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These five dream trades would shake up the NFL
The NFL trade deadline is just around the corner as it’ll be here on Tuesday, Nov. 1. It doesn’t come with the flash and eye-popping moves that the NBA or MLB provide, but there will still be a handful of moves made before next week. In fact, the Patriots have already started making swaps, striking two trades on Tuesday.
Despite the fact that stars will almost certainly be staying put and it’s highly doubtful any big-time moves are made, it’s fun to speculate and imagine.
These five trades are highly unlikely to happen – we know that – but let’s take some time to consider how fantastic these deals would be for the NFL, and how much they would shift the power across the league.
The Broncos are stacked at just about every position on the roster. Their defense has no holes, their receivers are Pro Bowl-caliber, and the rushing attack is strong with C.J. Anderson and rookie Devontae Booker. The one area of concern is quarterback where Trevor Siemian has been decent, but not great.
Enter Tony Romo.
The Cowboys have their quarterback of the future in Dak Prescott and they’ve won five of six games with him under center. His emergence has led the Cowboys to question whether Romo should get his job back, so why not trade him? Well, for starters, his contract makes that almost impossible. Second, his trade value is not exactly sky-high at the moment, and this is assuming Romo is fully healthy. However, if the Broncos were to land a healthy Romo for 2016 and beyond, they’d be Super Bowl favorites.
In exchange, the Cowboys would get a much-needed pass rusher in Shane Ray and a second-rounder (maybe) to help build on their young core of players. Ray would probably become Dallas’ best pass rusher right away and would make a nice pairing with Demarcus Lawrence at defensive end. Contractual issues and the unlikelihood of Dallas trading Romo make this a pipe dream, but who says no to it in a parallel universe where money is no object?
Photo: John Grieshop
Let’s make one thing clear: This would never happen, especially for the Packers. Ted Thompson hardly ever makes any sort of trades with his latest Knile Davis acquisition being a headliner by Green Bay’s standards. However, with that being said, this would be so much fun to see. The Packers have one of the best offensive lines in football and Gurley would thrive behind it – unlike the blockers he’s currently running behind in Los Angeles.
Eddie Lacy is a free agent after this season and is currently battling an ankle injury, and adding Gurley would allow the Packers to let the big running back walk on the open market. We all saw what Green Bay’s offense looked like when it featured a bell cow (Lacy two years ago), and Gurley would allow that style of play to return – especially with Aaron Rodgers struggling.
As for the Rams, they’d be able to recoup some of the picks they used to trade up for Jared Goff. Seeing how the season has gone so far, it’s clear the Rams need to rebuild, mostly on offense. Randall Cobb would give Goff a more reliable version of Tavon Austin and the picks would allow Los Angeles to add playmakers in the draft. Gurley is wasting his talent behind Los Angeles’ offensive line, and not having a viable quarterback isn’t helping his cause. Set him free, Rams. Set him free.
The Browns are one of a few teams truly in need of a franchise quarterback. The Bears could certainly use one themselves, but Jay Cutler is not their guy. He’s led the Bears to the playoffs once in eight years and isn’t getting any younger. That’s not to say he wouldn’t be a significant improvement for the Browns, though – it’s just time for a change of scenery.
At 33 years old, Cutler is probably past his prime, but he has enough good football left in him to solidify the quarterback position in Cleveland for a few years. Of course, there’s a good chance the Browns would select a guy like Deshaun Watson or DeShone Kizer with their first pick, but defensive end Myles Garrett would be a much better value and is a significantly safer pick. He’s a surefire Pro Bowler for years whereas Kizer and Watson have several question marks.
Cutler is signed through 2020, and the Browns would likely have to rework his $18.1 million-per-year contract, but having a veteran presence at quarterback is what the Browns need.
Joe Haden isn’t the cover man he once was and has dealt with injuries the past few years, but he would immediately become the Bears’ best cornerback. And he’s signed through 2019 and will only be 30 in the final year of his contract.
The Vikings could obviously use an offensive lineman or two after seeing Sunday’s debacle against the Eagles, but a deal for a tackle is much more likely than this one – which is what makes it so fun. The Vikings have a hole at running back left by Adrian Peterson, and while Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata are decent fill-ins, a healthy Jamaal Charles would be outstanding.
He’s obviously not completely healthy at this point in time, but the Vikings – like the Chiefs – would be deep enough at running back to take their time with his recovery process. When he is back and 100 percent, Charles would elevate the Vikings offense significantly. He can contribute in the passing game and running between the tackles, providing great versatility. The Chiefs would be welcome to dealing him, too, given the emergence of Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. They’re stacked at running back but could use help at defensive end.
Danielle Hunter isn’t a premier pass rusher, but he’s great against the run, just as he was in college. He would immediately become a starter in Kansas City, especially after losing Allen Bailey to IR. Just as the Chiefs are at running back, the Vikings are deep at defensive end with Everson Griffen, Brian Robinson and Hunter. This trade would help both teams at positions of need.
Photo: Denny Medley
The Patriots traded away their best pass rusher in the offseason, sending Chandler Jones to the Cardinals for Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick. That trade hasn’t exactly worked in their favor as Jones is a monster in Arizona and Cooper is no longer on the team. However, they did use the pick (they traded it for two more picks) to select Joe Thuney and Malcolm Mitchell, providing them with depth at guard and wide receiver.
