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The LA Rams and 5 keys to their 2017 offseason By Rich Hammond
No packing tape, no moving vans, no hotel rooms. In contrast to last year, this is a calm offseason for the Rams, but that doesn’t mean they can relax. After a 4-12 season, there are no merits upon which to rest.
The only relocation this spring is that of new coach Sean McVay and his staff to Southern California, but there are plenty of moves to be made. It will be fascinating to see how aggressive McVay, the youngest coach in the NFL’s modern era, acts on and off the field as he attempts to revitalize the Rams.
McVay and General Manager Les Snead quickly must make some decisions about their young, inconsistent group of players. Will they make wholesale roster changes, or look to complement the core, which is led by players such as Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald and Alec Ogletree?
The Rams clearly need a lot of work, and this is how their checklist of offseason duties looks:
1. Finalize Coaching Staff
This is almost done. The Rams have yet to hire an offensive coordinator, but that’s not going to be a huge job on this team. McVay, formerly the offensive coordinator in Washington, announced last month he will call offensive plays, so the coordinator will be more of a support man for McVay.
Landing veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was the big move, and the Rams already have agreed on terms with most of the assistant coaches who will fill out McVay’s staff. Returning assistants John Fassel (special teams) and Skip Peete (running backs) will provide some continuity.
Assistant coaches Greg Olson (quarterbacks), Eric Yarber (receivers), Shane Waldron (tight ends), Aaron Kromer (offensive line), Bill Johnson (defensive line), Joe Barry (linebackers) and Aubrey Pleasant (secondary) are expected to join the Rams, but the team has not announced the hirings.
Moreover, the Rams must finalize a team of behind-the-scenes folks — trainers, video people, etc. — who keep the team running, and McVay will have his own ideas about how these jobs should be executed.
2. DESIGNATE FRANCHISE PLAYER
Every offseason, each NFL team can designate a “franchise” player, one who is set to become a free agent. That player then stays with his current team under a (big-money) one-year contract.
This might be an easy, but expensive, choice for the Rams. Top cornerback Trumaine Johnson is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and there’s no indication the Rams and Johnson are close on a contract extension, so the franchise tag could be used on Johnson for a second consecutive year.
A player who is “tagged” a second time is due an automatic salary increase of 20 percent, so Johnson’s 2017 contract would be worth $16.74 million. That’s steep, but given how hard the Rams have worked to build their front-seven depth, they must complement it with a solid secondary.
3. SKIM THE FREE-AGENT POOL
That’s not to say the Johnson franchise-tag decision is automatic.
The Rams’ potential free agents include two of their top defensive backs — Johnson and safety T.J. McDonald — and two of their top receivers — Kenny Britt and Brian Quick. McVay and Snead must weigh which players will be easier to re-sign or replace.
The Rams need help at receiver. Britt had a 1,000-yard season but isn’t consistent. Same goes for Tavon Austin. Quick showed flashes of brilliance but also had terrible issues with drops.
Washington receiver DeSean Jackson played under McVay and is a Southern California native. That signing would be big for the Rams. Even if they don’t land Jackson, receiver is a priority position.
4. MAXIMIZE DRAFT PICKS
A popular narrative is the Rams gutted their potential draft picks when they traded up to No. 1 last year and selected Jared Goff. That’s not really the case at all.
Yes, the Rams lack a first-round pick this year — they sent it to Tennessee last February as part of the package that allowed them to move up from No. 15 to No. 1 — but the Rams aren’t light on picks.
The Rams will have the fifth pick of the second round (No. 37 overall), and while they owe the Titans a third-round pick this year, there’s also good news there. The Rams likely will receive a compensatory pick, which they will send to Tennessee and thus retain their third-round pick (No. 69 overall).
The Rams are set to have at least six draft picks, and they need to do better than last year. The Rams used four picks on receivers or tight ends, and none of them played major roles in 2016.
5. BUILD SOME CHEMISTRY
It’s not all about the roster. The Rams had become stale under former coach Jeff Fisher, who desperately tried to project the image that the team was improving and he should keep his job.
McVay is here because the Rams need energy and a culture change. NFL rules restrict the contact that teams can have with players before the start of offseason workouts in April, but McVay is already working — even through exuberant media interviews — to set a tone for the spring.
The Rams, as a team with a new head coach, are allowed to start their offseason program early (April 3) in Thousand Oaks. That will be an important time not only for player-coach chemistry, but to learn new offensive and defensive schemes.
4. The Los Angeles Rams win at least 10 games
The arrivals of coaching wunderkind Sean McVay and venerable defensive coordinator Wade Phillips propel the Rams to their first winning season since 2003. Jared Goff struggles at the beginning but steadies himself as the year goes on. Aaron Donald anchors a defense that leads the league in fewest yards allowed. Todd Gurley finishes in the top three in rushing.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, but the Patriots are definitely not over Deflategate -- the dumb scandal about underinflated footballs that resulted in the loss of two draft picks, a million bucks, four games of Tom Brady, and our collective will to live.
Yep -- that's a Goodell clown shirt. Here's a closer look at the shirt, via Barstool Sports:
Barstool Sports
If Patricia wears the shirt to the Patriots' parade, he might just top shirtless J.R. Smith for the best post-championship wardrobe choice.
I thought it would be nice to start a second thread showing the current staff, although there still needs to be formal confirmation. As I see it this is where we stand. (Note to Mods, if you think it's best to consolidate with the first coaching thread, no worries on my end.)
