I think its time for Mannion to start getting most of those 2nd string qb reps. At this point we already know what Keenum can do and I think its wise to see if Mannion can be a better backup then Keenum.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/11/22/rams-cut-troy-hill-three-days-after-dui-arrest/

Rams cut Troy Hill three days after DUI arrest
Posted by Zac Jackson on November 22, 2016

Getty Images

The Rams waived cornerback Troy Hill on Tuesday, three days after Hill was arrested for suspicion of DUI.

The Rams made Hill inactive for last Sunday’s game vs. the Dolphins. Hill had previously appeared in all nine regular-season games, starting four.

Undrafted in 2015, Hill spent time with the Bengals and Patriots before landing with the Rams. He played in three games for the Bengals last year.

The Rams also waived cornerback Dwayne Gratz and placed linebacker Josh Forrest on their injured-reserve list. Gratz had played in three games for the Rams after being cut by the Jaguars.

Cornerback Mike Jordan and linebacker Nic Grigsby were promoted to the active roster from the practice squad. Both are rookies.

These are selected questions and answers. To read the whole chat, click the link below. With every loss this chat is getting snarkier, which was to be expected. The gif below pretty sums it up.


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http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_37

Jim Thomas - NFL Chat

My sense is the offense just doesn't have the talent required, either at OL, WR, TE, do you agree?

No doubt the talent could be better. So could the coaching. And so could the scouting. Have you really seen much in the way of improvement among the skill position players under Fisher?
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Any Will Hayes comments regarding greatest fans in the world? I think there were 20,000 left in attendance, late in the 4th with the Rams leading

Could you imagine what it might look like after, say, 12 consecutive non-wining seasons?
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Every Ram home game has had over 80,000 in attendance. I know you want them to fail in LA, but the games are sold out.

For your information, when you leave your seat to use the rest room or buy food in the Colosseum, you're going to be gone a long time. It's an old, old place, and the larger crowd really slows down everything there.



Appreciate the input MR, but it sure looked like a lot of people were at the concession state or the restroom at the same time Sunday.
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I'd like to take this opportunity to trash LA as a market. As a fairly impartial journalist, could you ever imagine a crowd like that at an NFL game in the first season of NFL returning to the city of St. Louis after 20+ years? Wouldn't happen here. After years and years of horrible football and an absent/conniving owner planning a move, of course. But, not in the first year moving back.

Actually, no. Especially in a metro area of _ what _ 18 million. But hey, it was drizzling.


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Would you can Fisher now or at the end of the season?

I wait until the end of the season, but only pull the plug if the team fails to have a winning record.. You now, if there's more of that 7-9 bull. . . . .
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What's your take on Kendricks? More of a liability than an asset?

I think he's an above-average tight end, who can block and catch passes. But he has been known to drop a few. And it doesn't look like that's changed.
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Bring back Mike Martz!!!

I'd like to see what Martz could do with Goff. Actually, I think Martz would've preferred Wentz or Mariotta.
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Was that rams loss sunday, the worst loss we have seen in a long time? Up by 10, 5 min left and lose. Wow.

not sure if you're new to the Rams party. But there's a lot to chose from over the past 12-plus seasons of non-winning teams. I'd have to think on it, but I'm not sure this one even makes the medal stand.
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Jim, of the three upcoming Thanksgiving Day games, what's the most intriguing to you and why?

This will be the first one since 1994 where I won't be spending part of the day at a Rams practice. Which reminds me of a quick Dick Vermeil story. Back in the early days of the Rams in St. Louis, it was a simpler time. Family of players, coaches, and even media were not discouraged from attending the Thanksgiving and Christmas practices.

So it's Vermeil's first year coaching the team _ 1997. I bring my two oldest boys out to Thanksgiving practice, ages 9 and 7 back then. I'm the only reporter at practice, ask Vermeil a few quick questions with my sons at my side. And as we're turning to leave, I hear Vermiel call Rams PR man Duane Lewis over. "Duane! Come here! . . . .Go get those kids some souvenirs."

As for Thursday's games, they're all good matchups. Curious to get another look at Bradford and Minnesota against the surprising Lions, who are the first team in NFL history to have all 10 games decided by a touchdown or less to open the year. Will it be 11 on Thursday?

The Washington/Dallas game is a throwback to the old days when that was the NFL's most heated rivalry. When's the last time those two teams played in such a high-profile game? As for the nightcap, who knows what to expect from the Steelers and Colts on a week-to-week basis? Both teams have been very erratic, and the Colts may be without Andrew Luck (concussion).
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JT - my sincere apologies to George Boone. The Rams trade up 14 spots in the draft to trade 6 picks and select a game manager at QB. Oh wait, Fisher said he was good, no delay-of-game penalties. Is there a trophy they give out at the end of the season for this accomplishment by a QB?




Hey, let's not judge Goff on one game. He was a game manager only because the Rams wanted him to be a game manager. And yes, on the trophy. It's the coveted Game Manager of the Year award _ aka the GMY.
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Which of the great NFL backs of recent vintage might Ezekiel Elliott compare to? Faulk? Emmitt Smith? Tomlinson? Someone else? I don't get to watch much NFL on TV, but I'm intrigued by what I've read about Elliott.

He's bigger and not as elusive as Faulk. He's faster and maybe more powerful than Emmitt Smith. LT strikes me as a smoother runner I don't know, Elliott is kind of unique. He's got plenty of power, some elusiveness, he can get the corner with his speed.

Athleticism? Check out those amazing hurdles of would-be tacklers. And I doubt if there's ever been an NFL back who's been as complete as Elliott entering the league _ in terms of running, catching, and blocking. BTW, I just filed a 1,500-word story on Elliott (off my Dallas trip last Sunday) for our Thanksgiving edition. Hope you check it out.
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Jeff Fisher was right when he said on Hard Knocks that there wouldn't be any more 7-9 BS...they won't even make that record this year. What a franchise, all they do is make ESK wealthier. Did anybody ever ask Kroenke how many suits can you wear at one time? How many steaks can you eat at one time? I've never seen a Brinks truck at a funeral in my life.



And you don't get an award for being the richest guy in the cemetery _ not even the Dilfer Award.
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Zuerlein seems to not come through anymore. What do you think?

He's been better this season. A missed 48-yarder off the upright in the rain. That's not exactly a chip shot. Of course, if he makes it, then the Rams need only a field goal at the end to pull out the win instead of a TD after their defensive collapse.
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Why no Rams on local TV? I'd love to watch and cheer for whoever they're playing against.



Yeah, so does my wife! Looks like FOX2 has chosen Arizona-Atlanta over Rams-New Orleans this week. I don't think the ratings have been strong enough locally in the station's eyes, to show the Rams every week.
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Do you think Rams defense is getting frustrated with the iffense?



Privately, I'm sure that's the case. But this has been going on for years.
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In my opinion the Rams will not become a top team until Fisher is gone. He always depends on the defense to win games. You have to have a balanced team to compete in the NFL. I do not know how he has remained a head couch as long as he has. He will ruin Goff if he remains.

All those draft picks, all that free-agent money, and they still can't score points. It is pretty amazing.
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What changes do you think fisher is going to make like he claimed?

This far into the season, how much can you change? It's not like he has a 100-player roster to choose from. The trade deadline is over. If you're healthy, can walk and chew gum at the same time, you're already on a team at this point. And if there was someone on the bench who could dramatically change things by playing, he'd probably already be out there.

So what can you do, for example, with the O-line. Start Jamon Brown over Cody Wichmann? Move Donnal in at RT over Havenstein? Move Saffold to LT and Robinson to LG? Hard to imagine any of that making a noticeable difference over the final 6 games..
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With all the draft picks they used on offensive lineman you would think they would hit on a few. Les Snead has not done a very good job or do you think Fisher controls who they take. G. Robinson has been a total bust from what I can see.



There's no doubt that Snead shares much of the responsibility for putting together the roster.
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Last week Fisher said that Gurley didn't get the ball enough, then this week, they didn't go deep enough. Sure looks like potential OC candidates might want to polish up their resumes. Is Fisher that far removed from game week planning and game day management on the offense?

Given Fisher's track record on offense and overall offensive mindset, if you were a gifted up-and-coming play-caller/offensive mind, is that the guy you'd want to work for?
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Do you see Dak Prescott continuing this streak? I have to think at some point the magic runs out.

I keep waiting for him to take a step back, and it just hasn't happened. By now, he's played enough games to where opposing defenses can develop a book on him. You know, his tendencies, strengths and weaknesses against certain coverages, blitzes, etc..

But nothing seems to slow the guy down. Obviously, having that offensive line, having a guy like Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, having a veteran tight end like Jason Witten helps. The Cowboys do have a tough closing schedule. All of their remaining 6 opponents, starting Thursday with Washington, currently are at .500 or better.
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Can't tell you how upset I am at myself. I was having so much fun hate watching the Lambs and Goff's futile performance. But when they went up by 10 late in the game and Miami didn't seem to be able to get anything going, I turned it off.

