Here are the two best GM candidates to replace Les Snead in Los Angeles

December 27, 2016

| By:

Jake Ellenbogen





It's starting to look more and more like the Rams are ready to move on from Les Snead. Quite honestly the whole house could be cleaned. Here are the two best general managers to replace Snead if the Rams do in fact go that route.


Scott Pioli (Assistant General Manager w/ ATL Falcons)

This man has accolades as far as the eye can see . He has connections just as far out as his accolades, but what makes Pioli so great is the success he's had. There have definitely been some bumps and bruises (especially in Kansas City) but all in all he's just very good at what he does.


Pioli started off in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns before the move as a Pro Personnel Assistant to Bill Belichick, who he had already developed a tight knit relationship with, back in Belichick's days as the Defensive Coordinator of the New York Giants. When the Browns moved, Pioli joined the Ravens and was promoted to Pro Personnel Coordinator. He was part of the personnel that was responsible for their dominant 1996 draft that included the acquisitions of Hall of Famer's LT Jonathan Ogden, MLB Ray Lewis and even two-time Pro Bowl WR Jermaine Lewis who they found late in the draft.


Still keeping in mind that Belichick relationship, Pioli followed Belichick to the New York Jets and helped turn around a 1-15 team in two seasons into a 12-4 team with free agent signings with eight-time Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae, two-time Pro Bowler QB Vinny Testaverde and three-time Pro Bowl LB Bryan Cox (who he even works with now in Atlanta).


Pioli left the Jets with Belichick to go on and create a dynasty with the New England Patriots. They became the first Personnel Director/Head Coach duo to win three Super Bowls in four years. While there Pioli was praised a team builder and a supreme talent evaluator. He basically split the General Manager duties with Belichick and together they built an incredible and elite franchise. While some question how much Pioli really had to do with building the team, many around the league believed Pioli was the best of the best.


Pioli and Belichick were responsible for drafting one of the greatest QB's ever in Michigan sixth-round QB Tom Brady and making trades for WR's Randy Moss and Wes Welker who were part of a dominant team that went 16-0 in the regular season. Belichick didn't want Pioli to leave, but he was happy for him when he got a chance to go and build his team all by himself in Kansas City. What hurt Pioli was attachment to connections. He wanted to re-unite with Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel and it may have been his downfall. His hiring of first-year HC Todd Haley wasn't considered a bad hiring at the time, but the two clearly didn't see eye-to-eye. In what was a disastrous end to Pioli's tenure as GM of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs not only finished 2-14 and qualified for their 1st first-overall pick in franchise history, but something bigger than football happened. Pioli was forced to watch LB Jovan Belcher shoot himself dead at the team facility after he had thanked Pioli for taking a chance on him and that he loved him.


After the long rough road in Kansas City, Pioli finds himself in Atlanta assisting GM Thomas Dimitroff. Pioli should be right in the mix to become the new Rams GM if and when the position is declared open. It would be wise for Pioli seeing as though Dimitroff is signed until 2019 with Atlanta, so if he wants to be a GM again, he's going to have to wait awhile if he doesn't want to leave Atlanta. The Rams could use a talent evaluator like Pioli as they already have a solid group of players on the roster. It would also be intriguing with Pioli as he is not the only Atlanta Falcon the Rams might be interested in. Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan just so happens to be with Pioli at the moment and he could also find himself as the Rams new HC. There is plenty to think about when it comes down to Pioli in Los Angeles and it sure wouldn't be bad if the Rams gave the guy Sports Illustrated named the best GM of the decade.


Chris Ballard (Director of Player Personnel w/ KC Chiefs)

This guy has nowhere near the resume or the longevity Pioli has, but he's considered the up-and-comer. Chris Ballard started his NFL career with the Bears in 2001 and eventually was promoted to Director of Pro Scouting in 2012. Ballard is a very opinionated man and he likes to tell it the way it is, which might have scared off many teams in the past that interviewed him to be their GM. Perhaps a guy like Ballard is what the Rams need, you could argue that the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era has poisoned the franchise with mediocrity and the wrong type of passive culture. With Ballard that type of attitude would be obsolete.


If you aren't running your organization the right way Ballard is going let you hear it, but he's also going to suggest alternatives to fix it. He isn't just a toxic person in the front office. Ballard for instance is a former college coach and is considered a great people person. Back in Chicago, Ballard was adamant about trading up to select the Oklahoma star RB Adrian Peterson. While most of the organization liked Peterson, they felt it was too soon to give up on Cedric Benson. Ballard had given up on Benson and felt like Peterson could be a real game-changer. Well, to say the least Ballard nailed that one right on the head. Or did he? Well, actually he was the one who scouted Benson in Texas and two-years later he was willing to admit that Benson was the wrong guy. That's what is truly impressive about Ballard. That's also something Fisher and Snead refused to do and even tried to cover up their misses by giving certain players chance-after-chance.


Ballard's coaching background has been his impressive factor, because he truly knows how it feels to be in the coaches shoes. He hasn't been a full on GM yet and that could seriously bode well for him. One thing Ballard can do is sell himself and his ideas to an entire room.


Now, Ballard finds himself the Director of Player Personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs. The irony is that we were just talking about Scott Pioli who is responsible for running into a wall with the Chiefs and now here is Ballard who helped bring the Chiefs back into the fold as the contender we see today. What is even crazier is the fact Ballard did seemingly the same thing Pioli did when he was with the Jets. He turned a two-win or less team around in no time at all.


Ballard brings a mentality that would be perfect for bringing in a new coaching staff. He truly wants to provide the coaches with the players they want. Ballard's also never carried a below .500 ending record with any team he's worked with. The Rams are desperately trying to claw their way over .500. Ballard would give you a hard nosed, no nonsense type of guy that the Rams desperately need. If Ballard wasn't afraid to tell his old place of work how it was and if he wasn't afraid to tell them that they needed to make serious changes. He sure as hell wouldn't be afraid to tell the Rams they need to make big changes to establish a winning culture.


On one hand you have a guy who is a proven winner and on another hand you have a guy who has all potential in the world based off the type of way he carries himself. Bottom line is this. If the Rams are serious about parting with Snead, they need to look at Pioli and Ballard to fill the void. It's time for the Rams to take the step towards winning football.

Two of the best GM Candidates for The Rams

I think we can all acknowledge that we have an issue at Left Tackle. I've been trying to come up with a solution for it, and it's been a struggle.

In terms of FA options, Matt Kalil and Andrew Whitworth are the only two LTs in FA. Personally, I wouldn't pursue Kalil. He's performed poorly the last few years and has durability issues. Whitworth is still one of the NFL's best LTs, but he's 35 years old. He might choose to call it a career. Even if he continues to play, he'll stick with Cincy if they try to re-sign him. If they don't, he still might not be interested in playing for us. He might only want to play for a contender.

Regardless, without Whitworth, that leaves us with no good options. I guess Riley Reiff of the Detroit Lions is also an option, but they moved him from LT to RT and drafted Taylor Dekker because he was not performing well at that position. I'd hate to throw a bunch of money at the guy for him to be a mediocre LT.

There is a chance that Miami cuts Branden Albert now that they have Laremy Tunsil. However, Albert hasn't played a full 16 game season in years. But he'd be the best option if he is cut. I haven't had a chance to evaluate all the guys in the draft yet, but based on what people I trust are saying, this looks like a bad class to be looking for a Left Tackle at the top of Round 2.

I know this has been a depressing post up to this point. However, I'm not posting this thread to lament our lack of options. I am posting it to offer a possible solution. It hit me today that we do have a solution in Free Agency outside of Andrew Whitworth and the other guys discussed earlier. That solution is Green Bay Packers Center J.C. Tretter. I know you're thinking I'm crazy right now. "Jrry32, a Center? Dude, we are talking about our solution at LEFT TACKLE!"

Here's why Tretter could be our solution. Tretter played Left Tackle at Cornell. At 6'4" 307 with arms around 33.5", he just barely meets the length requirements. However, Tretter being a Left Tackle in college isn't why I think he's a possible solution. David Bakhtiari, the Packers LT, missed the playoff game against the Redskins last year. J.C. Tretter was the Packers' 6th OL last season. He stepped in for Bakhtiari at LT against the Redskins. The results were mixed. Tretter struggled the first couple of drives. He even gave up a sack that resulted in a safety on a bullrush.

