With the 2017 QB draft class spawning intrigue -- and immense uncertainty -- Marc Sessler found himself pondering all of the quarterback cliques of recent vintage. Which groups took the league by storm? Which went bust? Here are the rankings of each QB class since the turn of the millennium.

17) 2007

Round 1: JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 overall), Brady Quinn (No. 22)
Round 2: Kevin Kolb (No. 36), John Beck (No. 40), Drew Stanton (No. 43)
Round 3: Trent Edwards (No. 92)
Round 4: Isaiah Stanback (No. 103)
Round 5: Jeff Rowe (No. 151), Troy Smith (No. 174)
Round 6: Jordan Palmer (No. 205)
Round 7: Tyler Thigpen (No. 217)
Undrafted: Matt Moore

We begin our journey in grim territory. The 2007 NFL Draft was "headlined" by JaMarcus Russell, arguably the most severe quarterback bust of the century, a first overall whiff that set the Raiders back years. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound LSU star produced a grotesque 7-18 mark as a starter and finished 2009 -- his final year in the league -- as the worst passer in football. Russell netted $31.5 million in guaranteed loot, while the Raiders, in return, were handed a raging headache. Same goes for the Browns, who reached for Brady Quinn at No. 22, only to turn around three years later and trade him to the Broncos for fullback Peyton Hillis -- who at least managed to sneak onto the cover of "Madden." Only eternal backups Drew Stanton and Matt Moore remain from a flatlining class that handed us John Beck, Trent Edwards and the overhyped Kevin Kolb. High-level busts and zero reliable starters makes this the worst crop of them all.

16) 2013

Round 1: EJ Manuel (No. 16)
Round 2: Geno Smith (No. 39)
Round 3: Mike Glennon (No. 73)
Round 4: Matt Barkley (No. 98), Ryan Nassib (No. 110), Tyler Wilson (No. 112), Landry Jones (No. 115)
Round 7: Brad Sorensen (No. 221), Zac Dysert (No. 234), B.J. Daniels (No. 237), Sean Renfree(No. 249)

Teams were stunned when the desperate Bills reached for EJ Manuel with the 16th overall selection. Seen by most as a project with potential, the Florida State product was a turnover-prone flop in Buffalo -- a player Doug Marrone replaced with Kyle Orton before Rex Ryan signed Tyrod Taylor to avoid leaning on Manuel. This class lacked a true first-round prospect, while the only second-rounder -- Geno Smith -- has been an on-field wild card best known for catching a fist to the jaw from his own teammate. With both players already toiling as backups on second teams, it's up to Mike Glennon to save this collection of backups, flameouts and low-level patches.

15) 2002

Round 1: David Carr (No. 1), Joey Harrington (No. 3), Patrick Ramsey (No. 32)
Round 3: Josh McCown (No. 81)
Round 4: David Garrard (No. 108), Rohan Davey (No. 117)
Round 5: Randy Fasani (No. 137), Kurt Kittner (No. 158), Brandon Doman (No. 163), Craig Nall (No. 164)
Round 6: J.T. O'Sullivan (No. 186), Steve Bellisari (No. 205)
Round 7: Seth Burford (No. 216), Jeff Kelly (No. 232), Ronald Curry (No. 235), Wes Pate (No. 236)
Undrafted: Chad Hutchinson, Shaun Hill

The 2002 rep with the most long-term value? Josh McCown, who remains a quality -- if wholly injury-prone -- backup. While David Carr never lived up to the status of being the No. 1 overall pick, his situation reminds me of what happened to Tim Couch in Cleveland: A young quarterback is tossed into the fire on a wanting expansion team struggling to find its way. David Garrard had some flashy moments with the Jaguars, while Shaun Hill -- an undrafted arm -- is still kicking around as a backup. This class was also yanked to earth by two first-round nightmares, Detroit's Joey Harrington and Washington's Patrick Ramsey, who combined for a 28-51 record with the teams that mistakenly chose them. For diehards, this class also gifted us the undrafted enigma Chad Hutchinson.

14) 2010

Round 1: Sam Bradford (No. 1), Tim Tebow (No. 25)
Round 2: Jimmy Clausen (No. 48)
Round 3: Colt McCoy (No. 85)
Round 4: Mike Kafka (No. 122)
Round 5: John Skelton (No. 155), Jonathan Crompton (No. 168)
Round 6: Rusty Smith (No. 176), Dan LeFevour (No. 181), Joe Webb (No. 199), Tony Pike (No. 204)
Round 7: Levi Brown (No. 209), Sean Canfield (No. 239), Zac Robinson (No. 250)

You could argue that Sam Bradford was a major factor in the current collective bargaining agreement including a rookie pay scale. Bradford's weighty, six-year, $78 million contract came packed with a ridiculous $50 million in guarantees. As an unconvincing Offensive Rookie of the Year winner, the snakebitten signal caller missed 25 games over his final two seasons in St. Louis because of disastrous knee injuries. Some of his best play came last season in Minnesota, but it's not enough to save a class sprinkled with career backups -- Colt McCoy and second-round bust Jimmy Clausen -- and one massively memorable first-round reach in Tim Tebow, who operated as a worldwide sensation during a magical run with the Broncos in 2011 before flaming out entirely and winding up as a minor league baseball player.

13) 2009

Round 1: Matthew Stafford (No. 1), Mark Sanchez (No. 5), Josh Freeman (No. 17)
Round 2: Pat White (No. 44)
Round 4: Stephen McGee (No. 101)
Round 5: Rhett Bomar (No. 151), Nate Davis (No. 171)
Round 6: Tom Brandstater (No. 174), Mike Teel (No. 178), Keith Null (No. 196), Curis Painter (No. 201)
Undrafted: Brian Hoyer

I'm tempted to rank this class above the 2006 crop that handed us Jay Cutler and Vince Young, simply because I prefer Matthew Stafford over anyone from that group. There's just nothing else happening here, though, unless you're swayed by the early-career success of Mark Sanchez. He generated a handful of special moments during back-to-back trips to the AFC title game with the Jets but was fully exposed as a starter by 2011, when Gang Green tried to lean on his arm. Josh Freeman was a wild first-round flameout, while the Dolphins scored negative points for using the 44th pick on Pat White, who never started a game for Miami -- or anyone -- under center. Brian Hoyer's had a few nice stretches -- and one appallingly bad playoff game.

12) 2006

Round 1: Vince Young (No. 3), Matt Leinart (No. 10), Jay Cutler (No. 11)
Round 2: Kellen Clemens (No. 49), Tarvaris Jackson (No. 64)
Round 3: Charlie Whitehurst (No. 81), Brodie Croyle (No. 85)
Round 4: Brad Smith (No. 103)
Round 5: Ingle Martin (No. 148), Omar Jacobs (No. 164)
Round 6: Reggie McNeal (No. 193), Bruce Gradkowski (No. 194)
Round 7: D.J. Shockley (No. 223)

This class boils down to what you think about Jay Cutler. While the strong-armed passer logged 139 starts, his 51-51 regular-season record with the Bears is apt. He put together plenty of big plays -- some of his throws are pure beauty -- but we'd struggle to come up with Cutler's top-five list of inspiring come-from-behind victories. He never came close to morphing into a transcendent player at the position, but he soldiered on long after fellow first-rounders Vince Young and Matt Leinart were history. Leinart -- the USC megastar -- looms as one of the most disappointing pro passers of our time. Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst were nothing special, but the latter gets points in this space for his incredible flowing mane and ability to snag the songstress Jewel as a paramour.