I had no interest in watching LA celebrate their Golden Boy's first win. But lesson learned, never give up on them. The Lambs can steal a defeat out of the jaws victory no matter what the score or the clock. I won't do that again.



As Yogi Berra used to say, it's never over till. . .
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Rams make it to 7-9 or do you think 6-10 is more probable? Looking at their schedule it is tough to find 3 more wins to me. I hope they find a way to finish 7-9 though just so we can hear that clip over and over again.

7-9 or 6-10 looks about right. But I don't have strong feelings either way. They have had some success against Brees and New Orleans in the past, even preceding Fisher. I can't see San Francisco beating them again. It's possible they can get Arizona at home.

And they almost always play Seattle tough. That leaves Atlanta and New England. OK, forget about New England,, and it's hard to see them outscoring the Falcons, even if the Falcons aren't on their A game that day.
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What would happen to Stan if the Rams continue their losing ways? He will have built
the palace the NFL wanted but I can't believe their would be any fans that would go they are already complaining and not showing up in the first season.

He couldn't move the team he would be stuck losing money in LA. That would be the best revenge for St. Louis fans.



That's all true, but I guess he will have a franchise that is worth twice as much as it was in St. Louis, and we all know what Malibu Stan is all about.


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Why do you think teams, especially bad teams, overvalue their own players? The Rams are terrible in this regard. They have stuck it out with the same terrible receiving core year after year, even resigning Tavon Austin to a contract that no other team would ever have given him.

The Patriots, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. If a player does not produce, they move on. What do you see as the psychology behind this dynamic to overvaluing your own talent (which goes on in every sport, right?)?

It's a great question and one that defies an easy answer. The Austin extension certainly looks like a big mistake. He seems to be regressing this season. Sometimes, I think there's some stubbornness involved as well, in not wanting to admit the mistake.

And when you work for an organization where there's seemingly no threat of losing your job, such as the Rams, where's the sense of urgency? There is none. But I'm not sure if it's simply a case of just overvaluing your own talent. I think it's an overall issue with evaluating all talent, period.
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After reading your Rams Rewind article, I wondered what Hairpieces's plan is. We've seen this same undisciplined, poorly coached team for years now. If he sticks with Fisher will anyone in LA even go to the new stadium? If he picks a new coach will three or four years of rebuilding be right on target?

I don't think Kroenke has much of a plan when it comes to the actual on-the-field product. His m.o. with most of his pro sports teams seems to be hire a veteran coach and stay out of the way. Now if Goff's the real deal, the team can get back on course relatively quickly. If he's not _ well, it may take more than three or four years.
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What did you think about Jerryworld?

I've been there a few times previously. Watched the Rams get their teeth kicked in 34-7 in 2011 and 31-7 in 2013. Strangely, my assigned seat in the massive AT&T press box for the Cowboys-Ravens game was almost the exact same spot I sat in covering the Rams there. Also was there for the Green Bay-Pittsburgh Super Bowl (No. 45) after the 2010 season. And a Rams-Cowboys preseason game in 2012, Fisher's first season with the Rams.

It's a gargantuan place. When I was leaving the place Sunday night, I couldn't help thinking: Is all this really necessary to host a football game?The massive video board hanging over the field is hypnotizing. Sitting in the press box, you can see the play better watching the video board than directly watching what's happening on the field through binoculars!


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What's next from the LA fans (so called) - that when they move into the Inglewood stadium they will suddenly become this Super Bowl team? Memo to Stan: you can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear. Update on Kroenke's sports dynasties - Nuggets in last place, Avalanche dead last in the west. It ain't so easy to win when you father-in-law sets you up in land deals and assures your winning all of the "bids" is it?



Yeah, but doesn't he own the Colorado MLS team as well? I believe they're in the league semifinals.
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Based on some comments in Fisher's Monday press conference, one would think some O-line changes are coming this week. But assuming that means changes at LT, who on the team can legitimately play at that spot? Saffold? Any other options there?

It would have to be Saffold. Can't really see any other option.
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Nonexistent celebrity buzz and no entertainment factor? Check.
Dwindling crowds at home? Check.
Press and local fans quickly turning on the Rams coaches and front office? Check.

Good thing the NFL "got it right" with their LA decision. The most worrisome thing (or at least it should be worrisome) is how quickly the LA die-hard fans are turning on the franchise.

Judging by the Rams blogs and message boards, the hardcore fans are realizing just how inept Kroenke really is. What on earth made the NFL think that he was the right guy for the LA market? Oh right, more bells & whistles on his stadium.

Greed. The NFL got a showcase stadium out of the deal _ at least they will in 3 years. That's all they care about. And they didn't have to pay for it, except for the stadium fund.


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Fisher has said he's not making any changes at OC this season. If it were you, would you hand play-calling to Groh at this point? Or is it a lost cause?

Fisher's on his third offensive coordinator in 2 1/2 seasons. I don't think it's the play-caller.
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If there is any moment from Sunday that epitomizes the Fisher Era it is Donald's penalty on Miami's second scoring drive. Not that it was even a horrible penalty it is just that those kind of stupid penalties ALWAYS happen to this team when they need them to happen least.

Don't forget about the Ogletree penalty on the previous drive.
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What about Higbee, Cooper and Hemingway? The La papers said these boys are all superstars just waiting for a chance to break out?

What a ridiculous question even in a dumb chat like this one. They've hardly played.

I don't know about all that. Although I did wonder about some of the Higbee hype considering his injury history, his off-field issues, and the fact he played at a smaller college.
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If the Rams win out, then Fisher keeps his job. Short of that, though, is he finished?

Who knows with Kroenke and Demoff. I would have made the switch last year, move or no move. But I don't know how you could bring him back with anything short of 9-7 _ which would mean winning at least five of the final six.
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Jim, the NFL officiating is beyond description. There were three consecutive bad spots that cost Houston a first down late in the game last night with the score tied. The officiating in the NFL is disgraceful. Do you see it the same way?

To a degree, yes. A part of me feels like we've been hearing how bad the officiating is for decades. With all the money the league rakes in, you'd think the extra expense for full-time officials and high-tech cameras on the goal line and sidelines would be a no-brainer. a part me thinks the league likes having the human element of the game in officiating. It keeps people talking. I'm sure they're still talking in Houston today.
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A gifted, up-and-coming play caller might not want to work for Fisher, but a just-competent play-caller like Greg Roman might.

Perhaps. But even someone like Roman might pass on the Rams if he had other options.
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can we get an update on Robert Quinn? The dude was pure class during his time here and throughout the relocation. Hope he's doing good.

Do you mean on his illness? It was just a dehydration related issues, more of a scare apparently than anything. He was back on the field Sunday against Miami and had a sack.
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Do you feel dumber after reading through this chat? Well you should. I know I do.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/11/22/jay-cutler-expected-to-miss-season-with-torn-labrum/

Jay Cutler expected to miss season with torn labrum
Posted by Michael David Smith on November 22, 2016

Getty Images

Jay Cutler’s season appears to be over.

Tests on Cutler’s throwing shoulder required a torn labrum that will end his season, according to NFL Network. Cutler will get a second opinion, but at the moment it appears that he’ll miss the final six games of 2016.

The Bears are certainly acting like a team that expects to be without Cutler for a while, signing quarterback David Fales today.

Cutler’s tenure as the Bears’ quarterback may be over as well. Although Cutler is technically under contract through 2020, his contract is structured in such a way that it’s easy for the Bears to get out of it this offseason. He’ll only cost $2 million against the Bears’ cap if they cut him, but he’ll cost $16 million if they bring him back on his current contract.

The 2-8 Bears are likely to look for a new franchise quarterback of the future in the offseason.

https://theringer.com/stedman-bailey-nfl-comeback-18c5e69aed48#.fa782nlbp

Recovery Speed
Last Thanksgiving, Stedman Bailey was in a hospital bed after being shot twice in the head. One year later, the former Ram and West Virginia legend is determined to complete an improbable return to the NFL.
Timothy Bella

(Getty Images/Ringer illustration)

Stedman Bailey couldn’t wait to get back on the field.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving 2015 was supposed to be another day forward in Bailey’s redemption story. Halfway through his third season as a wide receiver for the then–St. Louis Rams, Bailey found himself at a career crossroads. Two weeks earlier, he had been slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, the second time he had run afoul of league rules in as many years. In 2014, he sat out two games for violating the policy on performance enhancers.

With this latest setback, Bailey’s maturity — and professional future — were called into question. On November 11, his 25th birthday, he posted a messageof contrition on Instagram: “Ever since I was little, all I ever wanted to do was play football…For me to put that opportunity at risk was idiotic.”

Growing up in Miami Gardens, the “stop-and-frisk capital” of Florida, football had always been Bailey’s way out. His single mother, Tara, took multiple telemarketing jobs to provide for Stedman and his older brother, Brandon. “Things weren’t really always good for me,” Bailey says.