However, after the sack, Tretter settled in and got better as the game went on. After that sack resulting in a safety, Rodgers wasn't touched for the rest of the game. I went back and watched every play the Packers ran in that game. My evaluation of Tretter as a NFL LT is that he has the athleticism, feet, football IQ, and skill to play the position.

Tretter's lack of length and average functional strength will keep him from being a quality starter there. There will be DEs who give him problems. He'll get pushed around at times by very powerful guys. And long, athletic DEs could use their length advantage against him.

However, I believe he can provide us solid enough play to hold us over for a year or two while we find our permanent solution. The good news is that once we find our permanent solution, Tretter can slide inside to Center or Guard and provide Pro Bowl caliber play in a Zone Blocking Scheme. The other good news is that Tretter is both a Center and a Cornell grad. He's a very intelligent guy, which means we can count on him to know his assignment and carry it out properly. Additionally, he mirrors well and is very athletic. At minimum, he can get in front of his guy, even if that guy pushes him around. Finally, he blocks extremely well on the second-level and is a well-coached player in terms of technique.

Now, the downside here is that J.C. Tretter has had major problems staying healthy thus far in his career. He's looked quite good when he's on the field, but he's only managed to stay healthy for all 16 games once in his four-year career. The upside is that will drive the price down on him. He's only 25 years old. We could get ourselves a serviceable LT at a relative bargain. And once we find our LT of the future, we can move him inside to give us quality play at Center or Guard. The other good news is that Greg Robinson will be on the team.(well, maybe not good news) If Tretter gets hurt, we have Greg to fall back on.(even if that's not our ideal situation)

And if we get lucky and find a LT in the Draft or Greg excels under a new coaching staff, we have ourselves one of the best Centers in the game. Looking at our options, I think J.C. Tretter presents our best option. He gives us a guy who can likely be a serviceable LT at a reasonable cost. He offers the ability to play any position on our OL if Greg and the other young guys improve under a new coaching staff. And he's an incredibly smart player, which we definitely need more of on this team.

Thus, the Rams signing J.C. Tretter in Free Agency is my proposed (temporary) solution to our Left Tackle problems. Now, we just have to hope that the Packers cannot re-sign him before he hits Free Agency.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/n...obs-l-a-is-hot-buffalo-and-cleveland-are-not/

What is the NFL's best potential head coaching job?

Including any possible openings one could imagine, accounting for potential retirements or even coaching trades, how would the jobs stack up? It's an inexact science, and obviously there would be differences of opinion over which owners and general managers would be the best bosses. But after speaking to some long-time NFL execs I trust, who have no vested stake in how any of these openings would be filled, and seeing how they might rank them, one personnel man suggested we make the process a little more analytical.

So together we put together a formula to weight the overall strength of each franchise, and create a scale to account for things coaches look for in an opening (geography, ability to have or land a quarterback, current roster strength, difficulty of winning the division, etc). In some cases we could rely on existing statistics and/or metrics (cap space, pending free agents, for instance) and in others we had to apply numbers ourselves after nailing down the merits of each team. I was sworn to secrecy by my co-conspirator, who I suspect may be using a similar exercise on his own to evaluate potential candidates and/or openings in the future, but suffice to say we looked at seven categories, ranked from 1-11, with the lowest score indicating the best situation (i.e., best location of job, best owner to work for, etc).

Ultimately, I don't expect there to be 11 head coaching openings. I'd bet on roughly half that number. And in many cases, Week 17 could play a huge role in whether one or more of these an owners begins sniffing around for an upgrade. And there is a very real chance the Saints trade coach Asshole Face, which is why New Orleans is among the 11 teams. In addition, many coaches believe Bruce Arians might retire, though he has rebuffed that notion. And should the Lions lose a third straight to miss the playoffs, one would have to consider that possibility, especially after rookie GM Bob Quinn mulled replacing Jim Caldwell a year ago, and knowing that this might be his shot to land a coveted coordinator like Josh McDaniels, his former colleague in New England.

So all the hot coaching candidate need to be weighing options to determine which jobs you would want to interview for first, etc. We took a shot at conducting our own.

There were two ties, including one for first after we complied the numbers. Ultimately, outside of the Cardinals coming in tied as the "best" job, I'm not sure much really surprised us in the end. It broke down clustered as you might expect, with a group of four teams shaping up as the most attractive, the Saints kind of in the middle, and then five teams bringing up the rear not separated by many points ... except the Browns, who are dead last by a wide margin.

Los Angeles Rams: 26 points
Location, location, location! If you have to work 80 hours a week, at least your wife and kids can hang on the beach. The owner has to spend to win now, generally stays out of the way and there is a sense the right coach could convince Stan Kroenke of a need to have more say in personnel matters. This is a blank slate and whatever you might think of Jared Goff, his salary isn't going to cripple the team and he could be gone in two years. They have some beasts on defense, the pass rush factor is strong. They move into a football palace in two years. The metric working most against them? Of the 11 teams here, their offensive talent ranked 10th, and the QB is an unknown quantity.

Arizona Cardinals: 26 points
They have work to do to keep guys like Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones, and Carson Palmer appears to some to have hit the wall ... but weighed against the other options this is a prime destination. GM Steve Keim has a super strong reputation and ownership, since Bill Bidwill stepped aside in favor of his family, is now a major plus, especially when weighed against the rest of this bunch. Despite this franchise's need for a QB of the future soon, should Arians' family urge him to move on, this job came in within the top five across the board.

San Diego Chargers: 29 points
We did this assuming the team is moving to Los Angeles, because all of my reporting since Week 1 continues to point strongly in that direction. Ownership needs to make a splash and capture a new market. Philip Riversshould have a few years left. They have amassed some intriguing individual talent. But owner Dean Spanos is married to his power structure -- so no coach is going to get the full keys to the kingdom -- which put the math on this one just behind the top two but well within range.

Indianapolis Colts: 31 points
Andrew Luck, playing in a traditionally weak division and having a dome work in Indy's favor. The owner is a bit of a wild card, however, but if Jim Irsay ends up in the market for a new coach, then he's most likely looking for a new GM as well. So a proven coach might get to take over the building, though Irsay has resisted this idea in the past. They need to add bite on defense -- especially the pass rush -- which holds them back.

Detroit Lions: 32 points
Matt Stafford has played like an MVP candidate, and this is storied franchise with an owner who won't meddle in a division with only one quarterback you have to fear (though it is Aaron Rodgers). Quinn had a nice first year making personnel decisions and while the roster still needs lots of work, particularly on defense, there is reason for optimism. Had this job opened up a year ago, top candidates would have been salivating, and if it opens this year the same will hold true.

New Orleans Saints: 39 points
All the uncertainty makes this one difficult to assess. Drew Brees has one year left, owner Tom Benson is in declining health with legal wars in the past over who takes over the team, and his wife is unproven in the role. The power structure there is not the norm and they still have issues on defense, though not as many as some might think -- the defensive line has big-time potential. And The Big Easy ain't for everyone, especially those who have young kids.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 50 points
It's clear the front office would rather not blow out quarterback Blake Bortles, though they say they are open to it. There is no tradition of winning and owner Shahid Khan has been disinclined to alter the front office structure. Firing their coach on the team plane is the kind of thing that won't sit well with other coaches, and something we tried to quantify. The overall market's stability is a question mark, too.

New York Jets: 52 points
I don't believe this job opens up, based on everything I've heard, though the recent run of blowout losses won't help Todd Bowles. When I did my own gut-reaction list before talking to others, I figured this would be middle of the pack. Owner Woody Johnson hasn't been the most stable owner, and the pressure to win right away in New York can be hinder long-term sustainability. They have a big quarterback problem, too. Still, at key positions like defensive line and receiver there is abundant talent, and the transition to youth will be underway.