11) 2016

Round 1: Jared Goff (No. 1), Carson Wentz (No. 2), Paxton Lynch (No. 26)
Round 2: Christian Hackenberg (No. 51)
Round 3: Jacoby Brissett (No. 91), Cody Kessler (No. 93)
Round 4: Connor Cook (No. 100), Dak Prescott (No. 135), Cardale Jones (No. 139)
Round 5: Kevin Hogan (No. 162)
Round 6: Nate Sudfeld (No. 187), Jake Rudock (No. 191), Brandon Allen (No. 201), Jeff Driskel(No. 207)
Round 7: Brandon Doughty (No. 223)

The tricky part of this exercise boils down to handling the newer classes. If Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz grow into decade-long starters, this group shoots up the list without much debate. These two quarterbacks have the power to change the NFC East for years to come, but we need to see Wentz, especially, take steps during his sophomore campaign. Jared Goff can only get better after a grisly rookie season. His progress -- or further regression -- only adds to the wild-card nature of this class. Paxton Lynch is intriguing, while Cody Kessler has the feel of a reliable No. 2. The Jets have a lot of explaining to do after swinging on Christian Hackenberg in the second round, only to hide him away in the NFL's version of the witness protection program. Fear not: The former Nittany Lion will be thrown into the unmerciful fire this autumn in Florham Park.

10) 2014

Round 1: Blake Bortles (No. 3), Johnny Manziel (No. 22), Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32)
Round 2: Derek Carr (No. 36), Jimmy Garoppolo (No. 62)
Round 4: Logan Thomas (No. 120), Tom Savage (No. 135)
Round 5: Aaron Murray (No. 163), AJ McCarron (No. 164)
Round 6: Zach Mettenberger (No. 178), David Fales (No. 183), Keith Wenning (No. 194), Tajh Boyd (No. 213), Garrett Gilbert (No. 214)

This class is all over the map, with high-profile starters and unforgivable draft mistakes mixed into one chaotic stew. An MVP candidate before his injury last season, Derek Carr looks like one of the brightest young quarterbacks around. Jimmy Garoppolo is highly prized by the Patriots and is a future NFL starter. Blake Bortles is another reminder that we can't judge these players too early. He heads into his fourth season fighting to save his job after the wheels fell off in 2016. Some of Bortles' mechanical issues appear fatal to a long career. Entirely different issues sideswiped Johnny Manziel, another haunting, awful quarterback selection by the Browns. Tom Savage and AJ McCarron are backup types who will be around for years, while the future is unknown for Teddy Bridgewater. Had the Vikings passer not been stung by a ghastly knee injury, the 2014 class would be higher on this list.

9) 2000

Round 1: Chad Pennington (No. 18)
Round 3: Giovanni Carmazzi (No. 65), Chris Redman (No. 75)
Round 5: Tee Martin (No. 163)
Round 6: Marc Bulger (No. 168), Spergon Wynn (No. 183), Tom Brady (No. 199), Todd Husak (No. 202), JaJuan Seider (No. 205)
Round 7: Tim Rattay (No. 212), Jarious Jackson (No. 214), Joe Hamilton (No. 234)
Undrafted: Billy Volek

You could argue this group should rank higher ... or much lower. While it's littered with nonsensical names who barely made a blip on the radar, the 2000 class also boasts the greatest quarterback of the 21st century -- and, for me, all time. Brady completely overshadows the group's only first-rounder, Chad Pennington, but the former Marshall star was the best thing the Jets have seen at the position since Y2K and produced nicely throughout most of his 11-year career. An anonymous sixth-rounder, Marc Bulger went on to start 95 games for the post-Kurt Warner Rams over eight seasons. It's incredible that the 49ers made Giovanni Carmazzi the second quarterback off the board with Brady -- a Bay Area resident -- still available, but the blame falls on every single team in the NFL who failed to recognize what the future Patriots star would become. Pennington, Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Bulger and Spergon Wynn all found homes before fate intervened to pair Tommy with Bill Belichick.

8) 2011

Round 1: Cam Newton (No. 1), Jake Locker (No. 8), Blaine Gabbert (No. 10), Christian Ponder(No. 12)
Round 2: Andy Dalton (No. 35), Colin Kaepernick (No. 36)
Round 3: Ryan Mallett (No. 74)
Round 5: Ricky Stanzi (No. 135), T.J. Yates (No. 152), Nathan Enderle (No. 160)
Round 6: Tyrod Taylor (No. 180)
Round 7: Greg McElroy (No. 208)
Supplemental draft: Terrelle Pryor (Round 3)

Another class filled with juicy talent and devastating, franchise-altering busts. The Panthers wisely ignored their selection of Jimmy Clausen the previous April, going all in on Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in the draft. With an MVP award and Super Bowl appearance under his belt, Newton has lived up to the pedigree while making Carolina a relevant franchise. His success is offset by a trio of first-round disasters -- Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder -- which would be enough to shuttle this class down the list if it weren't for the supporting cast. Andy Dalton is imperfect, but he's led the Bengals to the playoffs five times, while sixth-rounder Tyrod Taylor has blossomed into a starter. Colin Kaepernick's career is on the downswing, but he brought the Niners within one completed pass of a Super Bowl title and was seen by many as the most exciting quarterback in football for a two-season stretch.

7) 2015

Round 1: Jameis Winston (No. 1), Marcus Mariota (No. 2)
Round 3: Garrett Grayson (No. 75), Sean Mannion (No. 89)
Round 4: Bryce Petty (No. 103)
Round 5: Brett Hundley (No. 147)
Round 7: Trevor Siemian (No. 250)

This class has potential to be remembered as a special bunch based entirely on its two first-rounders. Jameis Winston of the Bucs and Tennessee's Marcus Mariota have just begun to leave their mark for a pair of franchises with bright futures. Trevor Siemian, a seventh-round pick by Denver, would go much higher in a re-draft after developing into a starting-level quarterback with plus arm talent. Brett Hundley has dazzled in the preseason but nowhere else, while Bryce Petty was something of a raging flop for the Jets last season.

6) 2008

Round 1: Matt Ryan (No. 3), Joe Flacco (No. 18)
Round 2: Brian Brohm (No. 56), Chad Henne (No. 57)
Round 3: Kevin O'Connell (No. 94)
Round 5: John David Booty (No. 137), Dennis Dixon (No. 156), Josh Johnson (No. 160), Erik Ainge (No. 162)
Round 6: Colt Brennan (No. 186), Andre' Woodson (No. 198)
Round 7: Matt Flynn (No. 209), Alex Brink (No. 223)

From here on out, every class is tasked with producing at least two starters with playoff experience. The 2008 group gave us Matt Ryan -- today, coming off the best season of his career -- and Joe Flacco, who led the Ravens to a win in Super Bowl XLVII with an insane month of pristine postseason play. Both quarterbacks have been durable starters who give their teams a comprehensive solution at the most important position in sports. The names fall off a cliff from there, with Chad Henneunderwhelming as a starter and Brian Brohm serving as a second-round disappointment. Matt Flynn offered hopeful moments but failed to become a QB1.

5) 2001

Round 1: Michael Vick (No. 1)
Round 2: Drew Brees (No. 32), Quincy Carter (No. 53), Marques Tuiasosopo (No. 59)
Round 4: Chris Weinke (No. 106), Sage Rosenfels (No. 109), Jesse Palmer (No. 125)
Round 5: Mike McMahon (No. 149), A.J. Feeley (No. 155)
Round 6: Josh Booty (No. 172), Josh Heupel (No. 177)

Another class armed with two bona fide starters. Both Michael Vick and Drew Brees changed perceptions of how the position could -- and should -- be played. Vick's rare scampering ability and off-the-charts athleticism refocused the league on the potential of running quarterbacks. It's impossible not to wonder how Vick's career would've progressed without his dog-fighting scandal and subsequent prison stint -- though he did make one more Pro Bowl with Philly in 2010. Brees, meanwhile, serves as a constant reminder that shorter quarterbacks aren't always a minus. In his case, Brees has operated as a top-three superstar ever since he landed with the Saints, winning a storybook Super Bowl for New Orleans and making that offense a treat to watch every single season. The class had its issues, too, with second-rounders Quincy Carter and Marques Tuiasosopo fading fast. Chris Weinke doesn't help, finishing with a 2-18 record as a starter, while A.J. Feely is remembered as a mere patch in Miami.