Head Coach - Sean McVay Offense: OC - TBD QB Coach - Greg Olson OL Coach - Aaron Kromer WR Coach - Eric Yarber RB Coach - Skip Peete TE Coach - Shane Waldron Offensive Assistant - Zach Kromer
Defense: DC - Wade Phillips Assistant HC/LB Coach - Joe Barry DL Coach - Bill Johnson DB Coaches - Ejiro Evero / Aubrey Pleasant/Samson Brown Defensive Assistant - Chris Shula
Special Teams: John Fassel
I know some of these might not be 100% confirmed, and there is still the question of who will be our OC. LaFleur's name has been thrown out there by some reporters, but it's yet to be seen if the Falcons will allow teams to interview him. If I'm missing something or have listed something in error, please let me know and I will correct my OP. Here's to the start of a great 2017 season!
After the playoffs... @bluecoconuts and @RamsJunkie took the tie into the Super Bowl to which they agreed to split the vote and let the SB break the final tie... @RamsJunkie took Atlanta and @bluecoconuts took New England.
Well done!
4 players made it through all 17 regular season weeks!!
For us and Super Bowl 36, it was the game we were massively favored to win. We had MAX Q, and a Lovie Cover 2 defense with Aneaes Williams. It was the most dominant team in Rams history, and yet we lost. Many (including me) think that Super Bowl was stolen from us. I can't even watch the tape of that Super Bowl, and I don't think I ever have. It's such a d@mn shame, because that team was SO good.
For the Falcon's fans, they lost a lead in a Super Bowl, like no one else. They got the Super Bowl 36 results, without the Super Bowl 34 consolation...Sucks to be them.
If the Falcons had recovered the onside kick the Patriots would have been deemed to have had an opportunity to possess the football. The Falcons would only have needed a FG to win. The downside would have been a short field for the Patriots if the onside kick failed. However, with the defense gassed it didn't look like the Falcons could stop the Patriots offense from moving the ball at will.
Simple question - do you think it would have been a better choice than a normal, deep kickoff?
First, they are handed the Rams SB by the refs. Rules are changed to "prevent" this from happening in the future.
Then, they are handed one by the Seahawks OC Bevell. Run it in with Beast Mode, moron. Everyone but you knew that.
Then, yesterday. Everyone but Shanahan knew the Falcons won that game (even with poor play calling prior) when Julio makes that monster catch. 1st down at the 22. Game over, right? Nope, another Brady gift...
BRIGHT SIDE:
Every 9er game I watch while Shanahan is on the sideline, I get to think of how he will be remembered as orchestrating the biggest collapse in Super Bowl (and NFL) history.
Hate to see Pats win. But I love when the 9ers lose.
Police in Virginia are now warning about the scam, which has also been recently reported in Florida, and, in 2016, in Pennsylvania.
“Anytime you become victim to a crime, you just feel violated,” said Officer Jo Ann Hughes with the Norfolk Police Department.
Here’s how it works – police say you’ll receive a phone call from a number you do not know.
“Usually it has a familiar area code,” Hughes told WTKR, making the potential victim more likely to answer the call.
Police say after you answer the phone, a person – or automated recording – on the other end of the line introduces themselves and their business.
“That kind of warms you up,” Hughes said.
After the introduction comes the question, "Can you hear me?"
“All of us, our natural response is to say, 'Yes,' or 'Sure,' or 'Yes I can,'” said Hughes, but she says this is exactly what you do not want to do.
Police say scammers record your ‘yes’ response. In one variation of the scam documented by the Better Business Bureau in October, 2016, the criminals may pretend to be from a cruise line or home security company and will later bill you for products or services you never asked for.
If you try to deny the charges, the scammers will playback your verbal confirmation ‘yes’ and threaten to take legal action if you don’t pay.
In another variation, scammers may use the recording to authorize charges on a stolen credit card or with a utility company by tricking an automated system, according toCBS News. The con artists may have already stolen other personal information through a data breach that would allow them to pass the security checks.
“A lot of times, victims do not want to come forward because they are embarrassed. They feel like, ‘It was my fault. I should have known better,’ and they are just embarrassed by it all together. So we do not get a whole lot of reports, unfortunately,” said Hughes.
Police say to avoid this scam, follow this advice.
Do not answer the phone from numbers you do not recognize,
Do not give out personal information,
Do not confirm your number over the phone,
Do not answer questions over the phone.
And finally this piece of advice: hang up the phone and call 911 instead.
“We really want people to hear this,” said Hughes. “[We want people to] say, ‘Look, I just heard about this scam on TV,’…and to hang up.”
Super Bowl 51: Patriots Take the Fifth in Epic Comeback Trailing Atlanta by 25 points midway through the third quarter, New England never panicked because of one man: Tom Brady. Here are all the details—from MJ to max squats to mothballs—of the legacy-cementing win. by Peter King
Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
HOUSTON — For 35 seconds after the game that defies adjectives, Tom Brady crouched on the field, overcome, just trying to gather himself. Red, white and blue confetti flew everywhere after New England’s 34-28 overtime win over Atlanta, and as Brady stayed down, photographers and a Fox crew were held off by security. “Back! BACK!” they yelled.
He stayed down so long that someone leaned down to see if he was OK, and then New England running back LeGarrette Blount came over to shield and comfort Brady. Finally, they stood, and Bill Belichick appeared, and Brady and Belichick hugged so hard it must have hurt.
“I love you!” Brady said into his coach’s ear. “We did it!”
“You’re the greatest, bro!” Blount screamed at Brady. “THE GREATEST!”
Brady wanted to see his family, his supermodel wife and the dad who made him tear up in the days before the game and the ill mom who almost didn’t make the trip to the game and his kids and his sisters … everybody. But first, there was a hard tap on Brady’s left arm from the commissioner who wanted to end the Cold War that will never end.