Buffalo Bills: 53 points
Short and long-term issues, and western New York in the winter isn't exactly the place to be. The stadium is out of date and the team hasn't been to the playoffs in 17 years. Owner Terry Pegula is still getting his feet under him it seems, and most problematic, the owner seems wedded to a front office set up that has been prone to fractions and highly-questionable decisions, all of which which would top candidates significant pause. It's been an in-fighting disaster through the Doug Marrone and Rex Ryan regimes, yet ownership refuses to make sweeping changes to its decisions makers, which will likely bodes more of the same moving forward. The Bills actually were middle of the pack at QB, but that's with Tyrod Taylor running the show. And that is deceiving because the front office does not intend to pick up his option. There are people in the organization high on Cardale Jones.

San Francisco 49ers: 53 points
Frankly, I thought this job would score much closer to the Browns. The issues at ownership are impossible to get around, outside of the brief Jim Harbaugh era they have had great difficulty luring top candidates despite a rich history. They also don't have a quarterback. They will be picking high, however, and with GM Trent Baalke almost certainly on his way out, a new coach would come in at a time when he could likely reshape the organization and command significant authority.

Cleveland Browns: 72 points
Have accomplished virtually nothing under owner Jimmy Haslam, and this coaching job has long been viewed as a career killer. I doubt coach Hue Jackson would lose a power struggle in the offseason, so I don't think this job opens up even at 1-15, but if it did man, good luck getting qualified people. No one has done losing and dysfunction like the Browns, and I keep waiting to see what rock bottom is. They came in dead last in five of the seven categories.

I was taken aback a bit by the disparity of points and how it basically was clustered around a couple of vales (with 7 being the best possible score and 77 the worst possible). In the end, if you have a quarterback or something close to one, you were around 30 on the scale and if you lacked a QB and a proven competent owner, you ended up around 50. Regardless, you can expect the candidates positioned well enough to call their own shots -- Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Asshole Face, and the like -- to be manning those positions in the top half of this list if they take new jobs in 2017.

Why yes he can, hard as that may be to believe...

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-hold-weekly-news-conference-seattle-seahawks

A privilege ??? Wow, Dick...

I'm kinda surprised that I haven't seen anything about Britt, but we got our first 1000 yard receiver since 2007. He would have been there last year too but we know about all the bad throws that came his way. I hope we resign him and continue to let Goff or Mannion grow with him..

This article implies it isn't a slam dunk this interim coach title is just a formality and the move away from the Ryans was to lock in Lynn...

His tone is interesting:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...nn-says-was-business-decision-start-ej-manuel

If my memory is correct, this season we somehow avoided Jeff Triplette, the absolute worst ref in the NFL.
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http://www.footballzebras.com/2016/12/27/week-17-referee-assignments-2016/

Cardinals at Rams, 4:25 p.m. — Craig Wrolstad

Wrolstad's 2016 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Barry Anderson, head linesman Mark Hittner, line judge Julian Mapp, field judge Steve Zimmer, side judge Jeff Lamberth, and back judge Lee Dyer.

Practice Report 12/27: Rams Tinkering with Offensive Line

By Myles Simmons

There are likely more changes coming to the Rams’ offensive line for Week 17 against the Cardinals.

With right tackle Rob Havenstein day-to-day with an ankle injury, Los Angeles is looking at the possibility of moving around offensive lineman Rodger Saffold once again. Saffold started his second game of the 2016 season at left tackle on Saturday, having spent the year primarily at left guard.

For Tuesday’s light practice — which interim head coach John Fassel characterized as more of a walk-through — L.A. had Saffold working at both left and right tackle. When Saffold was at left tackle, rookie Pace Murphyworked opposite him. With Saffold on the right, Greg Robinson worked as the left tackle.


“That’s kind of the lineups we’re tinkering with,” Fassel said. “Very likely, by tomorrow, we’ll have something pretty determined because that’s our big practice. But they’ll be ready.”

Saffold did work at right tackle for much of the Rams’ offseason program and training camp, with Havenstein recovering from offseason surgery at that time. And so the veteran lineman said after Tuesday’s practice that he’s embracing the challenge of getting prepared for wherever the coaches decide to place him for Sunday’s game.

“It’s basically like telling you to go from being left handed to just, hey, just start being right handed — which is not the easiest,” Saffold said. “Makes this last week pretty eventful. I already watched a lot of film, so I’m on the right track to get it done.”

As for Robinson, the third-year tackle was deactivated for the second time this season against the 49ers. Fassel said after the game that decision was not made to make Robinson a kind of scapegoat, but with the thinking that Saffold at tackle and Jamon Brown at left guard could help spark the run game.

“It probably caught me off guard at the beginning of the week,” Robinson said. “It was a decision they made as a staff and I just took it on the chest and tried my best to be positive about it.”

“My mindset hasn’t changed all season,” Robinson continued. “All I can do is just focus on me personally getting better and trying my best to perform at the best of my ability week-in and week-out. I don’t think, as a competitor, that I would let it get to me because then it would hinder me a little bit. So I think the best thing is just, go out to practice each week and try my best to get better.”

While Fassel mentioned on Monday there had been some discussion among the coaching staff regarding moving Robinson to guard. But that will not come to fruition this week.


“Greg — benched last week — I talked to him about being ready to go this week, he took to it and I would imagine that he would perform at the highest of his ability,” Fassel said.

Really, I think the best thing for him is to give him one spot and let him really just focus on that,” Fassel added. “That was a discussion, but I would imagine that there will be one position picked for him and master this position. I think that’s where he’s at and that’s what’s best for him.”

Likely because of that, Robinson did not appear to have a position change on his mind when asked about it following practice.

“If that opportunity ever presents itself to me, and I feel it’s best for me, then that would be the time to talk about it,” Robinson said. “But, right now, that’s in the wind — I don’t know anything about that.”

Generally, though, the offensive line as a unit would like to finish the season on a high note by protecting quarterback Jared Goff well and springing running back Todd Gurley for a big day on the ground.

“That’s definitely the goal, but in order to run the ball, it’s going to take more than the offensive line,” Saffold said. “In order to protect the quarterback, it’s going to take more than the offensive line. Everybody has to do their job and we need to be consistent at doing their jobs. So, we’ll just see how it goes.”

EXTRA POINTS

— Fassel said he’s expecting all players who are healthy to be available for Sunday’s game, whether they’re rookies or veterans.

“There hasn’t been any resistance from any players where you could imagine some of them maybe, they don’t want to play in the last game because they don’t want to risk an injury,” Fassel said. “But there hasn’t been any resistance, really from any guys with that mindset, which I think is good because you play football and if you start ducking out of piles or kind of standing around piles, that’s when you get hurt. You play football the right way, there’s a good chance you’re going to be perfectly fine.

“And also our dress list requires 46 guys, most of the inactives are the guys that are dinged up that, for sure couldn’t play — or a quarterback,” Fassel added. “So, the guys that are healthy or could play will play.”

— After Saturday’s game, Fassel mentioned he had a motivational tactic in mind that he’d share with the team this week. While he hasn’t revealed it to the club just yet, he said Tuesday it might be getting a bit blown out of proportion at this point with players already asking him what it is.

“I feel like, ‘Gosh I’m going to disappoint them’ — because they think it’s going to be hot, and it’s really going to take about a minute,” Fassel said with a laugh. “It’s just something I remember when I got it from a coach a long time ago. Maybe 15 years down the road when some of these guys are coaching, they’ll yank it out when they feel they need it.”


[www.therams.com]

Honestly! What do other NFL teams know about managing offensive lines, that we don't?
I'll start this out with a couple questions that will make us all think about why our line is bad, every year.


Why is the Dallas Cowboy o-line so good?

Why is nearly every other NFL team's o-line better than ours?


.
Can my granddaughter try out for the O-Line? (She owns equipment)

So he can bring back the Loafing Charts.

Seriously 2016, Fuck you.

http://people.com/movies/carrie-fisher-dies/

So after reading this little tidbit,

Jared Goff is a rookie, understood. But 11 of 24 for 90 yards, a TD and two picks against the worst defense in the league? Hand Rams fans a cold beer, please.

Click to expand...

It infuriates me even more that we looked so bad against such a bad defense.

Not just because we lost, but we were dominated "Statswise" by the worst defense in the NFL.

Rex Ryan is no longer the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo announced Tuesday that Ryan and his twin brother Rob (Bills assistant head coach) were relieved of their duties. Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was named the team's interim head coach.