4) 2012

Round 1: Andrew Luck (No. 1), Robert Griffin III (No. 2), Ryan Tannehill (No. 8), Brandon Weeden(No. 22)
Round 2: Brock Osweiler (No. 57)
Round 3: Russell Wilson (No. 75), Nick Foles (No. 88)
Round 4: Kirk Cousins (No. 102)
Round 6: Ryan Lindley (No. 185)
Round 7: B.J. Coleman (No. 243), Chandler Harnish (No. 253)

Had all gone right, this class had a chance to be remembered as equal to the all-star cast from 2004 -- maybe even 1983. Andrew Luck was a plug-and-play Pro Bowler from Day 1, while Robert Griffin III, in his first season, was the most exciting quarterback in football. A knee injury changed his trajectory forever, but Griffin was also quickly exposed as a pocket passer. Today, he might be done for good. That ugly pick aside, the Redskins ultimately found their starter in the same draft by nabbing Kirk Cousins in the fourth round. In Round 3, the Seahawks altered their franchise forever by taking a chance on Russell Wilson. Dinged by some for his diminutive stature, Wilson won the starting job in camp and tugged Seattle to a Super Bowl win during his sophomore campaign. Toss in Ryan Tannehill and this emerges as a wildly productive class, even amid the wreckage of Griffin, ultra-bust Brandon Weeden and the underwhelming duo of Nick Foles and Brock Osweiler. (OK, Foles did enjoy one magical season in Philadelphia under Chip Kelly.)

3) 2003

Round 1: Carson Palmer (No. 1), Byron Leftwich (No. 7), Kyle Boller (No. 19), Rex Grossman (No. 22)
Round 3: David Ragone (No. 88), Chris Simms (No. 97)
Round 4: Seneca Wallace (No. 110)
Round 5: Brian St. Pierre (No. 163)
Round 6: Drew Henson (No. 192), Brooks Bollinger (No. 200), Kliff Kingsbury (No. 201)
Round 7: Gibran Hamdan (No. 232), Ken Dorsey (No. 241)
Undrafted: Tony Romo

The best passer in this class wasn't even drafted. Tony Romo was brought to Dallas when former Cowboys assistant Asshole Face pitched him to Bill Parcells. The rest is history, with Romo taking the starting job from Drew Bledsoe in 2006 and never looking back. Heavily critiqued early in his career for the occasional high-profile gaffe, Romo ultimately leaves the game as one of the NFL's most reliable quarterbacks. He never won a Lombardi, but that falls on the Cowboys as much as Romo. We haven't even mentioned first overall pick Carson Palmer, who has proven to be well worth the selection, with some of his best work coming late in his career with the Cardinals. Byron Leftwich gave the Jaguars44 up-and-down starts, while Kyle Boller and Rex Grossman were largely a ponderous annoyance. That said, Grossman is the only passer from this class to start on the game's biggest stage, helping guide Chicago to Super Bowl XLI, where the Bears were blown to pieces by Peyton Manning's Colts.

2) 2005

Round 1: Alex Smith (No. 1), Aaron Rodgers (No. 24), Jason Campbell (No. 25)
Round 3: Charlie Frye (No. 67), Andrew Walter (No. 69), David Greene (No. 85)
Round 4: Kyle Orton (No. 106), Stefan LeFors (No. 121)
Round 5: Dan Orlovsky (No. 145), Adrian McPherson (No. 152)
Round 6: Derek Anderson (No. 213)
Round 7: James Kilian (No. 229), Matt Cassel (No. 230), Ryan Fitzpatrick (No. 250)

The first round produced a pair of long-range starters in Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers. We all know how Rodgers fumed while watching 21 teams (the Vikings and Cowboys each picked twice in the top 23) pass him by before the Packers added him to a roster already equipped with Brett Favre under center. That chance to sit and learn helped Rodgers, who went on to win a Super Bowl and emerge as one of the most talented quarterbacks of all time. With what we know now, Rodgers should have gone ahead of Smith, but the ex-Niners and current Chiefs quarterback has produced an uber-solid career and a commendable record of 79-56-1. This class offered unusual longevity. Matt Cassel and Ryan Fitzpatrick draw snickers today, but good luck finding better value from quarterbacks picked in the seventh round. This group also gave us Derek Anderson and the whirlwind known as Kyle Orton. It's crazy to think that Washington was forced to settle for Jason Campbell one pick after Rodgers went to Green Bay.

1) 2004

Round 1: Eli Manning (No. 1), Philip Rivers (No. 4), Ben Roethlisberger (No. 11), J.P. Losman (No. 22)
Round 3: Matt Schaub (No. 90)
Round 4: Luke McCown (No. 106)
Round 5: Craig Krenzel (No. 148)
Round 6: Andy Hall (No. 185), Josh Harris (No. 187), Jim Sorgi (No. 193), Jeff Smoker (No. 201)
Round 7: John Navarre (No. 202), Cody Pickett (No. 217), Casey Bramlet (No. 218), Matt Mauck (No. 225), B.J. Symons (No. 248), Bradlee Van Pelt (No. 250)

The gold standard for quarterback classes of the 21st century. The 2004 collection of signal callers boasts four Super Bowl wins, while the group's big three -- Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger -- can all make cases for the Hall of Fame. The trio's 558 regular-season starts also tell the tale of ironman passers who can be counted on game after game and year after year by their teams. The Chargers and Giants will always be linked together because of the trade that sent Manning to New York and Rivers to San Diego. The swap worked out for both clubs, while Pittsburgh's Big Ben -- a college quarterback from Miami of Ohio -- has tortured the Browns for selecting tight end Kellen Winslow II sixth overall instead of him. The first round also included a titanic bust in J.P. Losman, but third-rounder Matt Schaub and fourth-rounder Luke McCown are still active. If this class came around every year, the quarterback crisis at the bottom of the league would never exist.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/r...ushed-for-touchdown-celebration-rules-change/

Harbaugh and Ochocinco pushed for touchdown celebration rules change

The Ravens may have featured one of the NFL's most anemic offenses a season ago but that didn't stop coach John Harbaugh from pushing to relax the stringent touchdown celebration rules. And thankfully, his hard work paid off; the league announced that group celebrations, using the ball as a prop after touchdowns, going to the ground and snow angels are all now legal ways to commemorate a score.

"Let's have some fun. Let's enjoy it," Harbaugh said Thursday, via ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley. "I really like it when our guys celebrate. I like it when our guys score touchdowns. I want to score a lot of touchdowns. I want to see a lot of celebrations. I want our guys to have fun, and I want our fans to have fun. ...

"Some of these decisions are really tough that the decision-makers in the NFL have to make, and they are close calls. This was not one of them. This was an easy one, and I think they did the right thing."

This seemed to be the consensus among pretty much everyone since the league started cracking down on celebrations in recent years -- save Harbaugh's AFC North counterpart, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who said recently that he opposes giving players more freedom to celebrate.

"I'm not for that at all," Lewis, who is on the NFL Competition Committee, said of the change. "We had a good standard, and the whole standard has always been, you want to teach people how to play the game the correct way and go about it the correct way, and that's not a very good example for young people."