But they would get better. Once a skinny wide receiver out of Miramar High School, Bailey would go on to become one of the most electric offensive threats in college football at West Virginia, breaking school records and lighting up scoreboards alongside future NFL pros Geno Smith and Tavon Austin.

But at the time of his second suspension, the offensive numbers that Bailey had produced in high school and college had yet to translate to the NFL. A third-round pick in 2013, he started just eight of his first 38 games as a Ram, finding the end zone three times. His participation in the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” pregame protest in November 2014 following the Ferguson unrest earned Bailey more national attention than his play on the field.

On November 24, 2015, Bailey was back home in Miami, two weeks into what he promised would be his last suspension. “With this time away,” he wrote on Instagram, “I’m dedicating my energy to doing a lot of self-work & making sure it never happens again.”

That day Bailey worked out with his close friend Terrance Gourdine, a former high school and West Virginia teammate, before meeting up with his cousin, Antwan Reeves, 39. They went to get haircuts at a local barber shop, wanting to look sharp for the upcoming holiday. Then they picked up Reeves’s 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter to do some shopping in Cutler Bay.

The plan was to drive to Atlanta the next morning to gather with extended family at Bailey’s mom’s house for Thanksgiving. But first they had one more stop — the house of Gourdine, who would be joining Bailey, Reeves, and the kids for the trip. Bailey drove the group in his rental Chevy Tahoe to the end of the 19800 block of Northwest 38th Place.

Gourdine ran inside to change clothes while Bailey, Reeves, and the two kids waited outside the pink home, pastel-colored like many in the neighborhood. Bailey scrolled through his phone in the front seat while behind him in the back, Reeves asked his kids what they wanted to eat.

“They said they wanted shrimp,” Reeves tells me. “We were going to get them some shrimp and bring them home.” His voice softens. “Unfortunately, we didn’t make it home.”

Around 8:45 p.m., about five minutes after they’d arrived, Reeves noticed the headlights of a car pulling up behind the Tahoe. Reeves asked his cousin if the car was there for Gourdine. Bailey turned to look but didn’t recognize the vehicle. He returned to his phone, and the group resumed waiting.

It was the last peaceful moment they would have for a while.

When Geno Smith woke up the next day for practice, the Jets quarterback had a flurry of calls and texts. Something had happened to his former teammate.

Long before they set the college football world afire at West Virginia, the bond between Bailey and Smith had started in middle school and continued to Miramar High, where the burgeoning receiver transferred in to join Smith. At Miramar, the longtime buddies became unstoppable teammates. “We always pushed each other hard when we were together,” says Smith. “We knew we both wanted to be NFL players.”

That dream was nurtured by Damon Cogdell, the head coach at Miramar when Smith and Bailey helped turn the Patriots from an unheralded team into perennial state playoff contenders in Florida.

Looking up at a framed jersey signed by Bailey in his office at Miami Carol City High School, where he is now the defensive coordinator, Cogdell remembers how he once benched his star duo for the first half of a game because they had both arrived late for a 6 a.m. practice. With Smith and Bailey on the sideline, Miramar led 10–3 at halftime. After they returned, the Patriots exploded to a 42–3 win. “It was a good half,” Cogdell says, smiling.

Off the field, says Cogdell, Bailey was a respectful kid who always responded to his coach with “Yes, sir” and “No, sir.” His mother made sure he was in church every Sunday. Codgell was impressed not only by Bailey’s work ethic, but also his fun-loving side. “He’s the life of the party,” he said.

Smith was more highly recruited than Bailey, and Cogdell remembers how both ended up in West Virginia, which was in hot pursuit of the quarterback. “I told them, ‘If you guys take Geno, you gotta take Stedman, too,’” says Cogdell, who sent eight Miramar players to Morgantown. (Cogdell himself would end up spending two years as co–defensive line coach with the Mountaineers.)

In Morgantown, fans were psyched to land the blue-chip QB Smith. There was considerably less fanfare when they signed his three-star teammate. “We pretty much made a vow to our families that we were going to focus and take care of school and go ball out,” says Bailey. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

Twenty miles northwest of Miami Beach lies the unglamorous suburb of Miami Gardens, a neighborhood of strip malls, fast-food joints, and vacant buildings. Though the overall crime rate has declined in recent years, murders have increased and gang activity is frequent. Still, the 19800 block of Northwest 38th Place is an unassuming road of fenced-in residences and palm trees, about a mile away from where Bailey started his high school football career.

At a quarter till 9 p.m. on that November 24, gunshots disturbed the relative tranquility. It wasn’t until the first bullet hit Reeves in the back that he knew there were shots directed at their car. A barrage of bullets pierced the SUV, sparking horror and confusion. Reeves tried pushing his cousin’s head down, while also jumping on top of both of his children to shield them. Bailey, in disbelief, looked over his shoulder to see his family in the middle of the cross fire.

Later, police estimated that about 30 shots were fired; a neighbor counted 33 shell casings littered along the narrow sidewalk. “It felt like they were shooting for two days,” Reeves says. After the final shot had been fired and the assailants had peeled off, Reeves checked on his children. Amazingly, neither was hit by a single bullet. He turned to his panicking son, Antwan Jr., who saw the blood dripping from a hole in Bailey’s forehead.

The 10-year-old shrieked at his father: “Dad, Sted is dead! Sted is dead!”


(Getty Images/Ringer illustration)

Throughout the Milan Puskar Center in Morgantown, the West Virginia football team shuffles from meeting to meeting, some in shower sandals, others in socks. It’s September 2016; the Mountaineers are 2–0 and in the middle of an early-season off week. Displayed prominently throughout the halls of the building are pictures of the team’s celebrated history.

Many of West Virginia’s best moments in recent years involved Bailey, whose 210 receptions, 3,218 yards, and 41 touchdowns in three seasons make him one of the most decorated players in school history. Bailey holds six West Virginia receiving records, including most touchdowns in a game, season, and career.

A day before hitting the recruiting trail, head coach Dana Holgorsen smiles in his office when asked about the year he first arrived in Morgantown, 2011. West Virginia’s final game that season, its last in the Big East, was an Orange Bowl date against Clemson. What most expected to be a close game turned out instead to be a famously lopsided victory, as the Mountaineers trounced the Tigers, 70–33.

Wideouts Bailey, then a sophomore, and Tavon Austin, a junior, ended the campaign as first and second in the record books for most receiving yards in a season in WVU history. Along with their quarterback, Smith, the Mountaineers had one of the most electrifying passing games in college football.

“I mean, people were scared to death of those three,” says Holgorsen. He points to the framed panoramic photo taken the next season during West Virginia’s game against Baylor, the Mountaineers’ first conference matchup as a member of the Big 12.

Holgorsen knew his 2012 team, picked to finish second in the conference, wasn’t as good as people expected them to be. But he also recognized that his offensive trio was special. The Baylor game is Holgorsen’s favorite memory of Bailey, who went for 13 catches, 303 yards, and five touchdowns — the last two breaking school records — in a wild 70–63 win.

“I was like, this guy’s pretty good,” Holgorsen tells me, grinning. Barely 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds, Bailey stood out not for his size but for his reliable hands and determined physicality. Austin says he still marvels thinking about some of Bailey’s one-handed catches in practices and games.

Holgorsen recalls Bailey’s contagious energy and competitive spirit, as well as his positive influence on the team. As Smith’s roommate for the first couple of years, Bailey kept the two on track academically so they could stay on the field for Saturday.

By the end of his junior season, Bailey had completed what remains the greatest season for a wide receiver in West Virginia history: 114 catches, 1,622, yards and 25 touchdowns — all school records. He finished as a second-team All-American and a finalist for the 2012 Biletnikoff Award, given each year to college football’s best wide receiver.

Bailey had nothing left to prove at the collegiate level. The next logical step was the NFL.

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9i0ZNwUURQ

Inside the Chevy Tahoe, the situation was dire. Reeves handed Antwan Jr. his cell phone and told him to call his mom. Thanksgiving would not be going as planned.

Exiting the shot-up Tahoe, Reeves somehow managed to stand up; he had been hit 11 times, in his back and right side. The Rams warmup gear he wore — gifts from Bailey — was covered in blood. “I didn’t know I had been shot that many times,” says Reeves. “After the first three or four bullets, I didn’t feel anything else.”

Opening the passenger’s-side door, Reeves saw Bailey’s face — and the hole over his right eye. “After the shooting ended, I just sat there, still in disbelief,” says Bailey. With his cousin fading, Reeves hit him in the chest to wake him up. “I said, ‘Damn, cuz, they shot you in the head,’” Reeves recalls. “He said, ‘For real?’”

“The fact that I couldn’t feel any pain, I found it hard to believe that I was hit,” says Bailey. “When I then looked down … and saw blood streaming off my face onto my shirt, at that point I knew things were real.” Gourdine came running out of the house upon hearing the commotion. Stunned to see the bloody aftermath, he hopped into the Tahoe and gunned it to the nearest hospital, just over 5 miles away. Don’t stop at any red lights, Reeves instructed Gourdine, not even for the police.