Now would be the most anticipated NFL handshake of the Super Bowl era. (Or any football era, probably.) “That was awesome,” commissioner Roger Goodell said to Tom Brady, according to one bystander, grabbing Brady’s right hand and shaking for several seconds. “Congratulations. Great football game.”
Brady thanked Goodell earnestly. There would be no scene on the night of the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, and the greatest performance of Tom Brady’s life. Unquestionably.
Tom Brady saved his best for last. We’re running out of ways to deify Brady, but on the occasion of his record fifth Super Bowl victory, we can try.
* * *
I remember a couple of years ago this week, when Brady engineered 53-yard and 74-yard touchdown drives against Seattle in the last quarter, coming back from 10 points down to beat the Seahawks. Greatest quarter of his life, considering the circumstances.
Then what’s this? You play the eighth-highest-scoring team in NFL history, and you start punt, punt, fumble, punt, pick-six, field goal, punt. And after those seven drives, midway through the third quarter, it’s 28-3, and it’s reminiscent of the Houston-Buffalo wild-card game 24 years ago, when the Bills trailed 28-3 at halftime and coach Marv Levy walked into the locker room and said testily: “You guys are going to have to live with yourselves, whatever the outcome.”
Then Brady finishes touchdown-field goal-touchdown-touchdown-overtime touchdown.
Drives of 75, 72, 25, 91 and 62 in the last 28 minutes.
Atlanta 28-3.
Then New England 31-0.
“Funny thing,” said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels after the game. “When we came out after halftime, “Bill [Belichick] said to me, ‘We’ll be okay. Our guys believe. They will fight their ass off.’ I think when you’ve got Tommy, you feel like there’s never going to be any kind of panic in him, so there’s never going to be any kind of panic in us.”
“That’s the thing—nothing different was really said at halftime,” said defensive end Chris Long. “It was all normal.”
Well, there was one thing. Safety Duron Harmon told his defensive mates the Patriots were about to go on the greatest comeback in NFL history. “When you have the Michael Jordan of football, that is what you think,” Harmon said. “Think about it: Last two Super Bowls we’re in, down multiple scores late, and he gets the job done.”
Brady capped the first drive with a short flip to James White, but Stephen Gostkowski shtoinked the PAT off the right upright. Falcons, 28-9. Next drive: Grady Jarrett (4.5 career sacks entering the game, 3.0 in this game) sacked Brady twice after it was first-and-goal from the Atlanta seven. Pushed back to the 15-yard line, the Patriots settled for an eyebrow-raising 33-yard field goal with 9:44 left in the game. Falcons, 28-12.
“Did you think of going for the TD there?” McDaniels was asked later.
“If it was shorter on fourth down,” McDaniels said. “But that made it a two-score game. We knew we’d get the ball at least a couple more times.”
That’s exactly what happened. And each drive, and each conversion had to be perfect. Dont’a Hightower hit Matt Ryan for a sack/fumble to give the Patriots a short-field touchdown (Brady: four-for-four, 28 yards). Now for the conversion.
For that two-point try, we must go back 13 years, and we must go back right to this same stadium, and right to the Patriots’ second Super Bowl. It’s one of those scratchy memories, the kind you don’t really recall until you go to the recesses to think of it. The Patriots scored against Carolina late in the fourth quarter to take a five-point lead, 27-22.
They wanted to make it a seven-point margin. Running back Kevin Faulk lined up as a sidecar to Brady in the backfield, and the ball was direct-snapped to Faulk. Brady made like he was reaching for a high shotgun snap, and the attention was drawn away from Faulk, who burst through the line for two points.
On Sunday night, down 10 after the touchdown, New England lined up with James White as the sidecar to Brady, and the ball was direct-snapped to White. Brady made like he was reaching for a high shotgun snap, and the attention was drawn away from White. He burst through the line, diving over for two points.
“We kind of brought that one out of mothballs,” McDaniels said with a laugh.
Now is where the Patriots needed a little luck. Twice. Maybe not luck, but a bad play call by the opposition and then some make-up karma. It’s interesting, the best team of this century needing two plays to go their way in the last four minutes of a legacy-ensuring Super Bowl. But that’s exactly what happened.
Play 1: Atlanta up 28-20, driving, first-and-10 at the Patriots’ 22, 3:56 to play. All the Falcons need is a field goal to make it a two-score game with about three minutes left. From the 22, it’s a 40-yard Matt Bryant try. But offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan got greedy, and Ryan tried a little too hard to make a play.
The Falcons ran once, for minus-one, and then Shanahan called for a pass, and Trey Flowers smothered Ryan for a 12-yard loss. Third down was a hold on Atlanta. So now the Falcons had to punt instead of putting the insurance on the board. It was a series that will live in infamy in Atlanta sports.
Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Play 2: Atlanta up 28-20, New England driving, first-and-10 at the Patriots’ 36, 2:28 to play. Brady threw it up for Julian Edelman in what looked to be a bad decision. There were three Falcons near Edelman at the Atlanta 41, and cornerback Robert Alford leapt to bat the ball. Defensive backs Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal went for it, and Edelman did too, and they all dove in a four-man pile, the ball ricocheting off Alford.
Edelman double-cluctched the ball a half-inch from the turf—surely he couldn’t have caught it. But the officials called it a catch, and one TV angle showed that the ball never touched the ground. Dan Quinn threw the challenge flag. We waited.
In the press box, someone gasped looking at the replay. This was the David Tyree Velcro Catch payback! Ref Carl Cheffers confirmed the call, and this game was a freight train running down the tracks. The Falcons were powerless to stop Brady. Four plays later White scored from the one.