Ironically, it was Chad Johnson, Lewis' former player who was known for elaborate celebrations during his career, who helped convince commissioner Roger Goodell to reconsider the rules. And it sounds like even Goodell has more faith in the players than Lewis.

"Well, I've heard it from Marvin before. We've had these discussions over the last couple years," the commissioner said Tuesday. "And I think the players will prove him wrong on that. I think the players will do this in a way that will be responsible, show good sportsmanship, and do it in a way I think is entertaining but also respectful."

But don't expect an end-zone free-for-all; the league still frowns up miming weapons, sexually suggestive acts (think a twerkin' Antonio Brown), and prolonged celebrations.

On this, everyone -- from Lewis to Harbaugh -- can agree.

"It is a family game," Harbaugh said. "We are a PG league in terms of what the fans should see. You should be able to take your 8-year-old to the game or watch it on TV and feel really good about what you see."

She decided to go through a little change on this Memorial Day weekend. What do you guys think? Personally not being a blonde fan I like it!

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http://variety.com/2017/music/people-news/gregg-allman-dies-dead-69-southern-rock-1202446640/

Gregg Allman, Southern Rock Pioneer, Dies at 69
Chris Morris

REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

Gregg Allman, whose hard-jamming, bluesy sextet the Allman Brothers Band was the pioneering unit in the Southern rock explosion of the ‘70s, died Saturday due to currently unknown causes. He was 69.

As recently as April 24, reports surfaced claiming Allman was in hospice. His manager previously denied those reports to Variety, which Allman then substantiated in a Facebook post.

With his older sibling, guitarist Duane Allman, the singer-keyboardist-guitarist-songwriter led one of the most popular concert attractions of the rock ballroom era; the group’s 1971 set “At Fillmore East,” recorded at Bill Graham’s New York hall, was a commercial breakthrough that showed off the band’s prodigious songcraft and instrumental strengths.

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After Duane Allman’s death in a motorcycle accident weeks after the live album’s release, his younger brother led the band through four more stormy decades of playing and recording. The Allman Brothers Band’s latter-day history proved tumultuous, with other fatalities, disbandings, regroupings and very public battles with drugs and alcohol on the part of its surviving namesake.

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Though Gregg Allman’s highly publicized addictions, his tabloid-ready marriage to pop vocalist Cher, and his equally public disputes with co-founding guitarist Dickey Betts came under harsh and sometimes mocking scrutiny over the years, Allman prevailed as the linchpin of an act that maintained popularity over four decades and opened the commercial door for such other Southern acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band.

As a member of the Allman Brothers Band, Allman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

He was born Gregory LeNoir Allman on Dec. 8, 1947, in Nashville; brother Duane was born 13 months earlier in the same hospital. In 1949, his father was shot to death by a man he offered a ride to in a bar. As their mother was studying accounting to support the family, the brothers were sent to a Tennessee military school at an early age.

The Allmans became attracted to music after seeing a 1960 concert by R&B singer Jackie Wilson in Daytona Beach, FL, where the family had moved the year before. Using money from a paper route (augmented by his mother), Gregg bought a guitar, and taught Duane his first chords. Both played guitar in the bands they founded after returning to the military academy in their teens.

Their pro bands the Escorts and the Allman Joys, which favored R&B, blues and rock covers, found work on the Florida club circuit in the mid-‘60s; Gregg began playing keyboards in the latter unit. The Allman Joys were playing without success in St. Louis when Bill McEuen, manager of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, met them and offered to set them up in Los Angeles.

Renamed Hour Glass, the L.A.-based group cut two unsuccessful pop-oriented albums for Liberty Records in 1967-68. Duane chafed at the direction being forced on the combo and fled for Alabama, where he became a prominent session guitarist at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL.

Gregg remained in L.A. to fulfill obligations to Liberty, but was summoned to Jacksonville, FL, in 1969 by his brother, who envisioned a new blues-based band with two guitarist and two drummers, featuring members of another local combo, the 31st of February.

Calling themselves the Allman Brothers Band, the new unit – the Allmans, guitarist Betts, bassist Berry Oakley and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson – was signed by Otis Redding’s former manager Phil Walden for management and as an act on his Macon, GA-based label Capricorn Records. The group moved to Macon, which became its base for the duration.

Neither of the ABB’s first two albums was an enormous success: Its self-titled bow peaked at No. 188 in 1969, while sophomore set “Idlewild South” topped out at No. 38 in 1970. But they established Gregg Allman as a vocal, instrumental and songwriting power: His compositions included such future staples of the band’s live set as “Not My Cross to Bear,” “Dreams,” “Whipping Post” and “Midnight Rider.”

Though problems with hard drug abuse were already surfacing in the band, the Allmans became a huge concert attraction in the South; the enthusiastic sponsorship of promoter Graham led to high-profile gigs at New York’s Filllmore East (where the band attained a rabid following) and San Francisco’s Fillmore.

The Allmans made their commercial mark with “At Fillmore East”: The expansive, Tom Dowd-produced two-record set, recorded during two nights at the venue, shot to No.13 ultimately sold more than 1 million copies and became one of the defining concert recordings of its day. However, Duane Allman’s tragic death at 24 on a Macon street on Oct. 29, 1971, cast a shadow over its success.

The band completed a follow-up two-LP set, “Eat a Peach,” as a quintet, with live numbers featuring Duane filling out the contents. The 1972 package rose to No. 4 nationally and went platinum, but disaster again struck: In a mishap eerily similar to Duane Allman’s fatal crash, hard-drinking bassist Oakley died after driving his bike into the side of a truck that November.

Shaken by the deaths of his brother and Oakley and increasingly incapacitated by heroin, cocaine and alcohol, Gregg Allman ceded much of the band’s songwriting and front man duties to Betts; as he noted in “My Cross to Bear,” his 2012 memoir, “Up until then, we’d never really had a front man; Dickey took it upon himself to create that role.”

The ABB released its only No. 1 album, “Brothers and Sisters,” in 1973; the record was powered to the top by the Betts-penned No. 2 single “Ramblin’ Man,” the group’s only top-10 45.

Allman retreated from the group to cut his solo debut “Laid Back” in 1973; rising to No. 13, it would be his most popular work away from the band for nearly 40 years, and it spawned his only top-20 solo single, a down-tempo remake of “Midnight Rider.”

On the heels of the lugubrious but popular “Win, Lose or Draw” (No. 5, 1975), the group set out on its biggest, and costliest, tour to date. The ABB flew to its dates on a lavishly appointed private jet previously used by the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin; in his book, Allman recalls, “The first time we walked onto the plane, ‘Welcome Allman Brothers’ was spelled out in cocaine on the bar.”

The ABB returned from the 41-date tour with a mere $100,000 in hand, owing to over-the-top spending. This financial catastrophe was compounded by the indictment of the group’s security man (and Allman’s drug bag man) Scooter Herring on cocaine distribution charges; Allman testified against Herring before a grand jury and at his trial, which netted a 75-year prison sentence.

Addicted to heroin and embroiled in inter-band conflict with Betts, Allman began spending more time in Los Angeles with Cher, whom he had wed in June 1975. The incongruous couple was followed avidly by gossip columnists.

In the wake of an unsuccessful 1977 solo album, “Playin’ Up a Storm” (No. 42), Allman and share released their only duo album, “Two the Hard Way”; embarrassingly credited to “Allman and Woman,” the set failed to chart, and its accompanying tour witnessed scuffles between hostile camps of fans in the audiences. Allman and Cher divorced in 1978.