The cousins were now racing against time. The first hospital, Jackson North Medical Center, didn’t have a trauma center, so they were transferred 6 miles to Aventura Hospital. There, both men were rushed into surgery. Reeves, who had almost bled to death en route, was actually in worse shape than Bailey. Reeves would need an emergency blood transfusion before going on life support with damage to his liver, colon, and lungs.

Meanwhile, Bailey had survived two bullets to the head — the first entered behind his right ear and exited above his right eye, fracturing his skull and shattering the bone above his right eyebrow. The other grazed the right side of his head just above his ear. An intensive surgery would be required, but miraculously, there was no damage to his brain tissue.

Once alerted, Bailey’s family immediately left Atlanta for South Florida. All they could do now was pray.


(Getty Images/Ringer illustration)

Bailey left West Virginia after his junior year, alongside seniors Austin and Smith, to enter the 2013 NFL draft. There were questions about Bailey’s size, but scouts were impressed by his intelligence and ability to track the football. Though he was a projected third-rounder, Bailey flew to New York on draft day to show support to his more highly regarded teammates.

He was there to see Austin chosen eighth by the Rams; by the time Smith’s name was called by the Jets the following day, Bailey was back in Miami for his own draft party, at his grandmother’s house.

He’d soon be celebrating his own selection when the Rams picked him in the third round, no. 92 overall, reuniting him with Austin. As in Morgantown, the less-heralded Bailey would have to prove he belonged in St. Louis.

He started slowly, with only two catches through the first 11 games of his rookie season. But he began to show glimpses of promise toward the end of 2013, nabbing 15 catches for 195 yards over the season’s final five games. He scored his first NFL touchdown on a 27-yard double reverse against Tampa Bay.

The momentum heading into his second season was blunted by Bailey’s first suspension. A month after he came back, Bailey had his best moment yet as a pro with a memorable trick play against the Seahawks — fittingly, it was his ex-Mountaineer teammate Austin as his co-conspirator on the punt return.

On November 30, 2014, in the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” protest game, Bailey had a career-high 100 yards receiving in a 52–0 rout of the Raiders. For the season, Bailey finished with 30 catches for 435 yards and one receiving TD — numbers that indicated some progress for a second-year player. “The first couple seasons had its high and lows,” says Bailey. “It’s a blessing to be an NFL player and to have been a part of the Rams, but I want so much more out of myself.”

By the end of the 2015 preseason, Tony Fleming, Bailey’s agent, was bullish that his client was about to again become the playmaker who had once befuddled college defensive coordinators. “He was kind of the star of the camp,” says Fleming. “Everyone was like, ‘You should see Stedman. He’s shining out there.’ It was a big jump. They were surprised how far he had come.”

Halfway through that season, with only 12 receptions through eight games, Bailey was trying to find his place in the Rams offense. Then, on November 9, came the announcement of his second suspension. “[It was] me thinking I could get away with certain things,” he explains. “I can say I’ve learned from those mistakes.”

Two weeks later, getting back on the football field was the least of his worries.

Geno Smith was expecting the worst when he first entered the hospital room. Smith had come to Aventura on Thanksgiving Day to be by his friend’s side. Bailey’s eyes were barely open. But his former quarterback was encouraged by Bailey’s ability to remember a shared ritual.

“We’ve had this secret handshake since junior high,” Smith says. “He put his arms up and he did it, and I knew he’d be all right after that.” Bailey’s high school coach, Cogdell, was also an early visitor. “It was very odd to see this energetic and outgoing kid … with a big wound on his head and half his hair cut off,” Cogdell says.


(Courtesy of Stedman Bailey)

Bailey had undergone a grueling seven-hour procedure that altered the shape of his face; a titanium plate the size of a golf ball was inserted above his eyebrow. “I closed my eyes many times and just meditated,” Bailey says, “praying to God to pull me through this horrific moment.”

Confined to a hospital bed and unable to walk for weeks, he suffered from hallucinations, a side effect from the medicines he took to deal with the incessant pain. Bailey thought about his future, wanting to be there for his 4-year-old son, Stedman Jr.

But he was also already thinking about a return to the field: “I remember telling my doctors and physical therapist that my goal was to get back to playing football,” says Bailey. Though supportive, his team wasn’t so sure. While his third-year player was in the hospital, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said that Bailey might never play again, but also added: “He may surprise everybody.”

Bailey’s cousin, Reeves, had struggles of his own. One of the 11 bullets that had pierced his body was lodged in his back. When he was released from the hospital two days before Christmas, Reeves couldn’t walk, needing nurses to tend to him daily for the next two months.

His kids, traumatized by what they witnessed, were put into counseling. Reeves, a security specialist for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, eventually started a nonprofit called Mission Born Out of Madness and spoke outside the U.S. Capitol last summer on the need for stiffer laws against gun violence. “When you take a life or hurt someone, you put your family in jeopardy of being hurt, too,” he says. “We can all share this world without killing one another.”


Antwan Reeves (Timothy Bella)

There has yet to be an arrest connected to the shooting in Miami Gardens last November. Bailey believes the attack wasn’t premeditated. “I have heard different stories from the streets and I really think whoever the dudes were that did the shooting had the wrong [people],” Bailey says. “Senseless gun violence happened to us being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

One year later, the motive for the shooting still confounds Reeves. “To this day, I don’t know,” he says. “I don’t know what would be the motive to shoot up a truck with innocent people in it.”

In June, Fisher announced that Bailey had been waived by the Rams. “As I’ve said numerous times, he’s lucky to be alive,” Fisher said at the time. “Really at this point, there’s no medical research that will permit him to play. He’s seen several specialists. With that being said, we’re going to take care of Sted.” How they would, exactly, remained unclear.

For Bailey, the five months that followed the shooting were trying — and at times, deeply depressing. The scene in Miami Gardens kept playing in his head. But slowly, Bailey began to adjust to his new reality. He relearned to walk, jog, and run in rehab. By April, there was progress, with Bailey posting videos to Instagram of his first workout sessions since the shooting. “To me, Sted hasn’t lost a beat,” Austin says. “I try to push him to the limit. … A lot of people would have given up doing what he’s doing right now.”

The optimism surrounding a possible comeback cooled over the summer. The two gunshot wounds to Bailey’s head have been compared to an extremely severe concussion, which has led to a neurological concern that Bailey would be more vulnerable for head trauma if he were to resume playing football. “I’m leery of him going back,” says Cogdell, his high school coach.

Even though Bailey is able to run routes and participate in independent drills, doctors have told him that they would not clear him for at least a full year, holding him out until he can be evaluated in February. At that time, his agent Fleming says, they’ll reevaluate his status. Bailey may be determined, but his playing fate is not in his hands.

“We’re going to make sure Stedman Bailey is OK no matter what happens,” Smith says. “This gift of being in the NFL was taken away from him. He didn’t deserve that. … I’m with him every step of the way.”


(Getty Images/Ringer illustration)

The day after the shooting, police said that they were searching for a light-colored, four-door sedan, possibly a Buick Regal. Since then, there have been no further developments. A spokesperson for the Miami Gardens Police Department says that Bailey’s case remains an active investigation, and is “all-encompassing,” mentioning that outside agencies are involved, but refusing to name them. Calls and emails to the Miami Gardens chief of police and the lead detective on the case weren’t returned. The head of the Violent Crimes Unit declined to comment.

In September, Bailey said that he’d heard the three people responsible for the shooting had been apprehended. But this is hearsay, and hasn’t been confirmed by the Miami Gardens PD. “I don’t know the identity of anybody,” Bailey says. “Hopefully, I’ll find that info out sooner than later.”

Reeves is also in the dark about what happened to him and his cousin last November. “I’m just waiting on a call to tell us they got somebody,” he says. “Until then, I’m just trying to live.”

Once he cleared waivers after being cut by the Rams, there was some talk that Bailey might join their coaching staff. Instead, he called Holgorsen. The Mountaineers legend and his ex-coach worked out a deal: Bailey would return to Morgantown to get his degree and be a student assistant for the team this season. As an incentive, Fleming says, the university offered him financial aid comparable to that of a graduate assistant.

“I wanted him to come back,” says Holgorsen. “What happened to Stedman is life. The NFL is not always going to be there for you, so while you’re in college, you need to do everything you can to prepare for life after football.”

Bailey is currently focused on completing the 22 credits he needs to earn a communications degree while also helping out the team. Daikiel Shorts Jr., a senior wide receiver, says Bailey has worked with him specifically on his technique in goal-line situations. The Mountaineers are ranked 14th in the nation in total offense. “[Stedman] could be a good coach, but he’s gotta give up the playing dream,” Holgorsen says. “But he’s got a year to figure it out.”

Indeed, Bailey hasn’t surrendered hope on a return to the NFL, continuing to rehab and stay in playing shape. His agent says that if Bailey is medically cleared in February, he could be back on an NFL roster as soon as next season. His relationship with the Rams is cordial, but Bailey is eager to go to any team that will give him a chance. “He’s still Stedman,” says Austin. “One of these days, I want to be standing next to him or standing across the field from him.”