Atlanta, 28-26.
McDaniels had three receivers left on the two-point try. Brady threw to Danny Amendola, and in front of him, Chris Hogan tried to pick off two Atlanta defenders. Amendola barreled forward and got to the goal line, and the ball pierced the line by, what? Six inches? A foot? It was the Antonio Brown reach-over play in the Christmas Day game against Baltimore.
Tie, 28-28.
The captains gathered at midfield. Cheffers asked New England’s special-teams captain, Matthew Slater, for his call.
“Heads,” Slater said.
“I always call heads,” said Slater, the son of Hall of Fame lineman Jackie Slater. “It’s a Slater family tradition.”
Heads it was. Game over.
It was 76 degrees inside NRG Stadium and felt warmer by game’s end. Atlanta was gassed. The Patriots could have played two more quarters. “You didn’t see anyone on our team tired,” said Slater. “We practiced in pads in Super Bowl week. Who does that? We’re squatting 80 percent of our max in Super Bowl weeks. We work. And tonight it paid off.”
The Patriots had 24 first downs … after halftime. They turned the game around by sheer force of will—Brady’s will. By the time Brady flipped the ball to White and White muscled in for a two-yard score to win it on the first drive of the first overtime in 51 Super Bowls, no one was surprised.
In the coming days we’ll all have opinions on the superlatives that should be thought out when you’re considering things like dynasties and best quarterback ever and best coach ever. But it can’t be too hard to think that Tom Brady is the best quarterback of our lives.
Five Super Bowl wins the most in the Super Bowl era, and his continued brilliance at 39—when Montana, Marino and Kelly were retired—was on display with his Super Bowl-record 466 yards passing Sunday night.
Slater said it slowly, for emphasis.
“We have the best … quarterback … in the … National … Football … League.”
The New England locker room was a joyous place Sunday night. Chris Long, the transplanted Ram, had never been in a playoff game until signing a below-market deal for a year with the Patriots. He wanted to play for Bill Belichick. He wanted to play with Tom Brady.
“As cool as the moment is,” he said, still in full uniform 70 minutes after the game ended, “the memory will be cooler. Tom’s the GOAT. He’s the king of the petting zoo. And I get to play with him.”
“That game we just saw,” club president Jonathan Kraft said, “puts the exclamation point on the career of the greatest quarterback in NFL history.”
* * *
On 55th Class of Pro Football Hall of Fame
At first blush, Saturday was a historic day for the Hall of Fame for this reason: The elections of Terrell Davis and Kurt Warner, with four and six superior seasons, respectively, will open the door to Canton for similar meteors-across-the-NFL-sky like Tony Boselli, who in my opinion deserves to a spot.
A few points to make from the meeting inside the George R. Brown Convention Center on Saturday, but first, the rules of engagement, to refresh: There were two contributor committee candidates (Jerry Jones, Paul Tagliabue) and one senior candidate (Seattle safety Kenny Easley). Their cases are heard before the 48 voters first, and then, one by one, we vote yes or no by secret ballot. Each must get 80 percent of the vote or more (minimum of 38 yes votes) to make it.
Then we start on the 15 modern-era candidates, listening to cases for all. After the debate, we vote, again secretly, for our top 10. When the 10 leading vote-getters are announced in the room, we vote again for our top five. And when it’s winnowed to five, we vote yea or nay one by one on the final five, also by secret ballot. Then we leave.
We are not told the results of the vote until one hour before the NFL Honors show. Final 15: Morten Andersen, Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Don Coryell, Terrell Davis, Brian Dawkins, Alan Faneca, Joe Jacoby, Ty Law, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Terrell Owens, Jason Taylor, LaDainian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner.
• My vote to 10: On the cut to 10, I voted for Andersen, Boselli, Coryell, Davis, Dawkins, Law, Lynch, Owens, Tomlinson and Warner. The actual final 10: Andersen, Boselli, Davis, Dawkins, Law, Lynch, Mawae, Taylor, Tomlinson, Warner.
• My vote to 5:Boselli, Davis, Dawkins, Tomlinson, Warner. The actual final 5: Andersen, Davis, Taylor, Tomlinson, Warner.
• My yes/no votes: I voted yes on Easley, yes on Tagliabue and Jones, and yes on Andersen, Davis, Taylor, Tomlinson and Warner. All but Tagliabue got the requisite 38 votes or more for enshrinement. So the seven-man class: Seattle safety Kenny Easley, Dallas owner Jerry Jones, kicker Morten Andersen, Denver running back Terrell Davis, Miami pass-rusher Jason Taylor, running back LaDainian Tomlinson, quarterback Kurt Warner.
The elephants in, and outside, the room (keeping in mind we cannot divulge specific discussions in the meeting):
• Denying Tagliabue. My feeling is that Tagliabue could not overcome the impression that has dogged him since he left office: that he wasn’t serious enough and proactive enough about getting to the bottom of the effects of head trauma on players. That should be a significant consideration, to be sure. I voted for him because I believe a career should be an amalgam, filled with pluses, minuses, great accomplishments and big gaffes.
I believe a man who is commissioner for 17 years without a labor stoppage, in a period when there were three NHL strikes, two baseball strikes and one NBA strike, is significant. The NFL has not missed a regular-season or post-season game since Tagliabue took over. In the seven years before that the NFL had two strikes. Tagliabue’s case is layered, but I think he grew the game, did much to fight steroid use and helped the cause of minority coaches significantly. I sense the vote was close, but we never know how close.