Membership in the ABB rotated repeatedly for the remainder of the group’s career, which saw ever-diminishing contributions from writer Allman. He authored just one song for the group’s final Capricorn album, “Enlightened Rogues” (No. 27, 1979); the financially unstable imprint crashed within a year of its release. Allman was also a minor contributor to a pair of slick, poorly received albums for Arista Records in 1980-81.

During the band’s protracted hiatus of the ‘80s, Allman issued a pair of solo sets; the more popular of the two, 1987’s “I’m No Angel” (No. 30, 1987), spawned the titular radio hit.

Encouraged by airplay on the burgeoning “classic rock” radio format, the ABB reconvened for a 1989 tour. In 1990, the group recorded “Seven Turns” (No. 53) with “Fillmore East” producer Tom Dowd; the group also began multi-night residencies at New York’s Beacon Theatre, which became an annual tradition. They issued four commercially unrewarding albums – two studio sets and two concert releases – between 1991 and 1995.

Following a drunken appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York in January 1995, onetime junkie Allman, after 11 stints in rehab, finally stopped drinking on his own, under the 24-hour watch of two nurses.

Following the exit of longtime guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody and the recruitment of Butch Trucks’ young nephew Derek Trucks on guitar, the ABB cut the live “Peakin’ at the Beacon” in 2000. Tension within the band had reached the breaking point, and, following a severely worded fax to Betts from the other members and subsequent legal arbitration, the Allman Brothers Band’s other founding guitarist made his exit.

The front line of Allman, Haynes and Derek Trucks and the group’s founding drummers were heard on the Allman Brothers Band’s studio collection “Hittin’ the Note” (No. 37, 2003) and the live “One Way Out” (No. 190, 2004). After 45 years in business, the band was formally dissolved after an October 2014 show at the Beacon.

Allman’s old habits caught up with him in the ‘00s. Diagnosed with hepatitis C – a disease common to intravenous drug users – in 2007, he learned that he was suffering from liver cancer in 2008. He underwent successful liver transplant surgery at the Mayo Clinic in 2010.

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Before his surgery, Allman entered the studio to record his first solo album in 13 years. “Low Country Blues,” a striking and powerful recital of old blues songs (augmented by one Allman-Haynes original) produced by T Bone Burnett, garnered the best reviews of his career, collected a Grammy Award nomination and became his highest-charting solo release, reaching No. 5 in early 2011.

However, health problems and catastrophe continued to dog him. He cut short a 2011 European tour because of respiratory issues, which ultimately mandated lung surgery. He faced a drug relapse spurred by painkillers, and did a stint in rehab. In 2014, a film based on his 2012 memoir, “Midnight Rider,” ceased production after a camera assistant on director Randall Miller’s feature was killed by a freight train on the first day of shooting.

Married and divorced six times, Allman is survived by three sons and two daughters, all by different mothers. Four of the children are professional musicians.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-goodell-rams-20170526-story.html

Roger Goodell among speakers at Rams event
By Sam Farmer

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NBC play-by-play man Al Michaels will be among the featured speakers June 15 for Rams All-Access at the Coliseum.

The annual dinner event staged by the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission allows fans to meet and take photos with current and former Rams players, coaches and executives.

Among those scheduled to attend this year are executive Kevin Demoff; coaches Sean McVay and Wade Phillips; current players Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, Johnny Hekker and rookie Gerald Everett; and former players Nolan Cromwell, Fred Dryer, Jim Everett, Dennis Harrah, David Hill, LeRoy Irvin, Mike Lansford, Lawrence McCutcheon and Doug Smith.

Fans can practice their skills on the field, with drills that test passing accuracy, field goal kicking and fielding punts. There will be fanfest tents, tours of the Rams’ locker room and opportunity to win game tickets.

Rams All-Access tickets are $550 each or $5,000 for a table of 10.

For more information, contact Kathy Schloessman at kschloessman@lasec.us, or call (213) 236-2381.

Well Arsenal did..........Super Bowl next for the Rams!

The rose colored glasses of the silly season are out in full force, like Wayfarers on the beach. Every draft pick looks like a genius move, free agents fill every hole from the previous roster, and the coaches all have expert pedigrees that point the team toward stardom. I read all the same reports from 32 teams with a jaundiced eye.

But the real groundwork for success in the NFL this time of year lies in the hands of the coaches. How the leadership teaches and plans development is the critical factor now that rosters have been formed. Injuries can derail even the best laid plans and it's how the depth is developed now that will make or break a season filled with inevitable losses. Good teams make sure the next man up is ready and won't be the weak link that the opposition can exploit and wreck a gameplan.

The greatest difference between last year's regime and the current staff led by Sean McVay is a focus on teaching methods that support a simpler, sounder system. Let's begin with the defense. Gregg Williams is a good coach but inferior to Son of Bum. Williams (like Haslett) is a gambler who crafts impact plays that at times creates confusion for the offense, but too often confuses his own players. He preaches passion and accountability. He will use techniques that will either motivate a man to greater things (Ogletree) or push them to the brink of quitting (Joyner). I suppose if all 11 players sell out on every play, they could overcome Williams' propensity for getting out-coached (see Niners, Bucs, Lions, Saints, 2nd Cards game, Patriots, Falcons) as a playcaller, but I was consistently disappointed more in the scheme than I was with the players last year. I believe Fisher and the players would agree. In contrast, Phillips is a teacher first and foremost. He's more interested in focusing on the fundamentals of the game than on supporting a bounty system, encouraging players to get in the opponents heads, or turning the men into wild dogs who care only how far they can bend the rules. Phillips engenders trust and builds men up to care about their assignments within a scheme that has solutions for most of the problems an offense will pose. He has a tried and true teaching method that supports his system and allows the players to build on their strengths and mask their deficiencies.

Yet as much of a disparity as there is between Williams and Phillips, the potential excitement everyone feels about this team centers on the competence being displayed on the offensive side of the ball. How many times did each of us see the offense line up and in our hearts we knew the play was doomed to failure before the snap of the ball and then watch in horror as they ran the exact play we knew was coming and get the same results we saw dozens of times in the past? Did Boras ever establish an identity for the offense beyond ineptitude? There were some flash plays and stretches where it appeared that success was possible, but I've never seen fewer on a Ram team and I go back to the 60's. In contrast, McSnead began by hiring proven quarterback coaches, an OLine coach that produced the #1 rushing attack in football, and followed that by plugging the chasm at LT with an All-Pro, acquiring a couple accomplished route runners, drafting a potential difference maker at TE, moving OLine players to positions where they have a chance to succeed, and taking a QB who felt "lost" for an entire year and making him feel "confident" and capable in what he's learned so far.

While i realize I'm wearing something now that makes everything look rosy, allow me to set down my shades and take a breath. While everything that's happened since Sean was hired is an undeniable improvement, the game of football is so complex and injuries can derail even the best of teams (imagine the consequences of losing Donald, Tree, Johnson, Goff, Whitworth, or Gurley). As raw as the TE position is, as long as it takes for a passing game to develop chemistry, as long as it takes for an OLine to form cohesion, and as long as it takes for a second year QB in a new system to develop the mental acuity to outthink defensive coordinators with decades of experience in tricking signal callers, is how long it will take to elevate this team to the heights we all expect to see.

So while we may have to wait a year for the plan to develop, at least we can enjoy the progress and process that is now in place.

My wife stayed at a very upscale hotel and as usual brought back some fancy ass soaps. However this time the soap had a huge hole in the middle. For the overall size of the bar the hole meant about half of the bar was missing. This is what was written on the thus oversized packaging:

waste reducing exfoliating body cleanser 50g

This innovative ergonomically shaped

"waste reducing" soap has been designed to eliminate the unused center of traditional soap bars.