The redemption story, then, has been interrupted, but it’s not over yet. “I’m gonna keep working my tail off, stay prayed up, and I’m gonna find my way back into the league,” says Bailey. “We, as human beings, will all face adversity. What makes you as a person is how you respond.”

I am as critical of Fisher as any member of this board, so I would be thrilled if the Rams went in a new direction completely. However, if you look at the defense with a proven DC in Williams, they rank 6th in the NFL. Special teams are also really strong, so we would all like to retain Fassel. Knowing the Rams are a handful of plays away from 7-3/8-2 perhaps an Offense make-over is the the way to go.

Perhaps a Fisher intervention is the easiest path. For that to work, Fisher would have to hand over they keys and become a game manager, and let his new OC control all aspects of the offense. If memory serves, thats what the Rams did when Vermiel handed over the offense to Martz. Think of how Tomlin was successful in Pittsburgh. He had Arians running the Offense with LeBeu running the defense.

For the last two seasons, Fisher has done it his way on offense, hiring from within and it has been a disaster. He needs help badly and a wise man would recognize, react and adapt rather than dig in and fight.

It seems that the general consensus here is that we should move on from Jeff Fisher. I don't know what the Rams will do. Some will say that this thread is premature. You're entitled to that opinion. But this is a message board, so we might as well speculate. Here are the coaches that I'd consider leading candidates for the job along with my thoughts (in no order):
1. Anthony Lynn OC Buffalo Bills
Pros

• Former NFL player who is reportedly incredibly respected by players in the locker-room
• Diverse coaching tree (coached under Parcells, Del Rio, Ryan, Shanahan, and Crennel)
• Highly successful position coach and successful thus far as an OC

Cons

• No HC experience and very little OC experience
• No clue what sort of staff he'd pull

My Outlook

• I think he's a strong candidate for us because he's offensive-minded and should connect well with players. I have concerns about his lack of experience and ability to pull a top tier staff. However, he does have connections with a ton of different coaching trees, and he's done well it at every step of the way thus far as a coach.

2. Jim Bob Cooter OC Detroit Lions
Pros

• Offensive-minded coach whose system looks amazing in Detroit
• Experience as a player and a coach is with Quarterbacks (good for Goff)
• Modern offensive scheme

Cons

• Very young (32 years old)
• No HC experience and very little OC experience
• No clue what sort of staff he'd pull as he doesn't have a diverse coaching tree and is very young

My Outlook

• Cooter has really taken the NFL by storm by helping Detroit to first place in the NFC North. He has Stafford playing at the highest level of his career, and his system looks highly effective. Cooter is a much easier sell here if he stuck with Gregg Williams, the defensive staff, and John Fassel (as well as his staff). That would alleviate my concerns about his ability to put together a staff.

3. Matt Patricia DC New England Patriots
Pros

• Experience coaching both sides of the ball
• Considered to be absolutely brilliant and has been successful as a coordinator
• Seems highly energetic, well-liked by his players, and very enthusiastic about his job

Cons

• No HC experience
• Belichick's assistants have not fared well outside of New England
• What sort of staff will he put together? (limited coaching tree)

My Outlook

• Patricia is an interesting one. Hiring a Belichick assistant scares me, but Patricia is reportedly exceptionally brilliant. What makes him a rarity to me is that exceptionally brilliant coaches generally seem to be the types who don't connect well with players. From my observations, Patricia is very well-liked by the guys who play for him. He reminds me a lot of Mike Zimmer in the energy and passion he brings to games.

4. Todd Haley OC Pittsburgh Steelers
Pros

• Has some success as a head coach and a lot of success as an OC
• Runs a modern scheme that perfectly fits Goff's game
• Comes from a very diverse coaching tree (should be able to put a good staff together)

Cons

• Failed as a HC the first time; reportedly had issues with the players in the locker-room
• Walked into a stable situation in Pittsburgh with a ton of offensive talent
• He didn't play football in college or the pros

My Outlook

• I like the scheme that Haley brings, and there's no doubt that he's a very bright offensive mind. I do have concerns about his ability to handle the locker-room. It was a struggle for him in Kansas City. He did have a playoff year in KC, but he also got fired. I'm on the fence with him. The most important thing for me with our next coaching hire is that the guys in the locker-room will play for and respect that coach.

5. Kyle Shanahan OC Atlanta Falcons
Pros

• Long track record of success in a lot of different situations
• Modern offense that would work well with the pieces we have
• Should have the sufficient connections to create a great staff

Cons

• A lot of rumors floating around that players don't like him
• No HC experience
• Young (36 years old)

My Outlook

• If it were strictly Xs and Os, Shanahan would be #1 on my list because I think his scheme perfectly fits our offense. He's a brilliant coordinator. However, I'd avoid hiring him if the rumors are true. The rumors are that he's very arrogant and rubs players the wrong way. This led to players in Washington not liking him and players in Atlanta currently do not like him. I wouldn't want to take a chance on a coach who is not liked by players.

6. David Shaw HC Stanford University
Pros

• He has 6 years of head coaching experience despite being only 44 years old
• Successful head coach (62-17 record at Stanford)
• Offensive-minded head coach who has shown the ability to adapt to his talent
• Has experience in the NFL working under Jon Gruden and Brian Billick
• Played in college for Bill Walsh and Dennis Green
• Father coached in the NFL for over a decade

Cons

• Has a lot of good reasons to remain at Stanford
• Is a conservative game manager
• Hasn't been able to win a national championship at the college level

My Outlook

• Personally, I think David Shaw is our best option. However, I don't know that he wants to leave Stanford. What makes Shaw a strong option is that he runs a pro style offense that he adapts to his personnel, he has experience working in the NFL, he has a lot of connections in the NFL, and he's a successful head coach already at a young age. He does have a streak of Fisherness in him (tends to be very conservative with the lead), but his offensive philosophy isn't antiquated. I think he'd work well with the personnel we have.

7. Mike McCarthy HC Green Bay Packers
Pros

• Offensive-minded HC with a Super Bowl ring
• Known as one of the best QB developers in football
• Modern offensive system
• Can put together a strong staff
• Not old for a coach who has 11 years experience and 100+ wins as a HC (53 years old)

Cons

• Is being stubborn with his offensive system in Green Bay
• Things seem to have gotten stale in Green Bay
• Is a conservative game manager
• Unlikely to be fired

My Outlook

• Truth is that it's hard to argue with Mike McCarthy's track record. If he came available, I'd go all in on him. Unfortunately, I think he's highly unlikely to be fired despite what some rumors say.

You might notice that I didn't include a few names. I didn't include Josh McDaniels because I wouldn't consider him for the job. I think you have many of the same issues that you have with Kyle Shanahan (arrogance and disliked by players) without the track record of success in many different situations.(McDaniels has universally failed outside of NE)

I didn't include Jim Schwartz because he feels like much of the same with Fisher. Schwartz is a brilliant DC, but he was too similar of a HC to his mentor, Jeff Fisher. I think we need fresh blood who has a fresh offensive approach.

I didn't include a number of coaches who are retreads in my minds because they already got shots as HC and failed. Some of them failed multiple times. These coaches include Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, Rod Marinelli, John Fox, etc.

I also didn't include coaches who are either too old (ex. Tom Coughlin) or are retired (ex. Jon Gruden). Frankly, I'm just not interesting in trying to relive the past with guys like Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, etc.

What do you guys think? Is there anyone I missed? Who would you like to see hired?(you don't have to agree with me...maybe you want Norv Turner or Jon Gruden; everybody's opinion is welcome)

I want to state at the outset: This is not a thread to rip Fisher in. We have enough of those already. Let's just focus on who we want moving forward. I know that we may not fire Fisher, but this is a forum. Half of the fun is speculating and playing armchair GM.

Check out @MylesASimmons's Tweet: Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/MylesASimmons/status/800872417958588416?s=09

Linkage for it.. They also have a lot of podcasts/archives up on yesterday's game.

http://www.espn.com/espnradio/losangeles/play?s=la

He was just a guest on Colin Cowherd's show and despite currently being the least-successful and least-"exciting" sports team in Los Angeles, he doesn't believe Kroenke will use that as a reason to fire Fisher. He believes the main focus right now is building the stadium which they will call their own. Perhaps they will look for someone to replace Fisher before they open the stadium, but the key word around the team right now is "patience".

So there you go. Neither winning nor attendance matters. Different year, different market... same ol', same ol'.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...fs-dream-debut-turns-into-nightmare-rams-loss

LOS ANGELES -- She was leaning over a railing atop the wide, well-worn tunnel leading from the L.A. Coliseum's locker rooms to the corner of the west end zone, waiting for the chance to make a visual connection with her son before he took the field to thunderous applause, when Nancy Goff's eyes got unmistakably moist.