This was an interesting and impassioned discussion; I’ve never seen a debate on a candidate last this long: 61 minutes. Tagliabue’s future with the Hall? My guess is he’ll be revived in three or five years (just a guess) by the Contributors Committee, but there’s no assurance that minds or votes will change.
Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
• T.O. might be very far away from Canton. Marginally, I support Owens and would have voted for him in the cutdown from 10 to five had he made it. He’s second all-time in receiving yards, third in receiving touchdowns, eighth in receptions. But he’s first in divisiveness and churlishness, and that seems to be what’s keeping him out. My guess after leaving the meeting Saturday is that it could be a few years before Owens gets in—if he ever does.
I sense the American outrage over this. I get it. It’s a story of how much should apply to a players’ case for the Hall of Fame. Should Andy Reid suspending Owens and basically firing him in his prime play into it? Should the hopscotching from team to team because of his behavior play into it? We are asked to consider only what happens on the field—with one proviso.
If something factors into how or whether a player plays, and if something factors into a tangible effect on the team’s performance (such as leadership), we can consider it. In other words, we can extend the on-field factors to the locker room and practice field if we think that had a bearing on his team and his own play.
I come back to the amalgam concept. I just think Owens’ performance was strong enough to overcome the negatives. Finally: Seven all-decade players did not make the Hall on Saturday. The public is myopically focused on one. I get why, but Dawkins and Lynch, for instance, were pretty great at their positions too.
• Why I voted for Terrell Davis. It came down to this number: 149.9. Every January, the Hall of Fame sends out an information book (it’s as thick as an encyclopedia, for anyone who remembers those.) I find three or four hours to look at the cases for the 18 candidates, so I can ask a few questions about them to some people whose opinions I value, and so I can crystallize my feelings about the candidates. I want to be firm about my opinions.
But I also want to be open about them. The thing that I kept coming back to about Davis: He’s the best playoff running back ever. In his last seven postseason games, over the 1997 and 1998 seasons, he averaged 27 rushes and 149.9 yards per game—and Denver won all seven games, including seven-point and 15-point Super Bowl victories. Still, it’s an extraordinary and nearly unprecedented move by the committee to enshrine a player who had three great years and one very good one.
And doubtless it will set the kind of precedent that will be impossible for the voters to ignore in the coming years. These votes don’t occur in a vacuum. The impact of the precedent weighed on me Saturday; it weighs on me today. It’s a big reason why I had been dubious about his case.
But I changed my mind because I think Davis will go down as a unique case and had a unique career, and if a player does what Davis did in four seasons, lifting his team the way Davis did, I’m comfortable standing behind my vote.
• The future. I talked to a couple of the players who didn’t make it, one on Saturday night and another Sunday. They seemed particularly disappointed to not get in this year because they see the future, and it’s packed with good players; if they didn’t get in this year, the road’s not getting any easier. Over the next four years, here’s who becomes eligible:
2018—Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Brian Urlacher, Ronde Barber.
2019—Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey.
2020—Troy Polamalu, Reggie Wayne, Patrick Willis.
2021—Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, Jared Allen.
One interesting thing to watch: If Owens is road-blocked by his behavior, what becomes of Randy Moss? Will he be judged by his “I play when I want to play” comment to Sid Hartman in 2001? That’ll be one to watch next year.
Postscript: It’s a fascinating study every year. I’m sure most of the discussion will center on Owens, and rightfully so. But I do think each of those elected is worthy of the Hall.
* * *
Photo: Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated
Brett Favre has resisted since his 2011 retirement the siren song of the broadcast booth and the glad-hander’s role so many former players have at Super Bowls, hired by companies to push product. Favre would much rather stay home … and run half-marathons?
“I just ran my first one over the weekend, in Gulf Shores, Ala.,” Favre said from Hattiesburg, Miss., the other day. “Ran it in 2:06. [That’s a 9-minute, 32-second pace.] I was hoping for an 8:30 pace, but I was just happy to run one, to be honest with you. People ask me why in the hell would you ever do that? Because I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could, and I did.”
Favre is 47. My last strong recollection of him, as a player is of him sitting on a stool in front of his locker at the Superdome seven years ago, after getting the living crap beat out of him by the Saints in the NFC title game. He moved like an arthritic 65-year-old after that game. So now Favre runs a half-marathon. My first thought: What an amazing resilient thing the human body is.
“What hurt?” I wondered.
Favre said, “My knees were fine, hips were fine. I felt great. The last two miles, my ankles and my feet bothered me, but that’s about it.”
You may have seen Favre in a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial in the Super Bowl broadcast. (Shot near his home in Hattiesburg, of course; he doesn’t leave southern Mississippi willingly.) He’s portrayed as himself, trying to discover the dark side of why he set the all-time NFL interceptions record.
“Hopefully it’s funny and it goes over well,” he said. “I enjoyed doing it. The actors were great.” He hopes this very brief acting job is received better than his first one: playing himself in “There’s Something About Mary” in a scene with Cameron Diaz.
“What I tell people about that one,” Favre said, “is they wanted me to act stiff and unfunny, and I did my job.”
* * *
GOAT OF THE WEEK
Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator, Atlanta.With first-and-10 at the New England 22-yard line and 4:40 to go, all Shanahan needed to do was run the ball to kill the clock and then kick a field goal to give Atlanta an 11-point lead with around three minutes left. Instead, Shanahan called one run play and then emptied the backfield.
Ryan was sacked by Flowers for a 12-yard loss, tackle Jake Matthews was called for holding on the next play and Atlanta was forced to punt, affording New England the opportunity to drive 91 yards for the game-tying touchdown. Shanahan got needlessly greedy with his play calling in the fourth quarter, and that decision kept New England in the game.