This soap is cruelty free and contains no animal fat or byproducts. This carton is made from natural recycled packaging printed with soy based inks.



So............

Guess which city in the USA in which such stupidity proudly exists!

http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/sto...l-insiders-make-early-2017-season-predictions

Insiders make early 2017 season predictions

Which Year 2 player looks primed for a breakout season?

Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry had eight touchdown catches as a rookie, and he has the trust of quarterback Philip Rivers inside of the 20-yard line (seven red zone touchdowns in 2016). With the size (6-foot-5) to win matchups and the route-running ability to create separation, Henry is in a position to move ahead of veteran Antonio Gates as one of Rivers' top targets.



Dan Graziano, NFL Insider: Tampa Bay pass-rusher Noah Spence had 5.5 sacks in a limited role as a rookie, but I expect his playing time -- and his impact -- to increase in 2017. Remember, this was a first-round talent who fell to the second round because of off-field concerns from early in his college career. He adapted well to what coordinator Mike Smith was teaching last year in Tampa Bay and could be part of a real defensive renaissance there.


Mike Sando, senior NFL writer: Seahawks RB C.J. Prosiseshould be primed for a breakout season in Year 2. He flashed great ability with Seattle as a rookie in 2016 -- 156 yards from scrimmage at New England, for instance -- but injuries kept him off the field. Better luck on the health front could let Prosise shine in a situational role.

ranked fifth in total value among tight ends last season. Not bad for a rookie. Gates is still around, but he'll be 37 this season, so the path is open for Henry to become one of the most productive players at the position.


Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: Washington receiver Josh Doctson is going to have every opportunity to break out in 2017. The departures of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon have left it wide-open for him. An Achilles tendon injury largely derailed his rookie season, but coach Jay Gruden knows how to use big receivers with speed.

Sheldon Rankins' start to his NFL career, but the powerful, imposing defensive tackle really showed up for New Orleans last season. In a league where you need to be able to pressure the quarterback from all angles, Rankins profiles as a potentially dominant interior defensive lineman. Eight sacks wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Who will be the NFL's best offense and defense in 2017?


Bowen: The Patriots should create the most issues for opposing defenses this season with a healthy Rob Gronkowski and the addition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks in coordinator Josh McDaniels' offense. Cooks has the electric ability to produce explosive plays on high-percentage throws from Tom Brady. On defense, give me the Seahawks. Getting Earl Thomas back is the key to Seattle's core Cover 3 scheme. This unit wins with the perfect mix of rush and coverage.



Graziano: Offense has to be the Patriots after adding Cooks and bringing in a new crew of RBs that should make the running game much more dynamic. Assuming Brady plays all 16 games (which he didn't last year), you have to imagine New England stays on top. Defensively, give me Denver, which might have come down a bit from its ridiculous 2015 heights but is still a unit that can win games on its own, even without top-end quarterback play.



Sando: Green Bay will push New England after restoring the tight end position, but I agree that the Patriots should have the best offense with Cooks in the equation and Brady playing 16 games instead of 12. On defense, I'll go with the Giants edging out Denver and Seattle. They found a way to re-sign Jason Pierre-Paul, despite giving Olivier Vernon a big contract last offseason.

Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le'Veon Belland receiver Antonio Brown are on the field together. Injuries have derailed that assertion in the past. Defensively, I still love the Broncos from a pure talent perspective and think they'll add a new dimension of aggressiveness under first-year coach Vance Joseph.



Yates: The Patriots were shut out in a game last year and played without Brady for a quarter of a season yet still finished third in scoring. Oh, and Gronk missed significant time because of injury Eli Apple, who came on strong during his rookie season.

Which team got measurably worse this offseason?

Bowen: On paper, the Washington Redskins' offense looks worse. I like the move to bring in wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. He's a high-ceiling player at the position. But can former first-round pick Josh Doctson stay healthy and contribute in his second season? Washington has to account for losing Pierre Garcon's production/toughness and DeSean Jackson's game-breaking speed. Plus, the Redskins head into the season without playcaller Sean McVay after he took the Rams' head-coaching job. Don't be surprised if Kirk Cousins and the offensive look a little rusty out of the gate.


Graziano: I think the signs are bad in Washington, where Cousins is going to have a tough time repeating his 2015 and 2016 success without Garcon and Jackson (not to mention McVay). This is a team that ran out of gas at the end of last season and lost a lot of key pieces on offense -- and they play in a division where Dallas and New York both should expect to be strong again.


Sando: The Arizona Cardinals seemed to get measurably worse on defense. Losing Calais Campbell is especially going to hurt. Despite the talent exodus, Arizona could actually improve in the standings. The 2016 team lost so many games through special-teams miscues that are unlikely to recur.

Buffalo Bills depending an awful lot on rookies this year, and rookies don't always fulfill their potential right away (if ever). Two of last year's top three receivers are gone. Two of last year's top three cornerbacks are gone. And while LeSean McCoy is still around to keep the running game dangerous, Mike Gillislee was outstanding last year and losing him really hurts Buffalo's depth.


Seifert: The Redskins' offensive organization and creativity took a hit when McVay departed for the Rams' head-coaching job. Plus, Cousins knows the team's confidence in him long term is measured. That's not a good combination -- and it doesn't even begin to address a defense that, charitably, doesn't look much better than the one that allowed 378 yards per game last season (No. 28 in the NFL).


Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed a true deep-ball threat in wide receiver DeSean Jackson during free agency and then scooped up tight end O.J. Howard in the first round of the draft. Both players will become instant weapons for quarterback Jameis Winston and open up even more opportunities for No. 1 target Mike Evans. After throwing for over 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, Winston is now in a position to lead an offense that can create matchup issues at all three levels of the field.

Which team improved itself the most?


Graziano: The Cleveland Browns could finish 6-10 and be the most improved team in the league. How many teams will make five-game improvements? They've invested in both lines, which is a fine way to start building, and while it's hard to imagine them being an explosive offense with their current situations at quarterback and wide receiver, coordinator Gregg Williams and the players that Cleveland drafted on defense should make a difference on that side of the ball.


Sando: The moves Tampa Bay made on offense, in particular, make the Buccaneers a compelling choice as the most improved team this offseason. I'm not sure how much they'll improve upon their 9-7 record from last season -- nine wins was on the high side of most projections -- but the offense is in position to take a significant step forward.

Schatz: Cleveland has done an impressive job in improving its roster this offseason, signing two starting offensive linemen in free agency (both still in the prime of their careers), drafting three first-rounders all under the age of 22 and finally finding a second-round lottery ticket at quarterback. (That last one might not pay off, but it also won't stop them from using a first-round pick if they feel the right quarterback is there next year.) We won't all be talking about the Browns' improvement when they go from 1-15 to 5-11, but this is all going to pay off handsomely in three years.


Seifert: New Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard did a great job filling holes with talented veterans. They added a dozen veteran free agents, with a focus on defensive line and linebacker. Keep in mind that the Colts had signed a total of 10 free agents in the previous nine offseasons combined. Nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and linebacker Jabaal Sheard were particularly smart signings. Ballard has effectively set a new tone in Indianapolis.


Yates: This might come as a surprise, as the organization hasn't had the splashiest offseason, but I'm a fan of the Los Angeles Rams' offseason. Their No. 1 priority was finding a head coach who could help Jared Goff in his progression. They did just that by hiring Sean McVay, who assembled a terrific coaching staff on both sides of the ball. The Rams also bolstered the offensive line by signing left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Goff's supporting cast is unquestionably stronger, as compared to his rookie season.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/r...sted-backup-qb-options-before-turning-to-dak/

Reminder: The 2016 Cowboys exhausted backup QB options before turning to Dak

With the offseason settling in and the Cowboys considered the prohibitive favorites to win the NFC East again, it's easy to forget where Dallas was this time last year in its search for a backup to Tony Romo. Dak Prescott was not definitely the answer.