Alas, she wasn't tearing up: The moment Nancy's son, Jared, had been dreaming about for most of his 22 years was about to arrive, but instead of being awash in sentiment and emotion, she was wiping away raindrops from her seemingly ageless face. It was an act Nancy -- whose game-day attire included stylish aviator shades, a long, thin, white sweater and white sandals -- would perform over and over throughout a soggy Sunday afternoon in Southern California. Wash, rinse, repeat.

"It's just so un-friggin-believable that it's raining here, today, of all days," Nancy said as she waited for Jared to appear a few minutes before kickoff, while standing a few yards from her and her family's seats near the bottom of Section 10. "I mean, how is this happening? I just never thought that when this day came, it would be like this."

It was Mother Nature 1, Mother Goff 0 -- and by nightfall, she was on the wrong side of a more significant score. After utterly dominating the Miami Dolphins for 53 minutes, the Rams dropped a 14-10 decision in front of 83,483 fans, spoiling the promising but ultimately unfulfilling debut of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

While Goff's future may be bright, the Rams' newly installed quarterback of the present had a mood to match the dreary weather as he stood alone at his locker following Sunday's stunning defeat.

"That was just brutal," Goff told me, slapping his right hand against his knee for emphasis. "We had it. We let it slip away. And the worst part is, we did it to ourselves."

He wasn't lying: With the Rams (4-6) holding a 10-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter and Goff guiding them toward what looked like a potential game-clinching score, it appeared as though this was a heartwarming, made-for-television Tinseltown tale approaching its inevitably cheery ending. Instead, for Goff and the home team, a horror flick ensued.

Call it Nightmare At Exposition Park.

"Jared was everything we needed," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said as he stood in the hallway leading to the coaches' locker room, a few minutes after completing his press conference. "His presence was great. His communication was great. He made reads and checks and got us in the right protections and had command of the run game. He slid in the pocket and he made throws. He was in control, and he knew it -- it was no different than the way I was feeling.

"He didn't lose it. Had the defense made a stop, we'd be in here smiling, and the story would have been, 'Jared won the game for us.' And up until the end, he thought he was gonna win this game, and so did I."

Seven months after the Rams selected the former Cal star with the top pick, and five days after Fisher announced that Goff had supplanted placeholder Case Keenum as the starter, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the misty air as fans flocked to this aged stadium steeped in so much history. And nowhere was the anticipation greater than in Parking Lot 1, where a couple dozen of Goff's family members (including father Jerry and big sister Lauren) and friends tailgated outside an RV, with pulled pork and California microbrews enhancing the festivities.

"I'm nervous, but I'm also very, very excited," Nancy said. "The first few weeks, they were doing well, and I think Jared was fine sitting and watching. But the last few weeks, he's been like, 'I can't wait' -- and now, the wait is finally over."

Why now? Well, glad you asked. Four games into the season, the Rams -- on the strength of a surprising, 17-13 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals -- were 3-1, and Fisher felt no compulsion to rush his rookie into action. They then proceeded to lose their next four, with Keenum becoming increasingly unproductive.

Last Sunday, L.A. slogged out a 9-6 road victory over the New York Jets, marking the second time this season the Rams had managed to win a game without scoring a touchdown. By that point, Fisher was already convinced that the time had come to go with Goff, whose promise had compelled the franchise to swing a blockbuster deal with the Tennessee Titans allowing them to move up 14 spots in the draft.

"Look, he's the future of the franchise, and we went up and drafted the kid for a reason," one Rams source familiar with Fisher's mindset said before Sunday's game. "The offense needed a spark, and we're not totally out of [playoff contention], so we might as well see what he's got.

"There'll probably be some moments where he makes throws that make you go, 'Wow -- I see why he's the No. 1 pick.' And there'll be others where he looks like a rookie making his first start. But the bottom line is, what's the worst thing that's gonna happen? We don't score a touchdown?"

After the game, during which Goff put up relatively pedestrian numbers (17 of 31, 134 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions) but was hardly overwhelmed by the moment, Fisher told me, "It was a progression. All the way through [the season], he grew. We saw it every week. And finally, we'd seen enough where I knew it was time."

On Tuesday morning, Goff and Keenum were alone in a room watching game film at the team's temporary training facility in Thousand Oaks, California, when Fisher walked in and abruptly informed them, "I'm going to go with Jared this week," explaining his reasoning over the next few minutes before departing. The situation could have been abundantly awkward, "but it really wasn't," Goff recalled, "because Case has been such a pro about this, and we've really been supportive of each other the whole time."

Goff spent the next several days grinding as though it were finals week at Cal. "I called him Thursday night to check in," Goff's cousin, Kevin Mirchandani, said at the pregame tailgate. "I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'I'm alone at the facility, just watching film.' And that's pretty much how it was all week. I'm anxious, but I've been watching him play since Pop Warner, and I've never seen a game be too big for him."

Seconds later, as if scripted by a Hollywood screenwriter, it began to rain -- and it was impossible not to think back to Goff's freshman year at Cal, when he had such a miserable outing in a rain-drenched game at Oregon that he was pulled in the first quarter. In the months leading up to the draft, he addressed his can't throw a wet ball stigma by shining in a private workout for the Rams in a Berkeley downpour and, at the end of his Pro Day throwing session, uncorking a football subjected to some squirts from a Gatorade bottle by Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.

"This isn't even really rain," Jerry Goff said hopefully as he stood in his seat in Section 10, near the southwest corner of the stadium, a few minutes before Sunday's kickoff. "It shouldn't make much of a difference to him. When I watched him spin it in pregame warmups, it really calmed me down."

As the rainfall steadily increased, however, it became clear that both offenses were affected by the elements. In fairness to Goff, he seemed to handle the wet conditions at least as well as veteran Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose first 11 drives of the game ended with 10 punts and a third-quarter interception (one play after Miami had recovered a fumble by Rams tight end Lance Kendricks, who'd just caught a nice throw over the middle by Goff but subsequently lost his grip).

The Rams, meanwhile, punctuated their second drive with a 24-yard touchdown run by halfback Todd Gurley, one play after Goff's crisp slant to receiver Kenny Britt that resulted in a 19-yard gain. Moments like that warmed a mother's heart -- even as Nancy Goff's sandal-clad feet were subjected to an unanticipated stream of chilliness.

"We obviously didn't see the rain coming," Nancy said during a third-quarter TV timeout. Turning to her daughter, a UCLA graduate student who also spent her undergraduate years at the Westwood campus, she asked, "Lauren -- during all the years you've lived here, how many days have been like this, where it just rains steadily?"

"Like today?" Lauren asked, laughing. "Maybe two. I mean, growing up in Northern California, we got days like this all the time, and sometimes I kind of miss them. But it would be great if I could just be curled up on my couch."

Said Nancy: "You know what this is? It's 'The Goff Luck.' "

The Goff Luck?

"Obviously, we've been very lucky in life, so it's not literal," Nancy said. "But sometimes odd things happen, where we go, 'Is this really happening to us right now?' and this goes waaay back on Jerry's side of the family, so it's something we've always kind of laughed about. The rain today is classic Goff Luck."

There was some Goff skill on display, too. He showed the propensity for smart, quick decision-making and trademark rapid release that made him such an enticing prospect. He picked up blitzes, uncorked some of the throws (like deep outs) that Keenum had trouble completing and made relatively few mistakes. Goff also slid in the pocket to extend throws and surprisingly did some damage with his feet, rushing four times for 11 yards. In the fourth quarter, he had a crowd-pleasing, 11-yard scamper (on third-and-10) that was called back because of an illegal block by left tackle Greg Robinson.

After one run, Goff told me later, referee Gene Steratore came up to him and joked, "You keep running around like that, and I'm gonna have to make you quit."

Conversely, Goff at times looked like a player making his first career start, sailing some passes and largely failing to stretch the field in the manner his coaches had hoped. He took only one sack, but it was a doozy: On a third-and-4 play in the second quarter, Goff spun in the pocket, seemed to lose his spatial awareness and drifted right into the path of Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake, who put a hit on the quarterback that loosely translated to, Stay Woke.

"That was pretty much my 'Welcome to the NFL moment,' " Goff said afterward as he left the stadium, walking about three feet behind the smiling Wake. "I made a bad decision, and he made me pay for it. He crushed me."

In the end, however, Goff was still standing -- and at least one renowned quarterback guru was impressed.

"We pressured the s--- out of him, and he didn't look bothered at all," Dolphins coach Adam Gase told me after exiting his postgame press conference. "I mean, believe me, I had my own problems -- but from what I could tell, he handled the moment and executed the plan. It's a good sign for them."

All signs pointed to a Rams victory after they got the ball back at midfield with 11:07 remaining and a 10-0 lead. Goff confidently drove the Rams to the Miami 30, with Britt catching a 6-yard pass on fourth-and-7. Fisher considered going for it but instead sent kicker Greg Zuerlein onto the field, only to watch his 48-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright.