Ryan finished his first season 8-8, a record which he could have achieved again this year. The Bills(7-8) finish their 2016 campaign against Ryan's former team, the New York Jets, this weekend.

Ryan is now 61-66 as a head coach over eight total seasons. His two playoff appearances with the Jets in his first two seasons (2009 and 2010) stand alone as his only trips to the postseason in his time in charge. TheBills are pivoting toward the offseason early in an effort to find their next head coach.

That starts with a look at Lynn, who was mentioned by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport as a potential head coaching candidate elsewhere this offseason. Lynn, 48, has been a running backs coach in the NFL since 2003. He was elevated to offensive coordinator of the Bills earlier this season when the team let go of Greg Roman.

Lynn played in the NFL for six years as a member of the Broncos and 49ers.

Buffalo Bills fire head coach Rex Ryan

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161226/rams-john-fassel-reflects-on-career-with-rams

Rams’ John Fassel reflects on career with Rams
By Rich Hammond, rhammond@scng.com, @Rich_Hammond on Twitter


Scott Varley — Staff Photographer

THOUSAND OAKS >> Roots don’t exist in the NFL. It’s a transitory life, one that players and coaches accept without asking for empathy, but that doesn’t make it any easier around this time of year.

The end is near for the Rams. Not just in terms of this season, which mercifully will conclude Sunday at the Coliseum against Arizona. It’s possibly the end of a long journey for interim coach John Fassel, many of his colleagues and, likely, many players who might wear the Rams’ colors for the final time.

“Maybe because it was Christmas,” Fassel said Monday afternoon, “and I finally got to see my kids — it’s been a long time — I was just thinking back, not only to this past year but the last four years in St. Louis, where there’s been a lot of great times, a lot of great memories built, a lot of fellowship built, a lot of great relationships built. It’s going to change.”

The true aftermath of the firing of Jeff Fisher will begin next week, when the search for his permanent replacement begins. The Rams’ assistant coaches, who have continued on for the past two weeks, have no reasonable expectation that they will be retained, and major roster turnover also could take place.

The Rams have nine pending unrestricted free agents, most notably cornerback Trumaine Johnson, receiver Kenny Britt and safety T.J. McDonald, but the new coach — and perhaps a new general manager — might decide to overhaul the roster and make other changes.

It all started to hit Fassel over the weekend. He’s been with the Rams since 2012, when Fisher took over, and he has made the entire five-season, two-state journey with eight other assistant coaches and several players.

Asked if he felt any nostalgia over the probable end of the run, Fassel started to answer and then, as his voice caught, he backed away for 20 seconds and took a sip of water before he continued.

“You know, my second daughter was born in St. Louis,” Fassel said. “A lot of coaches have had kids born, and a lot of coaches on our staff still have their families back in St. Louis. They didn’t move out here with them. So a lot of coaches miss their families. We’ve had a lot of players have first-borns this year. There’s probably been six or seven players that have had kids since March, when we moved out here.

“It takes a long time to build relationships with coaches and players. I’ve been able to do that over five years, and it’s hard to think of that just being done.”

Fassel will be fine. A respected special-teams coach before Fisher’s firing, he will land somewhere else in the NFL if the Rams don’t retain him. And Fassel has at least one more task with the Rams.

The Rams (4-11) have lost 10 of their last 11 games, and while Fassel admitted that team morale has declined in recent weeks, he doesn’t believe the team will quit this week in his final game as head coach.

“Maybe I’m naive,” Fassel said. “I don’t think anybody on our coaching staff or anyone in the locker room is looking at it like, ‘Let’s just get out of here and hope we survive this last game.’ That’s not the feeling I get, even though, no doubt about it, it’s been a struggle over the last three months. I just have faith in our coaches and players that we’ll rally one more time. Whether it’s good enough, we’ll see.”

for better or worse, who is the one player that has changed your mind about them this season?

For me it's GZ. I was ready to make him walk home from a game last year. This year? I feel that he has taken strides. I will be pleased if we retain him long term.

Another player was one we let go. I was all for letting him walk and keeping Johnson, but boy and I kicking myself in the ass. Jenkins is the real fucking deal.

Roster moves:

Demote Lance Kendricks to backup / Promote Tyler Higbee to starter
Demote Case Keenum to inactive / Promote Sean Mannion to backup
Cut Brian Quit / Replace him on roster with someone who possesses give-a-F

Run the 11 personnel grouping for at least 80% of non-redzone snaps. Higbee lines up as conventional TE. Gurley lines up as RB. Wideouts are Tavon, Coop, and Britt.

But here's where it gets nasty:

Gurley lines up out wide to give us a 01 personnel grouping look, keep him opposite of Tavon. Use him heavily in the first half on short routes, bubble screens, and as a rub option for crossing routes to spring Cooper or Britt. I would also have a double reverse ready where they don't know which guy will get it, Tavon or Gurley. If and when the defense resorts to a dime package, motion him into the backfield and hammer that MFer up in there.

Higbee would be completely overlooked in all this and would serve as my secret weapon in the first half. And I would dial up plenty of first quarter routes for him right up the middle on slants and sluggos, or sitting down in a zone across the middle etc. By the second quarter when they start keying on Higbeest it ain't gonna matter because Goff should be in his comfort zone and Arizona's blitz schemes are in the trash can due to the Rams' offense dictating to them.

Goff lines up in the gun. Period. He can work on his drops in next year's camp. I put him where he's comfortable and adjust the scheme to him. All week I run practice drills with a stopwatch and bullhorn, and blow that MFer in his ear every time the ball isn't out in 2.3 seconds.

30+ baby.

Surprised I have yet to see one. Lions driving... Go Lions!

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How do we feel about this?

Height: 6'6
Weight:220
40 yard: 4.47
Vertical: 36 inch

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Here's a mock draft that has absolutely no trades in it. Shocking, I know. Anyway, ready, set, go!

Hire:

Sean McVay (HC)
Jeff Davidson (OC)
Mike Singletary (DC)
John Fassel (ST)

(Keep Fassel at ST, Groh as wide receivers coach, Waufle at defensive line, and promote Wilson to defensive backs coach.)

Cut

Rodger Saffold
Tre Mason
Eugene Sims
Tim Barnes
William Hayes
Lance Kendricks.

(Saffold is injury-prone and saves us a ton of money. Kendricks drops too many passes, and he saves money. Mason is no longer on the team, Sims and Hayes have been ineffective. Barnes can be replaced.)

Re-sign:

Greg Zuerlein
Dominique Easley
Ethan Westbrooks
Matt Longacre
Louis Trinca-Pasat

(Zuerlein should get a long term deal as he's bounced back well. Easley, Westbrooks, Longacre, and LTP are all under our control and should be re-signed.)

Release

Trumaine Johnson
T.J. McDonald
Benny Cunningham
Kenny Britt
Brian Quick
Case Keenum
Chase Reynold
Cam Thomas

(Johnson is let go in free agency. I'd love to keep Cunningham, but he's talented enough to start for a couple teams. McDonald is replaced by Mo. Britt and Quick are let go to put in some new young blood in the wide receiver position. Keenum is replaced by Mannion. Chase Reynolds is pure special teams and easily replaceable, and Thomas is JAG.)

Convert:

Lamarcus Joyner (CB - FS)

(Can you imagine Joyner and Alexander as our two safeties? Opposing wide receivers will have nightmares before and after facing them.)

Free Agency:

Alshon Jeffery, WR
Chandler Jones, DE
Andrew Whitworth, LT
Larry Warford, RG
J.C. Tretter, C

(Whitworth gets a short term deal as a starting left tackle. Warford immediately becomes our starting right guard. Tretter starts at center. Chandler Jones gets a long term deal and moves Quinn to left end. Jeffery solves our number one receiver problem.)

Draft:

2 - Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State.

3 - Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado

4 - Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan.

4 (Comp.) - Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova.

5 - Elijah McGuire, RB, UL Lafayette.

6 - J.J. Dielman, OL, Utah.

6 (Comp) - Psalm Wooching, LB, Washington.

7 - Josh Augusta, DT, Missouri.