This week’s conversations: Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson.
• Dimitroff on lessons learned from embedding with a prominent Tour de France racing team, Team Sky, and its British leader, David Brailsford, at last year’s race in France: “Besides the Super Bowl, it was the next most exhilarating moment in sports that I've been around. I was around them for a few days. I toured with them and I was part of it. I really believe cycling is so dialed in on the science side of it and its marginal gains, and David Brailsford and Team Sky believe in marginal gains.
The smallest one, two and three percent can make an exponential difference in the success of a team. Seeing it first-hand and the little things they paid attention to, whether it was the food or performance or sleep—all the different nuances of their approach to being successful, I really believe that helps. [Falcons coach] Dan Quinn is very open-minded to that. We spend a lot of time talking about that—the importance of marginal gains. Brailsford invited me back and sent me a congratulatory text.”
• Wilson on whether safety Earl Thomas, who has discussed retirement, will return to the Seahawks in 2017: “Oh yeah, for sure. He loves the game too much. I think he was just going through a moment, because he loves the game way, way too much. If he talks like he’s not [returning to play], I am going to go over to his house and pick him up for practice. I love that guy too much for him not to be out there.”
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Things I Think I Think
1. I think these are my quick notes of analysis from Super Bowl 51:
a. That’s the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen.
b. Robert Alford certainly was forgotten quickly.
c. Bad call on the Falcons’ extra point; Shea McClellin should have been allowed to leap over the center the way he did.
d. I will never forget the thought I had when the Patriots won the overtime coin flip: Game over.
e. The most amazing thing, other than the comeback from 25 points down, was New England getting 37 first downs in a Super Bowl.
f. A shame, really, that Julio Jones’ positively amazing, late-fourth-quarter catch on the sideline is nothing but a line in a long story this morning.
g. Matt Ryan went from MVP midway through the third quarter to a man who will be sick over a few of his mistakes in the fourth quarter. He just didn’t respond when Tom Brady was landing haymaker after haymaker.
h. Ryan’s last four possessions: punt, fumble, punt, punt.
i. If I’m a Falcons coach, I quite literally will not show this tape to my players in the offseason.
j. I still think both teams should have a possession in overtime, and that opinion will never change.
2. I think it’s going to take a while to process exactly what we just saw. “There’s no place to put that one mentally,” Dan Quinn, remarkably composed, said at the podium after the game. Seriously: There’s a book in the way the Falcons will respond to this event, not just in how the Patriots won the most stunning game in NFL history.
3. I think no one cares about this stuff, but it does mean something to me: Matt Ryan handled himself like a champ post-game. He answered everything, no matter how painful, and he did the extra interviews that Super Bowl quarterbacks are expected to do. He snapped at no one.
4. I think I’m sure you join me in wishing Tom Brady’s mother, Galynn, well in her treatment for cancer; Robert Kraft told Sal Paolantonio after the game that she was undergoing chemotherapy. The Brady family took some marvelous photos on the field Saturday, and love was in the air.
5. I think the best thing I saw in Super Bowl week was Chris Mortensen, on the job.
6. I think I feel for James White. I really do. I hope he’s serious when he spouts the clichés after the game about being happy with his role, because he didn’t win the MVP after catching 14 passes for 110 yards, and scoring three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. His teammates certainly valued him and his contribution.
7. I think the Raiders are in play in San Diego, though I do not believe the Las Vegas option is dead yet. The problem in Vegas, after billionaire Sheldon Adelson pulled his $650 million investment, is that big-money people there don’t want to cross him. “It’s bad news, but we’re still in the third inning of a long game,” one NFL source said. NFL policies forbid casino owners from investing in NFL franchises, so it was going to be a tricky prop bet anyway to clean up Adelson’s money to pass muster.
8. I think it’ll be interesting to follow the status of one rules proposal this off-season. A new intentional grounding rule is being considered. Don’t look for any big new rules changes beyond that. The PAT will stay a longer kick; the league’s happy with it being a 93-percent play instead of 99.
But one thing that the NFL’s Competition Committee will consider is allowing quarterbacks to legally throw the ball away from the pocket, as long as the ball goes past the line of scrimmage. The rule now is that a quarterback must be outside the tackles to throw it away, and the ball has to go past the line of scrimmage. The change would make quarterbacks be able to dump the ball without risking injury while they’re sprinting out of the pocket.
Simple poll.
I say yes. Long overdue. The break after conference championships are now 2 weeks every year. One day less for the media train to hype it up...and one less day for teams to prepare and/or over analyze is not an issue.
It would be far more convenient for everyone involved and it just makes common sense IMO.
I know many already are aware about the chat, but some new people may not. I also realize some people prefer the GDT over the chat. That's cool. But if you've never been in there, come on in and join us today. It's like a corner pub. It's a real time chat so think before replying and be civilized is all we ask. I know you can see it at the side here, but I always use the full version for game day. The linkage is at the top of this page under chat. If you don't see it, here it is.
Rams could not wait for Kyle Shanahan with McVay in the wings
By Gary Klein
HOUSTON — Two offensive coordinators for Super Bowl-bound teams were among those in the mix when the Los Angeles Rams began their coaching search.
The Rams interviewed New England’s Josh McDaniels. A snowstorm dashed a scheduled meeting with Atlanta’s Kyle Shanahan.
Ultimately, the Rams hired Sean McVay, making the 31-year-old the youngest coach in NFL history.
“Sean’s a great coach and a good friend of mine,” Shanahan said Monday night, “and he’ll do a hell of a job.”