Then, suddenly, the rain abated -- and Tannehill and the Dolphins awoke, sandwiching a pair of rapid-fire touchdown drives around a three-and-out on which Goff threw underneath to Brian Quick for a six-yard gain on third-and-10. A pair of untimely personal fouls on Rams defenders (linebacker Alec Ogletree and defensive tackle Aaron Donald) didn't help the home team's cause, either.

"I almost wish it had kept raining the whole game," Goff said. "When it was raining, we didn't want to put it in the air and take too many chances, and they were kind of approaching it the same way. Then the rain let up and it was like they said, 'Whoa, maybe we can throw it.' "

Tannehill's 9-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker put Miami ahead by four with 36 seconds remaining, but the Dolphins' fifth consecutive victory would not be secured until the final play. Benny Cunningham returned the ensuing kickoff to the Rams' 41, and a pair of Goff completions moved the ball to the Dolphins' 48 with five seconds to go.

The young quarterback dropped back one last time, deftly swept to his left to avoid pressure and uncorked a high pass that drifted toward the middle of the end zone.

"The main thing was, I didn't want to get sacked," Goff said. "And when I let it go, I really felt we were gonna get lucky on the Hail Mary."

Instead, the Rams got The Goff Luck: The ball sailed toward the waiting hands of Parker -- moonlighting as a defensive back in the prevent defense -- who deflected it out of the end zone.

The Rams trudged into the locker room a grumpy bunch, but harboring hope that their young franchise quarterback will build upon an unsatisfying debut and provide some punch to an underwhelming attack.

"The kid has some s--- to him," one Rams assistant said afterward. "It sucks to lose, but you never really know how it's gonna go until you throw him in there, and it went well. He definitely has the poise you want in a quarterback."

For what it's worth, one quarterback who knows a bit about the subject -- a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer -- said he liked what he saw of Goff.

"Yeah, absolutely," said Dolphins special advisor to the president/CEO Dan Marino. "He did good."

Well, for the most part, he did. Goff's biggest failure on Sunday, it turns out, may have been his ill-advised wardrobe choices (hey, it runs in the family). The NorCal native walked out of the Coliseum and into the rainy SoCal night wearing jeans and a button-up dress shirt and was summarily soaked by the time he reached the parking lot, where scores of Rams family members were huddled under a white tent.

"I hate going in there," Goff said of the family area. Instead, he stood out in the rain until his family members spotted him. When Nancy reached her son, she wrapped him in a robust hug and said, "Jared, you did great. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, mom," he said softly.

This time, her eyes were filled with more than raindrops.

Follow Michael Silver on Twitter @mikesilver.

Sadly it will be following the 2018 season before my prediction is either proven accurate or debunked, but there's no time like the present to make the following statement....

By the conclusion of his junior year, assuming of course no career ending injury, I predict that Sam Darnold will be recognized as the best QB in USC history and that's taking a lot of years and players into account. Unfortunately, this prediction is not strictly dependent upon the number of wins and losses or total points scored,etc., but instead his entire body of work, acumen and performance..

Currently Linert is considered the best QB in USC's storied past, but this young man (Darnold) is IMO, head and shoulders above any QB I've ever seen play at that university and my time period reference goes back to 1962's, Pete Bethard. This young man can do it all, his decision making, vision, athleticism and abilities are plain to see. If the Rams wish a true QB to lead them into the future at their new facility, this is the guy. Unfortunately, he'll probably end up with some 1-15 team, but that's football.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/statistics/team/_/stat/total/position/defense

Imagine how much better the defense could be if our offense was good. Opponents would play from behind and throw the ball more, more opportunities to get sacks and interceptions.

Last night Jay Gruden went for it on fourth and 1 while in their own territory. The Skins scored on that drive and put the Packers away for good. It could have backfired but it instilled confidence in their offense that they could make that 1 yard, and confidence in their defense to stop Aaron Rodgers in case it failed. How different that is from the Rams "prevent offense" philosophy. Final score: Redkins 42/Packers 24. Redskins are now 6-3-1.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/11/21/...ackers-jay-gruden-coaching-staff-kirk-cousins

How Washington has Become a Winner
Jay Gruden and his coaching staff have are overseeing a team that keeps improving on both sides of the ball
By Andy Benoit


Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The low-hanging fruit from Week 11’s Sunday night game is Headline: Packers Lose Again. Green Bay’s offense remains a week-to-week proposition (this week happened to be a good one… for the most part), and the defense, riddled with injuries, has had more big plays go through it than the New Amsterdam Theatre. The Packers are far too talented to be 4-6. Fingers that are not pointed at Aaron Rodgers and his receivers usually—and understandably—go to Mike McCarthy and his assistants.

But instead of criticizing a maligned coaching staff, let’s laud one that doesn’t get nearly enough praise. Sunday night wasn’t about Green Bay losing, it was about Washington winning. And while the game may have looked like a coming-out party for what’s now a 6-3-1 team, it actually was more of a snapshot of how that team has performed over the last month and a half.

Washington plays a very specific brand of football—one good enough to last deep into the postseason. (That is, if this team can first make its way out of the powerhouse NFC East. It gets its crack at the 9-1 Cowboys on Thanksgiving.)

Several things define this brand on offense, many of them scheme-related. One reason it was hard to pinpoint a value on a long-term contract for the now-franchise-tagged Kirk Cousins is that Washington’s offensive system defines much of the quarterback’s job for him.

Cousins, to his credit, capitalized on this down the stretch in 2015 and has continued to do so this year. He is throwing extremely well at the deep and, especially, intermediate levels. He’s also operating proficiently on the move. Both are critical to Washington’s play-action game, which is the NFL’s most expansive.

It features an array of different deep shot designs (headlined by DeSean Jackson and, lately, Jamison Crowder), quick-hitter concepts (Pierre Garçon) and rolled pockets (Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis). Almost all of these play-actions have multiple targets to choose from—and not necessarily just the either/or options that define many play-actions, but full three-man route combinations that out-leverage the defense in multiple directions.

Many of Washington’s route combinations, play-action or no play-action, are designed to beat specific coverages. And it’s become apparent that few offensive game-callers are better at predicting coverages than Jay Gruden and coordinator Sean McVay. You see from them diverse man-beater route concepts, with receivers motioning, stacking and switching off the line of scrimmage.

You see routes that flood zones with multiple receivers. Or, routes that high-low certain defenders, sending one receiver behind him and another in front. All of these help clarify a quarterback’s reads.

When you rely on a system like this, week-to-week success becomes easier. You depend less on players and more on geometry. (And remember, geometry never has an off day.)

Last season Washington had an aerial attack this sharp but couldn’t run the ball. That’s changed. It’s not just that the ground game now ranks in the top 10 in yards per attempt after placing 30th in 2015, it’s that it’s churning out yards in critical situations.

In Week 3 against the Giants, for example, Washington ran eight times on its game-winning field goal drive. The following week it ran eight times for 56 yards to set up two fourth quarter touchdowns in a come-from-behind win over the Browns. Most recently, on Sunday night, it posted 103 yards on 20 second-half runs, gradually pulling away from Green Bay.

The common factor here is that most runs have come out of three-tight-end sets, usually with all three tight ends up on the line of scrimmage. This is true trench-fighting football. Smashmouth, even, though it’s hard to quite characterize it completely as that given how many of these runs take the shape of outside zone, where blockers beat defenders with angles more than power.

Teaching these angles is venerable O-line coach Bill Callahan. He has everyone along this front five either overachieving (see center Spencer Long, or fill-in left tackle Ty Nsekhe) or playing up to their considerable raw talent (see first-round right guard Brandon Scherff or, before his suspension, left tackle Trent Williams).

And now Washington has found a reliable runner behind these blockers, having replaced Matt Jones with Robert Kelley, who offers better quickness and agility but also has Jones’s propensity for finishing runs.

Nothing is new with Washington’s offense; it’s all the same, just better. Where actual change is occurring is on defense. Almost too insipid as a pure zone unit last season to even be labeled vanilla, coordinator Joe Barry’s D now features a litany of different zone concepts, including matchup zones and, yes, snaps of straight man-to-man.

Significant snaps of man-to-man, in fact. Adding Josh Norman has probably helped expand the scheme (few things liberate defensive play-callers like a top-shelf corner), but there’s also the factor of players just becoming more familiar with each other and their surroundings.

Typically, upticks in man coverage correlate with upticks in blitzing. The tactics go hand-in-hand. Barry, however, has often relied on his four-man rush, which is generating much better results in 2016. Veteran edge man Ryan Kerrigan’s long arms and mechanically refined bull rush have led to eight sacks.

Trent Murphy and especially Preston Smith have flashed at times on the other side. Inside, Chris Baker continues to ascend after already becoming the NFL’s most improved interior pass rusher a year ago.

And finally, the latest element to this defense: Su’a Cravens. Healthy after missing most of Weeks 5 and 6 with a concussion, the second-round rookie is getting snaps at linebacker in various sub-packages, where he serves as a run defender, flexible cover guy and, Sunday against Aaron Rodgers, blitzer or spy. With Cravens, Washington can potentially offset an offense’s mismatch-making running backs or tight ends and infuse more deception and disguise into its own pre-snap looks.