(Conley, Witherspoon, and Darboh are starters right away. Kpassagnon is raw, but extremely talented; I liken him to a poor man's Julius Peppers. McGuire is the backup running back, Dielman backs up four positions on the line, Augusta competes for snaps behind Brockers, and Wooching competes with Josh Forrest for snaps at SLB.)

Starting Lineups:

QB - Jared Goff
RB - Todd Gurley
WR - Alshon Jeffery
WR - Tavon Austin
WR - Amara Darboh
TE - Tyler Higbee
LT - Andrew Whitworth
LG - Greg Robinson
C - J.C. Tretter
RG - Larry Warford
RT - Rob Havenstein

LE - Robert Quinn
DT - Aaron Donald
DT - Michael Brockers
RE - Chandler Jones
MLB - Alec Ogletree
OLB - Mark Barron
CB - Gareon Conley
CB - Akhello Witherspoon
CB - E.J. Gaines
FS - Lamarcus Joyner
SS - Maurice Alexander

Thoughts, comments, and critiques are all welcome.

Yes, it's another Goff thread. Sue me bitches.

I figured we could take the time to really compare Goffs rookie season thus far to other successful QBs in NFL history.

The most notable one is Eli Manning. You know, that two time Super Bowl Champion iron man.

His rookie season: 2-7
95/197 1043 yards 6 TDs 9 INT 55.4 QB rating

Yuck. Those are some bad numbers.

But Manning took the time to work and get better. And 3 years later he won a Super Bowl.

Another guy is Matt Stafford.

His rookie season: 2-8

201/377 2267 yards 13 TDs 20 INTs 61.0 QB rating

And now he's one of the best QBs in the league with 5 seasons straight of 4000 yards and have brought Detroit out of the deep dark hole they were stuck in for an eternity.

There's many more examples like Alex Smith, Terry Bradshaw(6-24 TD/INT ratio!!!!).

Hell, Troy Aikman might be the best example. Dude went 0-11 his first season.

So if you have concerns about Goff, that's fine. But don't be surprised when he lights it up next season. And trust me, I'll be here to remind you.

Discuss.

These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below. PK's Asshole Face remark is at the bottom in the Things I Think section.
************************************************************************
The Highs and the Lows of the NFL’s Holiday Weekend
From Antonio Brown’s season-saving stretch to Derek Carr’s nightmare fracture, Week 16 ran the gamut of emotions. Here’s a look at everything that went down, plus playoff scenarios, the 2017 draft race and more
By Peter King


Photo: Fred Vuich/Getty Images

I knew when I caught the ball, I would be short, below the line. But I knew I had to get my pads down on a couple of their guys. If I could get my pads down, and possibly reach the ball over, and that’s exactly what I did.

* * *

I got a glimpse of the player Antonio Brown strives to be in training camp in August, in Latrobe, Pa. Practice was over one afternoon around 5, and most of the players walked up the hill to the locker room, or stopped to sign some autographs. In the far end zone, away from almost everyone, was wide receiver Antonio Brown, with a ballboy and an assistant. Brown, in the previous two years, either led the league or tied for the league lead in receptions.

WhackTHUMP!

A ball was fed into the JUGS machine, and Brown, eight yards away, caught it in gloved hands.

WhackTHUMP!

In a different position, Brown caught another ball. And again, and again, and again.

He stayed for a long time, maybe 15 minutes. At other camps, receivers might catch 10 or 15. Brown far exceeded that (“I do 130 a day,” he said later). Then he had the ballboy toss him some high passes, difficult to catch, and the assistant, by rote, on pass after pass, mugged Brown—obviously to get him used to what he’d see in the regular season. The whole extra session lasted about 25 minutes.

I thought of that on Christmas evening, watching the last minute of the Steelers-Ravens game, the game that, as usual, had something gigantic riding on it. The AFC North would be won or lost in the next play or two. Baltimore led 27-24. Pittsburgh had the ball at the Ravens’ four-yard line. No timeouts. Second-and-goal, 13 seconds left.

It was almost cruel, that some team would lose here. Baltimore, the underdog, had led 20-10 with 14 minutes to go. The Steelers had drives of 75 and 90 yards to go up 24-20, but the Ravens inexorably churned down the field 75 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 78 seconds left. Ravens 27, Steelers 24.

Baltimore had played so valiantly, but also had left the Steelers, with Ben Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell and Brown, time to grab at least a field goal to make this an overtime classic. The Ravens were so close to such an improbable win. And whoever lost would have that guts-ripped-out feeling.

The Steelers took over at the 25-yard line, and Bell said to Brown: “A.B., you gotta go down there and get the game-winner.” Seven completions, two timeouts, two clock-killing spikes, and here came that chance. Pittsburgh had no timeouts.

They could either take two shots into the end zone, or one shot in the field of play knowing they’d have to spike it quickly, or run once and then spike it. Roethlisberger threw an incut to Brown, who caught it at the Baltimore one-and-a-half, nowhere near a sideline.

Brown weighs 186 pounds. Three Ravens, weighing 208 (safety Matt Elam), 200 (safety Eric Weddle) and 232 (linebacker Zach Orr), converged on Brown.

You watched and thought, No way he’s getting in. And why the heck did Roethlisberger throw it so shy of the goal line so Brown won’t be able to get out of bounds? This game could end!!!

“I knew I couldn’t stop my feet,” Brown said from the Steelers’ locker room after the game. “l knew it was going to be close, and I knew I could get in there, somehow. I had to get my pads down and use leverage.”

Elam bounced off Brown. Weddle arm-barred Brown by the neck and tried to almost rope-tie him backward. Brown’s spindly legs, as he said, got low and pushed and pushed, and here came Orr, ready to blast Brown.

“I got a great trainer,” Brown said. “We always train and prepare for situations like that. I was able to get my shoulders down on those guys.”

Because Weddle had Brown by the neck, Brown’s arms were free. With two hands, he gripped the ball hard and reached for the goal line. He couldn’t see it, but he knew he was close. “I had no thought I’d be short,” said Brown. “No way. I had to be smart, and strong, and reach, and get the ball over the goal line. I was thinking touchdown.”

Back to the JUGS machine, and the mugging assistant. The hands, the grip, the fight. This was 640 pounds of Raven against 186 pounds of Steeler. The ball pierced the plane of the goal line clearly, and Brown pulled it back in. He never lost control of the ball, and it was never in danger of getting punched away.

“I was just going to find a way …

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” Brown got interrupted at his locker just then, and there was a cacophony of voices, and he was gone for a minute, and then …

People kept congratulating Brown. Rightfully so. And he was overwhelmed.

“Extremely emotional after a game like this,” he said. “I’m pretty much holding it in right now. But I’m emotional. What a way to win a game. I’m just so happy.”

Glee in Pittsburgh. Third seed in the AFC tournament. Ravens go home for the winter. Down the hall in Heinz Field, one of the toughest locker rooms Ravens observers had seen. “You could hear a pin drop,” one guy in there said. Another: “Most crushed locker room I’ve ever seen.” It makes for great theater but soul-crushing moments.

Pittsburgh, on the right day in January, will be a tough out for the best teams in the league. Baltimore could have been too. That’s Week 16 football. Exciting to watch. Great to win. Horrible to lose.

* * *


Photo: Joe Amon/Getty Images

Wrapping up the rest of the weekend:

Playoff drama is over, except for a couple of things. The second and fifth AFC seeds (Oakland is two, as of today, and Kansas City is fifth) could flip. The NFC North will come down to game number 256—the Sunday night season finale on New Year’s Night, Green Bay at Detroit. More in a moment.

Derek Carr and the Raiders are heartbroken. Carr got knocked out of the Raiders-Colts game Saturday with a broken right fibula, and he’ll have surgery as early as today at a hospital in Los Angeles. It’s highly probable this legitimate MVP candidate on the stunning 12-3 Raiders is lost for the season, and that the Raiders will now go as far as backup Matt McGloin can take them. More in a bit from Carr in an emotional text message late Sunday night.

Merry Christmas, Cleveland. The Browns not only avoided the chance to go 0-16 with the 20-17 win over San Diego. They also moved closer to securing the top overall draft pick in 2017 by virtue of the 49ers breaking a 13-game losing streak with a win at Los Angeles. I plan to have a piece on the Browns on Wednesday at The MMQB; I just didn’t want to bury a good story with all the other impactful things happening this weekend.