Still, Rams fans will get a glimpse Sunday of what might have been when the Patriots play the Falcons in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium.
McDaniels, 40, helped the Patriots defeat the Rams, 26-10, at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 4. The Rams were among several teams that interviewed him, but he is expected to return to the Patriots next season.
Shanahan, 37, helped direct the Falcons to a 42-14 victory over the Rams in a Dec. 11 game that ended Jeff Fisher’s four-plus seasons as coach. Shanahan is the new coach of the San Francisco 49ers, though NFL policy forbids the team to announce the hire until after the Super Bowl.
“Nothing is set in stone until I get a chance to sit down and make something official,” Shanahan said, adding, “Once I do get that opportunity and things work out, it’s something I’ve waited for my whole life.”
The Rams apparently could not wait on Shanahan.
Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ vice president for football operations, General Manager Les Snead and senior assistant Tony Pastoors met with McDaniels on Jan. 7 in New England. They were scheduled to fly to Atlanta to interview Shanahan, but weather nixed their itinerary.
They scrapped plans to reschedule with Shanahan after interviewing McVay for a second time and offering the former Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator the job.
Shanahan said he was “not totally” disappointed when his initial interview with the Rams was postponed. He had scheduled interviews with four teams during two off days before beginning work for a playoff game against Seattle. The first three interviews were “pretty exhausting,” he said. He never got a chance to speak with the Rams.
“It was just going to be too much of an issue with us getting ready for Seattle the next day,” he said. “But I had to move on.
“Could have postponed it to another week but they had moved on and got someone.”
Shanahan said he has since played phone tag with McVay, but they have texted.
“I’m extremely proud of Sean,” Shanahan said. “He’s a great dude and deserves it all.”
McVay will be working with Snead, who survived Fisher’s dismissal.
Snead has taken cues from Thomas Dimitroff, the Falcons’ general manager since 2008. Snead worked under Dimitroff with the Falcons before the Rams hired him in 2012 and paired him with Fisher.
The Falcons retained Dimitroff after they fired former coach Mike Smith and hired Dan Quinn in 2015.
Two years later, the Falcons are in the Super Bowl.
“Thomas and I are close,” Snead said. “We talk a good bit.”
Snead faces “an interesting navigation” moving forward, Dimitroff said. He encouraged Snead to “stick by what you believe in” as he continued to build the team.
“When you’re the last man standing,” Dimitroff said, “there’s a lot of things that come your way and there’s a lot mines and potholes that you’ve got to dodge because a lot of people are going to be throwing criticism toward you.”
Dimitroff said he likes McVay and “it’s going to be a great tandem” with Snead.
“They both have personalities that I think can get along very well,” Dimitroff said. “You can’t, in any way, even overestimate the importance of a good working relationship between a GM and a head coach.”
HOUSTON – Former Rams QB KURT WARNER was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced today. With Warner’s selection, the Rams now boast a total of 30 Hall of Famers – 18 of which spent a significant portion of their careers with the franchise.
“Kurt Warner will always be remembered as one of the NFL's most outstanding quarterbacks,” Rams Owner/Chairman E. STANLEY KROENKE said. “His journey from working the aisles of a grocery store to winning two NFL MVP awards serves as a reminder to never stop pursing your dreams. The Rams enjoyed an incredible run, which included our first Super Bowl title, in large part to his leadership and toughness. Off the field, he and his wife, Brenda, devoted their lives to serving others, and thousands continue to benefit from their outreach initiatives. For these reasons and many more, we congratulate Kurt and his family on this ultimate honor.”
Warner, a three-time finalist, was first eligible for enshrinement in 2015. His resume includes two NFL MVPs, four Pro Bowls, two First-Team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl MVP trophy, which he earned after throwing for a Super Bowl record 414 yards in the Rams’ win over Tennessee.
In all, he made three Super Bowl starts (XXXIV, XLIII, XXXVI) and owns the top three Super Bowl passing-yard performances in Super Bowl history and ranks second in career Super Bowl passing yards. Warner is also one of just three quarterbacks in NFL history to start a Super Bowl for two different teams, joining Craig Morton and Peyton Manning.
During the 1999 campaign, as a member of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” Warner threw 41 touchdown passes, the most in franchise history. Two seasons later, he tossed 36 touchdowns – the second-highest output by a Ram.
The franchise finished in the top five in passing offense in five-consecutive seasons with Warner as the starting quarterback (1999-2003). Under his watch, the Rams also led the NFL in yards per game, passing yards per game and points per game for three-straight seasons (1999-2001). Warner also finished first in completion percentage after the 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons – a category he led at the time of his retirement and currently ranks fourth all-time.
From 1999-2009, his time as a starter, he ranks fifth in passing touchdowns, fourth in passing yards and second in completion percentage.
The Class of 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Aug. 5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
I know it's a little late since he didn't make it, but much good info about SB and etc from him. Also love what he said about Kurt. Isaac is always a good listen, but I am biased. One of my favorite Rams of all time.
Just asking if any prop bets will be up? I know it's a lot of work and you have a life to live also. No biggie if not. I was also just joking on the Lingerie Bowl. Myself, I'm looking forward to a good game. I believe the NE can run the ball against the Dirty Birds. Blount should have a field day tomorrow. A possible MVP day. NE just can't get down and have to throw the ball. If that happens my theory is screwed. That said enjoy the game if watching man.
Dak Prescott wins Offensive Rookie of the Year
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 4, 2017
Getty Images
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott went from a fourth-round project to the starting quarterback who led his team to the best record in the NFC. As a result, he’s been honored as the league’s best offensive rookie.