Just ask his quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, who pointed out to Todd Archer of ESPN last week that Prescott had terrible feet and didn't know how to call a play.

"The snap, he'd never done that," Wilson said. "Never called a play. He had his feet all goofed up. Never been under center too much. Never. Rarely said the words in the huddle or really any verbal communication at all."

This was right after rookie minicamp, basically a year ago right now. History is told by the winners, of course, so now the big book of football reads as if the Cowboys masterfully selected Prescott on Day 3, eyeing a talent with a connection to their playbook and plucking him with a value grab that would alter the course of the franchise and perhaps the division.

The reality? Just like the Patriots with Tom Brady, the Cowboys got lucky.

And that's perfectly fine, because any good oil tycoon will tell you, sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good. The Cowboys were just that with Dak. It's still worth looking back at how close they came to never getting him and how they never really knew what they had on their hands.

Other quarterback targets in the draft
When the draft was happening, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were determined to acquire an additional quarterback, a young signal caller to groom behind Tony Romo for the future. Dallas tried to make a play on the first night of the draft with a trade up, but nothing materialized.

The Cowboys were targeting Paxton Lynch in the draft, but the Broncosended up pulling off a deal that left the Cowboys out in the cold. The next day, Jones lamented a lack of sleep during the night because he was unwilling to overpay for the right to draft Lynch.

"When I look back on my life, I've overpaid for my big successes every time. I probably should've overpaid [for Paxton Lynch]," Jones told reporters.

This should be obvious, but the Cowboys were not drafting Prescott if they came away from the first round with both Ezekiel Elliott and Lynch.

That wasn't the only bullet they accidentally dodged in the draft. The Cowboys also whiffed on an attempt to trade up in the fourth round and nab Connor Cook out of Michigan State.

"I was pretty surprised," Cook told reporters after being selected by the Raiders, who traded up one spot in front of Dallas to pick the quarterback. "I think Dallas was interested and they were trying to trade up."

Indeed, multiple reports confirm that the Browns and Cowboys were having discussions, but Cleveland took the offer from the Raiders instead.

The Cowboys would "settle" for Prescott later in the fourth round, but passed on him one more time after missing on Cook, when they took Oklahomadefensive end Charles Tapper one pick after Cook was drafted.

The Cowboys did their due diligence on quarterbacks in the draft and were going to come away with someone. They got extremely lucky that their guy was Prescott. Even after the draft, they weren't sure that he could help them right away.

Desperation mode
The Cowboys were nervous about something happening to Romo, and you can't blame them; Romo's stats suggest he might very well be the greatest quarterback in Cowboys history, but he also missed a ton of time with injuries. After a relatively healthy stretch from 2011 through 2014 (two total games missed), Romo suffered an injury early in 2015, getting knocked out with a collarbone injury in Week 2 against the Eagles.

He would return in Week 10, beat the Dolphins and promptly re-aggravate the injury against the Panthers on Thanksgiving, ending a season that featured Dallas teetering on playoff contention in a terrible NFC East anyway. The struggles of backups Brandon Weeden -- Jerry Jones famously said "you won't see a more gifted passer" -- and Matt Cassel -- acquired from the Bills in a trade after Romo got hurt -- put the Cowboys on notice moving forward.

So things moved to DEFCON 1 pretty quickly during the offseason when Kellen Moore went down with a season-ending injury in early August. Moore isn't saving anyone's season, but he was the backup to Romo. I repeat: the Cowboys were prepared to play Kellen Moore over Dak Prescott if something happened to Tony Romo.

Prescott was supposed to be a project quarterback and, at the time, the Cowboys looked like they might have the worst backup quarterback situation in the league.

Don't just yell at the idiot who wrote that either -- the Cowboys felt like they were in such a pickle that they were looking into acquiring Nick Foles when he was released by the Rams. He would spurn them for the Chiefs in August of last year. Yes, the Cowboys wanted to sign Foles and start him over Prescott, but Foles wasn't interested in being the backup to Romo. Say it out loud, folks.

Dallas also wanted to trade with the Browns for Josh McCown. The Cowboys were so concerned with their backup situation they needed help from a team that won a single game last year.

Again: all of these quarterbacks were on the table ahead of just, you know, playing Prescott.

And all of this was before Romo went down in the preseason. Cliff Avrilfamously pulled him down from behind, setting off a chain reaction that would net Prescott Rookie of the Year honors and let Romo slide seamlessly into an NFL on CBS gig. (He's also doing work with our coverage of the PGA Tour, starting this weekend at the Colonial.)

Prescott was described before the draft as a "work in progress." It's pretty clear from the Cowboys' own assessment at the time they felt the same way.

But Dak improved tremendously and, by Week 1 of the preseason, actually looked pretty good.

So once Romo actually went down there was a bit of "well, maybe Dak could do this" hope, but there was still a firm belief that once the regular season bullets started flying, defenses would catch up.

They never really did. Part of that is having a great offensive line -- easily the best in the NFL -- opening up huge holes for the league's leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott. A great offensive line and a great running back can make a young quarterback look good. But clearly Dak held his own.

That he was able to transform from a goofy-footed rookie to a dominant quarterback that quickly is a testament to the Cowboys coaching staff and Prescott's work ethic. But it's also a reminder that sometimes you need a little bit of luck to strike oil.

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http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...ability-with-49ers/ar-BBByDM4?ocid=spartanntp

Brandon Jacobs blasts Jim Harbaugh’s coaching ability with 49ers

SB Nation
David Fucillo11 hrs ago

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...nee-is-100-percent/ar-BBBySVp?ocid=spartanntp

How about taking a trip in the way back machine to Brandon Jacob’s brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers? Way back in 2012, the 49ers signed Brandon Jacobs to compete with Kendall Hunter for a role behind Frank Gore. Jacobs suffered a knee injury in training camp and only played in two games that season. He was eventually suspended following critical tweets about the team, and then released.


On Friday, Jacobs had some interesting comments about his time with the 49ers. While appearing on Tiki and Tierney, Jacobs said he enjoyed his time there, but he did not see eye-to-eye with Jim Harbaugh (h/t Bleacher Report).

"Jim, I had a lot of respect for Jim when I was there – before I got to know him. I enjoyed my time there, but we didn't see eye-to-eye. I knew a little bit more about football than what they led on."

....

"Going somewhere where they don't have route conversions into certain coverages was just absurd. They're just running routes in the defense, getting people killed. Size and strength is what they had, and that's why they won. Let's be real. They had great assistant coaches, but Jim didn't know what he was doing. Jim had no idea. Jim is throwing slants into Cover-2 safeties, getting people hurt. That guy knew nothing, man."

The 49ers were very much a punch you in the mouth team. They ran some intriguing concepts on offense, but clearly it was not enough for what Jacobs expected of the offense. One of these days it might be nice to go back and look at what the offense was doing that season. It is hard to know for certain based on film since we don’t know what the playbook calls for, and we don’t know what a given receiver is doing.

I’d actually say sitting down with any of those offensive assistants would make for a fascinating conversation. The 49ers offense could do some big things at times, but there was inconsistency at times as well. They were able to do enough to get within five yards of a Super Bowl, but who knows what some adjustments on offense might have meant. Well, I suppose Brandon Jacobs thinks it could have made some kind of difference.