The Super Bowl’s really going to be different this year. For the first time since 2003, neither Super Bowl team from the previous year will be in the playoffs the following year. Carolina and Denver were 27-5 in the regular season in 2015; this year they’re a combined 14-16. Denver’s lost three in a row by a combined 62-23, and Cam Newton’s the most inaccurate passer in football.

* * *

Here’s What We Know This Morning


Photo: Matt Lutdke/AP

The truths about the 12-team playoff field:

• The AFC has nothing to play for but seeding in Week 17. New England and the AFC West winner (Oakland or Kansas City) will get the first-round byes, with the Patriots clinching the top seed with a win or an Oakland loss next Sunday. Pittsburgh will be the third seed and Houston four. The second-place AFC West team is in line to be seeded fifth, while Miami makes its first playoff appearance in eight years. The Dolphins’ reward, likely, is a wild-card game in Pittsburgh. Miami could move into the fifth seed with a home win over the Patriots and a Chiefs loss.

• In the NFC, Dallas has locked up the top seed. A home win for Atlanta against the Saints will make the Falcons the second seed. Protection-challenged Seattle (20 sacks of Russell Wilson in the past five weeks) and the Packers-Lions winner round out the top four seeds. The Giants didn’t score 20 points in any December game and will be on the road on wild-card weekend. The sixth seed is a hodgepodge.

• Your AFC playoff quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger … and Tom Savage (Houston), Matt McGloin or Connor Cook (Oakland), and Matt Moore or Ryan Tannehill (Miami). If Oakland’s the fifth seed, you could have an NFL playoff game with McGloin and Savage starting at quarterback. Yikes.

• Seeds below two you don’t want to face in January: In the NFC, Green Bay (winners of five straight by an average of 13.2 points); in the AFC, Pittsburgh (only team in the playoffs with a top-five quarterback, running back and wideout).

• Likeliest wild-card matchups: Oakland at Houston and Miami at Pittsburgh in the AFC; Washington at Seattle and the Giants at Green Bay in the NFC.

* * *

Carr Fine For Future, But That’s No Consolation Now


Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

I got this text from Derek Carr, the Raiders’ 25-year-old MVP candidate, Sunday night:

Although this situation is the toughest thing I've ever faced in my football career, it will not stop me from coming back stronger than ever. I left everything I had out there on that field for my God, family, brothers on that team, and Raider nation. I felt so much love in that stadium as I was hopping off the field, and that same love is what my team will feel from me going forward. We still have work to do as a team, and goals to obtain. Although I may not be throwing the ball right now, I will do whatever I have to do to help US win.

Merry Christmas.
Derek

Carr got twisted awkwardly by Trent Cole of the Colts with 11 minutes left in Oakland’s 12th win of the season. He knew his leg was broken right away. He will have surgery early this week to repair the broken fibula, and recovery time for such injuries is usually six to eight weeks—but it’s useless to speculate on that until the surgery happens and the full scope of the damage is diagnosed.

Six weeks from today is the day after Super Bowl LI. But it’s unlikely the Raiders could win two or three hold-the-fort playoff games and land in the Super Bowl without Carr, and very little chance he’d be able to play by then anyway.

Carr spent Sunday resting with his family on Christmas east of Oakland. His agent, Tim Younger, spent time with Carr on Sunday.

“I feel so much for that kid,” Younger said. “His first year, they started 0-10 and ended the year 3-13, and he really wanted to see this team totally turn it around to 13-3. He feels like he let everybody down.”

Of course he didn’t. But here’s what important now—getting Matt McGloin (probably) or Connor Cook ready to play and win in January. It’s a tough reality of football that in a split second the season can be ruined. That’s what coach Jack Del Rio has to fight against, starting today, as the Raiders prepare to play at Denver with the second seed in the conference on the line.

It’s easy to say next man up. It’s harder think of the most important man on your team going down in the fourth quarter of Week 16 when you haven’t even been to the playoffs in forever.

* * *

Browns Can Get Their QB—If There Is One

Emily Kaplan of The MMQB had a good profile of North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky the other day. If Trubisky decides to eschew his final year of eligibility—lots of scouts think he will—he’d likely be a top-10 pick. Sometimes the market just fits the player, and there’s no telling what the market will be the following year.

But this year there’s some desperation to get a quarterback at the top of the draft. With a week to go before the draft order is finalized, the top three current teams all will be in the market for a quarterback, as will the Jets, who will pick somewhere around six.

Now, Trubisky played high school football at Mentor (Ohio) High, 24 miles east of the Browns’ field along the shore of Lake Erie. He’d clearly be a popular pick. And when he plays his bowl game on Friday—the Sun Bowl, against Stanford—you can be sure every team with half an eye on the 2017 quarterback market will be either in El Paso for the game or watching it.

But it’s early in the scouting process. The draft is 17-and-a-half weeks away. If anyone tells you they know whom Team X wants to pick, they’re crazy. They might have a feel; they might “love” a player. But without the full time to research players, there’s no way a team knows its draft order at the end of December—never mind without knowing if a player is even coming out.


The top 10 entering Week 17:

Team
1. Cleveland
2. San Francisco
3. Chicago
4. Jacksonville
5. *Tennessee
6. N.Y. Jets
7. San Diego
8. Cincinnati
9. Carolina
10.^Cleveland
* Tennessee acquired this pick from Los Angeles via the Rams’ trade-up for Jared Goff.
^ Cleveland acquired this pick from the Eagles when Philadelphia traded up for Carson Wentz.

* * *

Not as Tough as MVP, But Try Picking Top Coach


Photo: Mike Stone/Getty Images

I wrote about the MVP vote the other day, with Derek Carr, Matt Ryan, Dak Prescott, Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott as my top five after 14 games. Now, with Carr’s injury? I’ll stay the same now, but as I always say, these things change, and you should keep an open mind, and the gap between Carr and Ryan and the Dallas candidates is paper thin, and Brady is a very good candidate too … so we’ll see how it plays out, because it should be a 16-game award.

I see the coach of the year a bit more clearly … but still open. My top three:

1. Bill Belichick, New England. Why this year? New England went 12-4 in the regular season each year between 2012 and 2015. This season was significantly more challenging for the Patriots, and they’re 13-2 with a game to play. With the distraction of the Tom Brady melodrama, then going 3-1 with the second and third quarterbacks playing, then going 10-1 with Brady back, while dumping your two best defensive players (Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins) …

I understand putting other coaches/coaches-plus-architects above Belichick, but I think this is one of the best seasons of a top three all-time coach.

2. Jack Del Rio, Oakland. What Del Rio had to do, inheriting a team after 4-12, 4-12 and 3-13 seasons, is fix the mindset and belief that this team couldn’t win. Some of that is nebulous, because you can’t tell how much is the coach and how much is the will of people like Derek Carr.

What I know is that these players trust and believe in Del Rio, and they think he’s the man for a rebuilding job, because he trusts his players and lets them err as long as they’re erring with full effort. The Raiders will likely be either the second or fifth seed in the AFC tournament, and Del Rio’s a huge reason why.

3. Jason Garrett, Dallas. Hard to minimize the flat-line emotion that Garrett has provided in the midst of such a huge transition. He’s always had to walk the line between an owner who is very involved and a coaching staff trying to be independent and doing the best thing to win every week.

But Garrett had to sign off on Ezekiel Elliott (which he did, gladly) and on Dak Prescott (ditto) in the draft. Then he coached them, and adjusted to life with Tony Romo, and made it all work. He’s an underrated coach for his approach and for, in a Steve Kerr kind of way, getting everyone on the same page when you’ve got a bunch of big egos to soothe.

The rest: 4. Adam Gase, Miami; 5. Dan Quinn, Atlanta; 6. Mike Mularkey, Tennessee; 7. Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay; 8. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay; 9. Jim Caldwell, Detroit; 10. Andy Reid, Kansas City.