When we gather around to watch this team on our great American holiday Thursday afternoon, we can look to its offense and defense as an uplifting reminder that it is possible for both sides in Washington to come together and prosper. At least if Jay Gruden and his staff are running things, that is.

Sorry if this was mentioned in a thread some where already but couldn't find anything official. But this really sucks for the kid. Now we have no one for depth or packages calling for a little more beef behind the line.

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Bonsignore: Rams' latest change again does nothing to fix their problems under Jeff Fisher
Nov. 20, 2016

Updated Nov. 21, 2016 8:51 a.m.

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF COLUMNIST

LOS ANGELES – Leave it to the kid with all of one NFL game under his belt to provide the spot-on analysis of the sorry state of the Rams affairs.

And in an unintentional, roundabout way put the onus right on Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who has overseen this nonsense for five years running and no longer deserves a sixth year to finally get it right.

Enough is enough.

It's not working.

Never has, likely never will.

No matter how many promises Fisher makes to get things fixed week after week after week, come Sunday afternoon it's Groundhog Day, Rams style.

And Jared Goff is on to it.

“Seems like it’s been a story for a while now.” Goff said after another week of self-inflicted Rams wounds.

Nailed it.

But then, the rookie quarterback from Cal had a front-row seat to the madness and frustration over the first nine games of the season. Which, when you think about it, makes him an expert on these sorts of things by now.

Of the same old tired mistakes and penalties and excuses and putrid offense and blown games. All of which reared their ugly heads – again – in the Rams’ spirit-numbing 14-10 loss Sunday to the Miami Dolphins in which the they essentially gift-wrapped the Dolphins’ two touchdowns over the final five minutes to ruin all the good vibes of Goff's first career start.

As first turns go, Goff played OK while completing 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards. Operating in the Rams’ deliberate, careful, safe offense – OK, OK, overly cautious, boring, and playing-not-to-lose offense – Goff avoided any critical mistakes and helped build the 10-0 lead they carried into the final five minutes.

But it all came crumbling down from that point on.

By ways and means it always seems to fall apart for the Rams.

That Goff was an active participant Sunday rather than the sideline observer he'd been the first nine games only changed his vantage point.

Otherwise, it was the same nonsense it's always been.

This year and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that.

And certainly on Sunday, when the Rams sprung out of the starter's blocks like Usain Bolt and led from beginning to near end. Then, just as they reached for the finish line, their feet got tangled, their bodies began to wobble and thud, they crumbled to the ground in a heap as the Dolphins sprinted right past them for the win.

“We just need to stay out of our own way,” Goff said, trying to make sense of it all.

And doing a pretty darn good job of it, actually.

Get out of their own way indeed.

Might as well get used to it, kid.

As long Fisher is your boss anyway.

That same old story you referenced is sadly and poignantly accurate.

Want your mind blown? The Rams fell to 4-6 for the fourth straight year under Fisher. And the season before that they were 3-6-1 at the 10-game point with him as the coach.

You have to try really, really hard to pull off that kind of dubious feat.

Or be really, really bad.

What's so frustrating is the Rams really aren't that bad, though. They play playoff-caliber defense and their special teams are aces and they are competitive every time they take the field.

Yet somehow, some way, they always wind up 4-6 or worse 10 games into a season under Fisher before ending up 7-9 or worse.

They've changed quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. They've invested high picks in the offensive line. They've rebuilt the defense. They drafted offensive weapons such as Todd Gurley Tavon Austin with top 10 picks

They've changed and altered and tinkered and talked over and over about fixing things and addressing issues and getting problems solved.

But nothing ever gets fixed.

It's just lather, rinse and repeat.

The offense remains in a standstill, partly out of talent but also handcuffed by philosophy.

Fisher is married to a punishing run game and a deliberate approach to the pass game in which short, careful passes are preferred over big shots down field.

It's an understandable approach, especially with a defense as good as the Rams'.

But there is a major flaw, and it goes right to the heart of Fisher's biggest problem.

His teams aren't disciplined enough to carry the plan out from beginning to end.

Fisher's offense is so deliberate, and the defense so good, games are inherently close. So close that there's literally no margin for error.

And the Rams are anything but perfect, as their eight penalties proved again on Sunday.

Almost all the penalties severely wounded the Rams, be it Greg Robinson's block in the back to nullify a Goff first-down scramble, or Alec Ogletree's unnecessary roughness penalty to aid the Dolphins’ first touchdown drive, or Aaron Donald's roughing-the-passer infraction to assist their winning touchdown march.

You can't say it's a one-game deal, either.

Because it happens week after week after week. The Rams came into Sunday committing the fourth most penalties in the league. It's been an issue for years.

The one constant is Fisher. It's his team and his vision.

And really, his failure.

“We've got a lot of things to improve on,” he said.

It sounded remarkably like what he said after the five previous losses.

The last five years, for that matter.

Enough is enough already.

It's not working.

http://www.rams-news.com/bonsignore-rams-latest-change-nothing-fix-problems-jeff-fisher/

The Rams’ Jared Goff struggled in his pro debut on Sunday. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Succumbing to pressure and temptation after waiting 10 weeks, Los Angeles Rams Coach Jeff Fisher announced this week the Rams would start first overall draft pick Jared Goff at quarterback. But was that really him out there Sunday afternoon, or just Case Keenum wearing a No. 16 Jared Goff jersey? The Rams looked no different on offense, no better than the decrepit unit that has scored 14 offensive touchdowns in 10 games. The obvious and harsh reality, laid bare in an unsightly, season-killing loss, might make the Rams’ next big change come at head coach.

The time to judge Goff is not in the minutes after his debut, a 14-10 loss at home to Miami in which the Dolphins scored both of their touchdowns in the final 4:02. But the rookie from Cal revealed nothing that would suggest the Rams waited to start him for any reason other than he’s just not very good yet.

The Rams, now 4-6 and falling from the NFC’s playoff picture, must grapple with two questions. The first is whether Goff will ever be any good, or if they wasted the two first-round picks, and then some, they traded to the Tennessee Titans in order to move up and select him. The second is whether they can even really know when Goff is being coached by Fisher and first-year offensive coordinator Rob Boras, neither of whom have shown they understand how to develop a quarterback.

[Jeff Fisher ties Tom Landry for second-most losses by an NFL coach]

Goff completed 17 of his 31 passes for 134 yards, spending the entire game throwing short passes. His longest completion came to Tavon Austin for 21 yards and involved mostly Austin running after the catch. Goff avoided disaster, taking only one sack and throwing no interceptions. But with the Rams’ defensive line obliterating a banged-up Miami offensive line, Goff had the entire game to seize control, to put together one drive that could have sealed the game. And he couldn’t. Goff led an unthreatening, bland offense.

Goff will be compared most often with Carson Wentz, whom the Philadelphia Eagles selected second overall. Leading up to the draft, Goff and Wentz were the obvious candidates to be picked in the first two slots, with the order the only mystery.

While Wentz has commanded the Eagles from Week 1, the Rams decided against even making Goff active in the first game. It would be easy to assume, it might be true, that Goff is simply not ready and the Rams made the wrong choice. It sure looks that way now, but we need more time to say that definitively.

But it’s also possible the Rams would seemingly have the worse quarterback no matter who they picked, because of the offensive infrastructure around him. In Philadelphia, Wentz plays for coordinator Frank Reich, a former NFL quarterback, and Doug Pederson, a first-year head coach who trained for years under Andy Reid, one of the NFL’s most experienced and brightest offensive minds. In Dallas, rookie Dak Prescott plays under Jason Garrett, an experienced NFL coach and longtime NFL backup quarterback, and Scott Linehan, a former head coach and a creative play-caller.

In Los Angeles, Goff plays for Fisher, who with the Rams already failed to develop one first overall pick in Sam Bradford. His offensive coordinator, Boras, spent the rest of his NFL career coaching tight ends. Goff may be able to hand off to Todd Gurley, but his wide receivers have no ability to create space, and his offensive line is lousy. The Rams are not exactly set up for Goff to excel right away.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ng-debut-places-doubt-in-jeff-fishers-future/

Can't stand the guy but hope he's okay and will recover.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/11/21/bruce-arians-hospitalized-with-chest-pain/

Bruce Arians hospitalized with chest pain
Posted by Mike Florio on November 21, 2016

Getty Images

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has been hospitalized with chest pains.

Said the team in a statement, “After returning home from Minnesota . . . Arians was experiencing discomfort and not feeling well during the night. His wife took him to a local hospital to be evaluated. All tests conducted so far have come back favorably. He remains in the hospital for continued evaluation.”

Arians was hospitalized during the preseason with stomach pain. The incident was attributed to diverticulitis, an inflammation of the colon.

We extend our best wishes to Bruce Arians, and we hope that he’ll receive a clean bill of health and rejoin his family and his team quickly.

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