Robert Woods is looking out for No. 1 receiver role

Rams wide receiver Robert Woods participates in organized team activities last week in Thousand Oaks. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
By Gary Klein

In a recent ceremony at his old high school, legendary status was bestowed upon Robert Woods.

Gardena Serra made the new Rams receiver the first recipient of “Serra Legend” recognition. In honor of his performance on the field, and the character he displays on and off it, a patch bearing Woods’ name will adorn the jerseys of all future players who wear No. 2 for the Cavaliers.

The Rams were not in search of a legend this offseason when they wooed Woods home with a five-year, $34-million free-agent contract.

New coach Sean McVay wanted a dependable, sure-handed route runner, a respected veteran to set an example for younger players in the locker room.

Woods, however, insists he can be more.

After four NFL seasons mainly playing a secondary role for the Buffalo Bills, there is no doubt in Woods’ mind that he can be a primary receiver.

“I feel like I definitely am a No. 1,” he said in March after an introductory news conference.

Woods, 25, this week repeated his intent to earn that profile when the Rams began organized team activity workouts at Cal Lutheran.


“I always come in attacking the season trying to be the No. 1 receiver,” he said.

The 6-foot, 193-pound Woods must increase his production to achieve that status among fans and NFL observers.

After an All-American career at USC — where he established a school record with 252 receptions in three seasons — he has averaged nearly 51 catches per season since his selection in the second round of the 2013 draft.

Woods has not amassed more than 699 yards receiving in a season, has only three 100-yard receiving games and no multi-touchdown games.

But that was playing in mostly run-based offenses that featured quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel, running back LeSean McCoy and receiver Sammy Watkins.

Last season, the Bills led the NFL in rushing but ranked 30th in passing, one spot ahead of the Rams.

Woods caught 51 passes for 613 yards and a touchdown.

Woods, though, points to a November game against the Seattle Seahawks. He was targeted 13 times and responded with 10 catches for 162 yards, both career bests.

The Rams apparently took notice.

With McVay intent on instilling a new culture, the Rams let 1,000-yard receiver Kenny Britt leave as a free agent. They also did not re-sign receiver Brian Quick.

The Rams pursued receiver Pierre Garcon, who produced under McVay with the Washington Redskins. But when the price got too steep, they turned their attention to Woods.

“A pro’s pro,” McVay said after the first OTA workout.

Woods did not spend much time celebrating his new contract. A few days after signing with the Rams, he began working out with quarterback Jared Goff at a high school near the Rams’ training facility in Thousand Oaks.

“Just trying to get our timing down early,” Woods said, “just so our first impression with McVay and [offensive coordinator] Matt LaFleur was a good one.”

A connection is clearly forming.

During a workout a few weeks ago, Woods said, he and Goff missed on a play when the defense presented a certain look. On Tuesday, the first day of OTA practice, they got the same look.

“And this time, he threw it and it was a perfect pass,” Woods said. “He just puts the ball in perfect position for the receivers to make plays.”

Goff said Woods has been “more than I could have really expected,” noting his competitiveness and adding, “It’s really exciting for me to have a guy like that, multiple guys like that, but him in particular.”

Woods is part of a receiving corps that includes veteran Tavon Austin, second-year pros such as Pharoh Cooper and Mike Thomas and rookies Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds, among others.

Austin, who signed a four-year, $42-million extension before last season, is not participating in OTA workouts while recovering from wrist surgery. But McVay has spoken of making him one of the centerpieces of the offense.

Woods, in the meantime, is making an impression.

Rams receivers coach Eric Yarber was on college staffs at Washington and Arizona State when he began tracking Woods at Serra.

“I remember when he was in the ninth grade,” Yarber said. “I had friends on that [Serra] staff that were like, ‘That’s the one you need to be recruiting. Keep an eye on him.’”

Woods has already made an impact on the Rams, Yarber said.

“He sets an example for the room of how to be a pro,” Yarber said. “When you watch him prepare, he’s taking diligent notes, he’s asking very intelligent questions. He just knows how to prepare.

“He values the process over the prize. That’s what the really good ones do.”

Kupp, a third-round pick from Eastern Washington, sees a mentor in Woods.

“I’m just trying to soak up as much as I can and ask as many questions as I can,” Kupp said. “He’s a valuable source of knowledge and information for me.”

The Rams will conduct seven more OTA workouts and then hold a mandatory minicamp before breaking in mid-June. They will return for training camp in late July.

Woods is looking forward to the season and becoming a key component in McVay’s offense.

Last season, with McVay calling plays for the Redskins, Garcon and receiver DeSean Jackson each had at least 100 targets and amassed more than 1,000 yards receiving.

“They find ways to get receivers the ball and become a No. 1,” Woods said at his introductory news conference, “Or two No. 1s.”

[www.latimes.com]

Should the Rams consider signing former McVay coached RB Matt Jones, if released?

https://www.downtownrams.com/single...ormer-McVay-coached-RB-Matt-Jones-if-released

The former third-round pick of the Washington Redskins appears to be done with the team and a release could be imminent. The real question: Should the Rams consider reuniting him with Sean McVay?

Matt Jones is a bruising back that you probably already know just off his dominance against the Rams from a few years ago. Jones brings a nasty mean streak to him as a runner, he's not the fastest player on the field, but his power makes up for it. As great as Todd Gurley is...he isn't quite the bulldozer that Jones can be, which means the Rams likely don't have that goal line type of back on the roster if they want to spell Gurley.

According to CSN Mid-Atlantic the third-year running back is not in the Redskins plans moving forward after drafting former Oklahoma Sooner RB Samaje Perine. Jones, definitely was not okay with the move as he is holding out of OTAs, which has angered head coach Jay Gruden.

If Matt Jones continues to skip OTAs it's likely he will be cut and the 6-foot-2, 232 pounder will be a free agent. Now, I have no clue if Sean McVay had a relationship with Jones, but throwing the connections out of the window for a minute, the Rams don't have a 6-foot-2 and 230-plus pound bruising back. Obviously, the Rams are well over the cap, but that is due to the off-season rosters expanding to 90 men. Once the final cuts are made the Rams will likely be right where they need to be.

Jones has only had 243 carries for 950 yards rushing, six touchdowns as well as adding another 377 yards receiving out of the backfield on 27 catches. The reason for those stats being a little underwhelming at first glance was due to the time-share in Washington, but also the fact Jones only has played in 20 games in two seasons and only has seven official starts under his belt. Clearly Jones needs a change of scenery and the Rams could give it to him.

On the other side of the coin, the Rams have running backs Malcolm Brown, Aaron Green, Justin Davis, Lance Dunbar, Lenard Tillery and De'Mard Llorens. A move to get Jones would really speak on the coaches behalf on what they see and believe with the running back group thus far. My opinion and my knowledge of the situation coincide in the fact the Rams should be and are wanting to add a bigger pass catching back next season. Jones could definitely be that guy and cut down the wait time for that to happen.

Obviously, there is one key variable if any, for Jones to sign with the Rams and that is the first part, getting released. The team may choose to keep him and trade him, but overall I see Jones being cut before preseason. Is Jones a hidden need for the Rams? I would almost say yes, because of his ability to punch the ball in during short yardage attempts. As great as Gurley is, he was still stuffed plenty of times at the goal line and at least one of the times it costed the Rams a win.

The jury is out whether or not Matt Jones can be an NFL starter, but coming to the Rams he wouldn't have to be. This is likely the best route for Jones, going back to an old coach that understands the game of football and is comfortable utilizing him in both the running game and passing game. If Jones is to succeed at the NFL level and get his career back on track, the Rams seem like the perfect fit to propel his stock back to his rookie year.

Would you grab Matt Jones if he became available via free agency? Let us know!