* * *

Quite a Few 2017 Schedule Highlights


As the standings begin to get set in stone, so do a few interesting scheduling nuggets for 2017:


• A rematch of a great Super Bowl. In Super Bowl 45 at the new Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Aaron Rodgers outlasted Ben Roethlisberger 31-25 in a great game highlighted by some big-time throws. Rodgers was hurt when the two sides played in 2013; Pittsburgh won that one at Lambeau 38-31. In 2017, they’ll meet at Heinz Field.

One other note: One of the great games in recent NFL history happened in the only other Rodgers-Roethlisberger meeting at Heinz Field. In 2009, Roethlisberger threw for 503 yards in the Steelers’ 37-36 cliffhanger victory. What a bum Rodgers was that day. He threw for only 383, and three touchdowns.

• One versus two, 2016 edition. Carson Wentz and the Eagles play at Jared Goff and the Rams.

• An Oregon reunion. Marcus Mariota and the Titans will play at Chip Kelly and the Niners—assuming someone doesn’t do something stupid and whack Kelly as San Francisco coach.

• Tom Brady’s going to have some fun QB-vs.-QB games. Among their 10 games out of the division, the Patriots and 40-year-old quarterback Brady (he turns 40 next August) will host Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers in Foxboro next season.

The Patriots will play at Oakland and Tampa Bay (first games ever for Brady against Derek Carr and Jameis Winston) and at Pittsburgh and New Orleans (Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees, obviously). Most of those matchups have national TV written all over them.

* * *

Early in my career covering the NFL, I asked Giants coach Bill Parcells why he and GM George Young churned the bottom of the roster so much. Parcells said the guys on the bottom of the roster would either win a game for you at some point of the season or lose a game for you.

Those guys lost one for San Diego on Saturday. And one of the churnees—who has played better than that since the Browns claimed him off waivers from Baltimore—won it for Cleveland.

The involved parties:

• Long-snapper Mike Windt, San Diego. Second NFL team. Undrafted in 2010; waived once.

• Guard Kenny Wiggins, San Diego. Third NFL team. Undrafted in 2011; waived six times.

• Kicker Josh Lambo, San Diego. First NFL team. Undrafted in 2015. Signed by San Diego as free-agent.

• Defensive lineman Jamie Meder, Cleveland. Second NFL team. Undrafted in 2014; waived twice.

Meder broke through the gap between Windt and Wiggins to block Lambo’s kick and preserve Cleveland’s 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter.

The best roster architects are the ones who never rest about the guys at the bottom of the roster.

* * *

• Jerry Jones, on Michael Irvin’s early take on Dak Prescott: “When we lost [Tony] Romo, there was huge pressure to immediately make a trade to go get a veteran quarterback. Huge pressure. And we ended up with Mark Sanchez, but that was after the season started. What we wanted to do, though, and this was a very conscious effort, we had seen just enough of [Prescott] on campus, that we wanted to see him take the reins in preseason.

So he stepped in as the starting quarterback with our first group, stepped in against the Rams in the L.A. Coliseum, completely sold out, 85,000, 90,000 people. I’ll never forget this. I am sitting with Michael Irvin watching Dak, and he throws a back shoulder to Dez [Bryant], and makes a touchdown his first drive. He takes it right down the field against the Rams. I punch Michael and I say, ‘Did you just see that kid? Look at the way he took that team down and made it.’ He said, ‘Well, I might have missed that.’

And I said, ‘What are you looking at?’ And he said, ‘I’m looking at every one of the players. If they are not out on the field, they are on the white [sideline] and every one of them is hanging on every move he is making. He’s inspired the whole team.’ He said, ‘You know, Jerry, it takes more than one guy to inspire the whole team. This guy is inspirational.’”

• Jones, on Tony Romo’s only public statement since coming back, ceding the job to Prescott: “He didn’t talk to me about it or anybody about it, and he goes out and makes that statement. He doesn’t talk to anybody, calls his own meeting, doesn’t talk to our PR guy about content in any way. He steps up and says what he said from the heart.”

* * *

Things I Think I Think

1. I think these are my quick notes of analysis from Week 16:

a. Darren Sproles is a marvel, a career underrated field-tilter.

b. The Steelers’ Christmas Day uniforms—all black but for marigold numbers and names and pant stripes—are the best uniforms in the NFL this year.

c. If you’re a Vikings fan, and you’re bitterly disappointed about being 2-8 since your 5-0 start, and 34-6 and 38-25 losses the last two weeks, you should be. And you should be ticked off about defensive players who think they know more about the scheme than Mike Zimmer.

d. That’s 23 touchdowns in four Tennessee seasons for tight end Delanie Walker. In what has been mostly a bad offense since he arrived in 2013, that’s pretty darned good. For reference, Martellus Bennett has 20 in that same time span.

e. David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott … it’s a golden year for the versatile running back.

f. Le’Veon Bell picks the hole and practices patience better than any other back in years.

g. Great call by Chip Kelly, down one and going for two with 31 seconds left in a game that meant absolutely nothing except for this: showing your players that despite 13 straight losses the coach still has faith they can make a play to win.

h. After watching 2014 Baltimore undrafted free agent Zach Orr make plays week after week all season and become indispensable, hats off to the Ravens’ scouting staff. They know how to find inside ’backers for free (see Bart Scott, Jameel McClain).

i. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell twice kicking the ball out of bounds, handing the Ravens the ball at the 40 two times in a division championship game is … well, about the worst thing a kicker can do.

j. I’ve said it before and will say it again: Tyreek Hill could be the difference in the AFC playoffs, and his 70-yard touchdown sprint in the K.C. win over Denver is just one more example.

2. I think if I’m the Rams, I’m looking into Asshole Face thoroughly. This is the year, I believe, that Payton can be had from the Saints. He needs a new challenge. A coach as good as he is, with a quarterback as good as Drew Brees, should not be 38-40 in the past five regular seasons.

And the Rams need a coach who will make it uncomfortable to lose. Payton has some Bill Parcells in him—a lot, in fact—and does not suffer player-fools. And the Rams need someone who knows how to coach a young quarterback. Not saying they should sell out for Payton—just saying the Rams should look into him and see if he’s a good fit.

3. I think, sometimes, things just run their course. Payton’s run his course in New Orleans. Nothing wrong with that; Parcells ran his course in New York, and New England, and then with the Jets. Eleven years in football coaching is an eternity. The Saints might benefit with a new voice.

Maybe Dennis Allen, who’s done a good job with a defense that has a lot of holes. Payton has time left on his contract, and so it would require draft-choice compensation … but not a first-rounder. (Which is good, since Los Angeles doesn’t have one, with Tennessee getting it after the trade-up-for-Goff deal.) It’s a deal I’d be interested in from both sides.

4. I think I wasn’t sure about this until quite recently, and I’m not positive it’ll happen. But the Chargers’ coaching job is in play. Mike McCoy is endangered entering the final week of the season.

5. I think if the Chargers move to Los Angeles for the 2017 season—which is increasingly very likely—my money is on them playing at the StubHub Center (formerly Home Depot Center) in the southern L.A. suburb of Carson. Capacity: 27,000. Now that’d be interesting for two years.

The Chargers are serious about making that home for two years, in part because they know they’re not going to fill the cavernous Coliseum, in part because they’d like to develop a fandom that would love to see NFL games up close and personal.

6. I think the Chargers are still open to local entreaties to stay in San Diego, but three interesting things about the odds they’d face in getting a new stadium either downtown or by refurbishing Qualcomm Stadium:

• Architects have not studied this with finality, but it could cost as much as $300 million to retrofit Qualcomm to today’s standards to withstand earthquakes.

• The Chargers spent $10 million on ads and promotions before the November vote in San Diego on a new hotel/motel tax that would not cost local citizenry any tax money unless they stayed in local hotels. The opposition to the Chargers’ vote spent $200,000. The Chargers needed 67 percent of the vote for the measure to pass. They got 43 percent. In other words, the organization has zero confidence that it could win any public referendum for a new stadium.

• Let’s say Dean Spanos moves to Los Angeles, and let’s say (as I believe will happen) he struggles mightily to get a fan base there. The Steve Ballmer purchase of the Clippers for $2 billion tells me if an NFL franchise in Los Angeles ever was for sale, the Spanos family would make a killing.