Prescott was voted the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, the league announced tonight. A 50-person panel of members of the media vote on the annual award.
Many thought it would be Prescott’s teammate, Ezekiel Elliott, who would get the award. Prescott brought Elliott up on stage with him to accept the award and joked that he’d like a knife to cut the award in half and give a piece of it to Elliott.
Prescott has unseated Tony Romo as the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback, led his team to the playoffs and now picked up a nice piece of hardware. He’s had an impressive first year in the NFL.
Joey Bosa named Defensive Rookie of the Year
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 4, 2017
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Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa got a late start to his NFL career after a lengthy contract dispute followed by a hamstring injury. But he was worth the wait.
Bosa was an outstanding player as a rookie for the Chargers and has just been named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. It was an easy decision after Bosa had 10.5 sacks and was a generally dominant player on the Chargers’ defense.
The 50-member panel of voters for the NFL’s awards gave 37 votes to Bosa, 10 to Jaguars defensive back Jalen Ramsey and three to Falcons linebacker Deion Jones.
With the Chargers now moving to Los Angeles, it’s easy to picture Bosa becoming the face of the franchise in their new home as Philip Rivers ages. He’s on the verge of becoming a major NFL star.
Khalil Mack is the defensive player of the year
Posted by Josh Alper on February 4, 2017
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The Raiders’ long playoff drought ended this year and one of the biggest reasons why was the play of defensive end Khalil Mack, who has been named the NFL’s defensive player of the year by the Associated Press in Houston on Saturday night.
Mack was recognized after a season that saw him record 73 tackles, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. He added 11 more tackles in Oakland’s playoff loss to the Texans, who were playing without three-time defensive player of the year J.J. Watt.
The win adds to the accolades that Mack has received since the Raiders made him the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. They selected quarterback Derek Carr in the second round of that year’s draft and the two players have become the foundation of a Raiders team with a bright future that was only dimmed slightly by a playoff loss that unfolded without Carr in the lineup due to a broken leg.
Mack is the first Raiders player to win the award since cornerback Lester Hayes took the honors in 1980. Based on how good Mack has been in his first three NFL seasons, it may not be long before the team is celebrating further honors for him as well as a deeper run into the postseason.
Matt Ryan wins offensive player of the year
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 4, 2017
Getty Images
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has picked up a piece of hardware, though not the most important one he’s hoping to earn this weekend.
Ryan was named the NFL’s offensive player of the year, the league announced tonight.
This is, of course, not even the most important award Ryan is hoping to earn tonight: He’s also the favorite to win Most Valuable Player. And far more important to him is the chance to earn his first Super Bowl ring tomorrow.
Ryan has had an outstanding season and was the odds-on favorite to win this award after he was named the first-team All-Pro quarterback. Next is MVP, and perhaps tomorrow something even better.
Jordy Nelson named comeback player of the year
Posted by Josh Alper on February 4, 2017
Getty Images
Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson missed the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL, but he didn’t show any sign that his injury robbed him of the skills that made him one of the NFL’s top receivers upon his return to action in 2016.
Nelson caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns while helping the Packers pull off a late season run that made them the NFC North champions. Nelson’s performance was recognized by the Associated Press voters on Saturday night when he was named the league’s comeback player of the year.
That performance made a significant difference to the Packers offense, which struggled at times without Nelson in 2015. It struggled for periods in 2016 as well, but Nelson’s strong finish to the regular season was a big reason why Green Bay was able to go from 4-6 to the postseason.
Nelson beat out some strong competition for the award. Dolphins defensive end Cam Wake had 11.5 sacks after tearing his Achilles in 2015, Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith recovered from the same injury to catch 70 passes in his final NFL season and Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell had nearly 1,900 yards from scrimmage after missing the final eight games of the 2015 season with a knee injury.
Good as they were, though, Nelson’s performance stood out among players returning from serious injuries in 2016.
Kyle Shanahan named assistant coach of the year
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 4, 2017
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Kyle Shanahan is heading into what he hopes will be his last ever game as an assistant coach tomorrow at Super Bowl LI. And he’s heading into it with recognition as the best assistant in the league.
The NFL announced that Shanahan has been named the assistant coach of the year. He’ll call the Falcons’ offense tomorrow in the Super Bowl, and then he’ll become head coach of the 49ers. If he does that job well, he’ll never be an assistant again.
But he was undeniably a great assistant in Atlanta. He’s helped to build an offense that was the best in football in 2016, and that earned him the top job in San Francisco.
The assistant coach of the year award has only been around for three years, and Shanahan is the first offensive coach to win it. It previously went to then-Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and then-Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
Jason Garrett named coach of the year
Posted by Josh Alper on February 4, 2017
Getty Images
The Cowboys’ playoff run ended in the divisional round, but there were plenty of people who didn’t think that they’d make it that far when Tony Romo broke a bone in his back in the preseason.
Dallas was able to weather that injury without much difficulty, however, as they went 13-3 in the regular season and grabbed the top seed in the NFC. Much of the on-field credit for that effort went to rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and the bulk of the off-field credit went to coach Jason Garrett.
Garrett’s work was recognized by the voters for the Associated Press coach of the year award on Saturday night at the NFL Honors show. Garrett has been named the league’s top coach for the 2016 season.
It’s the first time that Garrett has been so honored and the first time that a Cowboys coach has nabbed the award since Jimmy Johnson won in 1990.
But if you've never been in there, come on in and join us today. It's like a corner pub. It's a real time chat so think before replying and be civilized is all we ask. I know you can see it at the side here, but I always use the full version for game day. The linkage is at the top of this page under chat. If you don't see it, here it is. 