I’m not saying Dean Spanos would move to Los Angeles with the intent in his mind it’s going to fail and he’ll sell for $3.5 billion in 2021 … but that’s got to be a nice little safety-net thought in his head when he goes to bed at night.

7. I think it’s always smart to remember at this time of year (a week from today is BLACK MONDAY WITH ALL THE NEWS ABOUT COACH FIRINGS COMING RIGHT UP!!!) that coaches have lives, and with the firing of each coach comes the firing of 18 to 22 other coaches and their families as well. It’s the lives they bought into, and they lives they love—except for times like this.

I asked former defensive end Austen Lane, who wrote for The MMQB in 2013 on the experience of being fired by the Jaguars, to tell me his thoughts on Gus Bradley. I find Bradley to be one of the most sincere and earnest and nicest people I’ve met in this business—among coaches, players, team officials, whoever. This comes from Lane:

“The moment I knew Coach Bradley was a man of integrity and high character was the day I found out I was getting released by the Jaguars. Every head coach handles the process of cutting a player differently. Some coaches will give you a generic, We’re going in a different direction, with a handshake and an exit-stage-left, while some coaches won’t even meet with a player or provide an explanation. Coach Bradley walked with me into the general manager’s office and sat in a chair right next to me as it was announced I would be let go.

It was almost like he wanted to be there to help absorb the gut shot I received. After meeting with the GM, Dave Caldwell, Coach Bradley invited me to his office to meet with him one-on-one. There wasn’t any generic phrase or rushed handshake to get me out. You could tell he genuinely cared about my well-being and made every effort in reminding me that if I ever needed anything, to give him a call. All this coming from a guy I only knew for three weeks.”

8. I think the 49ers are going to throw someone overboard after the season, and GM Trent Baalke is the most logical choice. Baalke is a good football man, but I’ve heard his job is in grave danger. Going 7-24 post-Jim Harbaugh is not a ringing endorsement for his future. Even if the Niners do make a change, they’d better figure out a way to fix the quarterback. And soon.

9. I think it’s amazing, and a sign of how fast things change in the NFL, that of the four teams in California, three will likely change a coach or GM this offseason—and the only stable team will be Oakland.

http://isportsweb.com/2016/12/24/analyzing-the-los-angeles-rams-key-2017-free-agents/

Analyzing the Los Angeles Rams key 2017 free agents

The 4-11 Los Angeles Rams will have some interesting decisions to make this offseason. With nearly $41 million in cap space the Rams will have to make some key decisions with their 2017 free agents. This is because in 2018 they will have Aaron Donald, Alec Ogletree, and Greg Robinson all being potential free agents.

This upcoming Rams free agent class has some key players in Trumaine Johnson, TJ McDonald, Kenny Britt, Greg Zuerlein, and Benny Cunningham. All five of those players should be re-signed, especially Johnson and McDonald due to the lack of good depth in the secondary.

Trumaine Johnson
Johnson was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, the same draft the Rams got Janoris Jenkins in. This past offseason, the Rams chose to go with Johnson over Jenkins as they placed the franchise tag on him.

An issue the Rams have had for years is good depth in their secondary, as they have been forced to start inexperienced corners such as Troy Hill and Michael Jordan when guys such as Johnson and EJ Gaines have been injured.

A big issue for Johnson has been his ability to stay on the field and he has played in 36 of 47 possible games in his last three seasons, including this season. However, Johnson has shown he can play well when healthy as he was able to shut down the now retired Calvin Johnson last season.

In 2016 Johnson has slowed down when it comes to creating turnovers as he has a lone interception coming off of a season in which he had seven. Johnson is a good physical cornerback, maybe a bit too aggressive at times but he does do well in the run game.

Overall, the Rams cannot afford to lose a guy like Johnson, especially with the way the team is set up. The big issue is how much money will he want after getting the franchise tag worth nearly $14 million.

TJ McDonald
The former USC Trojan and third round pick in the 2013 draft is wrapping up his fourth year in the NFL. The hard-hitting safety has played in every game for the Rams this season and has one interception along with five pass deflections and 46 tackles.

McDonald has never been a guy who makes the flashy interceptions or just the big plays in general. Just like Johnson he is a physical player and likes to lay the lumber along with many on the Rams defense.

McDonald was part of a great safety duo last year with Rodney McLeod and has been able to do a solid job with Maurice Alexander by his side. In a similar boat as Johnson, McDonald is almost a must re-sign with the lack of quality depth in the Rams secondary.

Kenny Britt
Bringing in Kenny Britt was probably one of the best things Jeff Fisher did for the Rams. Fisher brought in the troubled Tennessee Titans wide receiver and in his third year with the Rams is the team’s first 1,000 yard wide receiver since Torry Holt in 2007.

This season Britt has set career highs in targets, receptions, and yards. In six games Britt has had 75 of more receiving yards and has been targeted ten or more times in four games.

For years the Rams have been searching for a true number one wide receiver and they might have found that in the 28 year old Britt. All of these numbers are being put up with below average quarterbacks as well, just imagine if Jared Goff comes out in 2017 doing what the Rams expected of him when he was drafted.

A big, tall receiver who has shown he can produce is a must re-sign for the Rams. If they can find a solid number two to go along with Britt and Tavon Austin, the team will have a nice receiving core for the future to help Goff.

Greg Zuerlein
Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein had a rough season in 2015 as he made just 20/30 field goals. This season, Zuerlein has been much more accurate as he is 17/20 this season, and his three misses have comes from forty or more yards, two from beyond fifty yards.

With a struggling Rams offense it has been hard for Zuerlein to get as many opportunities to make field goals, but his strong leg is still a force to be reckoned with. Accuracy is still a work in progress as his career field goal percentage is 79.1%, but he has been a solid kicker aside from 2015 and one could make the argument for 2012.

Benny Cunningham
Cunningham has been dependable as a kick returner and as the backup to Todd Gurley this season. Despite only having 21 carries, Cunningham was able to rush for 101 yards, which is 4.8 per carry. That along with 16 receptions for 91 yards is solid for the Middle Tennessee State alum.

The kick return game is where Cunningham shines ever brighter. This season Cunningham returned 22 kicks for an average of 27.2 per return, which is fifth best in the NFL. While he is not the flashiest player, he gets the job done and gets it done right. Cunningham should be re-signed to help relieve Todd Gurley during games and do his good work on special teams in the return game.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/s...idate-aaron-rodgers-packers-looking-dominant/

Really bad day for young QBs

The most fun team to watch in the NFL this year has, unquestionably, been the Oakland Raiders. Whether it was Jack Del Rio's willingness to lay it all on the table or Derek Carr's ability to come from behind and play lights-out in the fourth quarter or even Marquette King's punter swag, this was just a fascinating squad that strutted its way to 12 wins and the first Raiders playoff berth since 2002.

And then Saturday against the Colts everything went up in smoke when Carr suffered a broken fibula while being sacked.

It was obvious as soon as Carr hit the ground and grabbed at his leg. He knew the score and so did everyone else.

Carr is now out indefinitely, but for all intents and purpose he's done for the year. It's not reasonable to expect him to return for the playoffs, even if the Raiders, who closed out a 33-25 victory over the Colts behind Matt McGloin, were to barnstorm to the AFC title game (likely to be played in New England, barring the Pats losing to the Dolphins in Week 17).

The Raiders were already a team with some question marks because of their defensive liabilities. Now without Carr to rev up the offense, they'll lean on McGloin. It's not a good scene for an Oakland team that has been one of the best stories of the year.

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It may have been even more brutal for the Tennessee Titans, who not only lost Marcus Mariota for the season with a broken leg, but also saw their playoff chances go up in smoke.

The Titans lost to the Jaguars 38-17 in a game that included a Blake Bortlesreceiving touchdown, which should tell you everything you need to know about the level of intensity Doug "The Douggernaut" Marrone brought to his first game as Jags interim head coach.

The Titans were eliminated from the playoff race when the Texans edged the Bengals on Saturday night. But the reality of Tennessee's situation is things went from very promising to very dark in one bad afternoon.

The real tragedy is that Carr and Mariota are excellent young quarterbacks. It's horrible to see their development derailed by brutal injuries, not to mention the selfish shame of not getting to see them operate late in the season and potentially in the playoffs.

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