With New England having depth at guard and probably some regret for ditching their best pass rusher, they wouldn’t mind acquiring one to shore up their defensive line, and Cliff Avril would be a perfect guy to get. He’s 30 years old and definitely not past his prime, while he’s also locked up through 2018 making a measly $7.125 million per year. He’s a guy the Patriots wouldn’t have to worry about signing long-term as they would have with Jones. This is key because of the number of free agents they’ll have this offseason: Jabaal Sheard, Martellus Bennett, Jamie Collins, Dont'a Hightower. They can’t resign all of them, so having Avril under contract would be huge.
It wouldn’t be cheap to acquire him, though. The Seahawks could use help at left guard, and Shaq Mason would be a good piece for Seattle to acquire with Tre’ Jackson coming back and Joe Thuney entrenched at right guard for New England. The Patriots would have to surrender a first-round pick, too, if not more. With the way Bill Belichick wheels and deals, though, the Patriots would be OK with sending a pick Seattle’s way (maybe). Heck, they’d probably recoup it by trading on draft day.
The Patriots need pass-rush help, and Avril’s 6 1/2 sacks would undoubtedly help. He’s fourth in the league in that department whereas the Patriots are 24th as a team with 11 sacks.
Photo: Steven Bisig
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I'd rather not trade away our star running back just because he's having a rough year. Also, Randall Cobb isn't a number one receiver and that's what this team needs; however, Cobb is more reliable than Tavon. I guess it would all depends upon how many picks we'd get in exchange for Gurley too. If we get a boatload, which I'm sure Snead could somehow pull off, I wouldn't mind it too much.
I know it's all hypothetical and I'm :deadhorse:, but I saw this article on Facebook today and was just a little curious as to what you guys would think.
On ESPN 710am @ 8:30am here in LA with Maurcellus Wiley and Keshawn Johnson. Already talked about how Fisher and coaching staff are responsible for Gurley taking a step back. (which I don't agree with).
I'll post highlights for those of you that won't be able to listen in.
It's the little things in football that sometimes makes the difference between a winning or a losing season. Often times it seems like opposing teams know what we are going to do before we do it. Half-time adjustments have seemed to be lacking as well.
**************************************************************************************** http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/10/26/denver-broncos-coaching-player-tendencies-nfl
The Little Things in Denver
NFL teams always are on the hunt for any advantage they can gain. Denver feels like it found one in dedicating two full-time coaches to studying the tells of opposing players. The Broncos believe it’s working by Robert Klemko
Icon/Getty Images
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — What can a 10-degree difference in the way an offensive lineman points his foot tell you about the upcoming play? The Broncos are one of a handful of teams who believe such minutia can tell you a whole lot, which is why they’ve gone to great lengths under coach Gary Kubiak to educate players in yet another realm of growing specialization in the NFL.
The Broncos employ two unheralded assistant coaches whose job descriptions are a closely-held secret. It boils down to this: Find the tells. Does a certain offensive tackle divulge run or pass with the placement of his feet? Or does a quarterback tip a play with a simple hand gesture? If so, Kubiak would like his players to know about it.
That sort of thinking excites guys like DeMarcus Ware, who had long been the lone preacher and parishioner of his own church of football thinking. Over nine years with the Dallas Cowboys, he developed this theory that NFL teams ought to spend way more time studying and informing players of the individual bad habits of opposing players.
Ware wanted to know these things, and he wanted coaches to study them and teach the individual tendencies, not just the standard personnel and situational team tendencies taught around the league. His pearls of wisdom were met with pushback year after year.
“When the center points, or the quarterback says something, they’re telling you everything, so why not use it?” Ware says incredulously. “Every team should do it; the Dallas coaches would say, ‘You can't go off of somebody’s tendencies.’ And I would say, ‘Well, this guy on the other team has been doing this one thing for nine years and he hasn’t stopped doing it.’
“I had that argument with coaches. In the end, I said okay, I guess I’ll be the only one to use it then.”
Then Ware signed with the Broncos in 2014, and then the team hired coach Gary Kubiak in 2015. Kubiak and Ware could not have been more aligned in their thinking. Kubiak hired two coaching interns that year—ex-Hawaii assistant Philip Rauscher and former Bills quality control coach Thaddeus Bogardus. Their job? Tendencies.
But not just the broad offensive and defensive tendencies being coached everywhere. Rauscher and Bogardus have a special mandate to also study the bad habits of opposing players, and both coaches have the unique privilege of briefing the offense and the defense, respectively, on those habits.
Their current titles are nondescript and imply anonymity: “Coaching assistant,” or what most teams describe as a quality control coaches. Technically, they’re low men on the totem pole, but they might be the two most relied-upon men in their roles in the league.
The defensive players grin at the mention of Bogardus, who earned his MBA from Ball State in 2012. “Thad does everything,” says outside linebacker Shaq Barrett. “He practically prepares us to go. Everything that you need to know, Thad knows.” Offensive players have a nickname for Rauscher, a former UCLA tight end: “KGB.”
Bogardus and Rauscher pore over hours and hours of film, and not just the silent, All-22 copies of games; they’ll break down the television broadcast, hoping an on-field microphone catches an audible call or a piece of defensive communication they can then catalog and use to discern patterns.
They do the same with hand signals shared between quarterback and wide receiver or cornerback and safety. Then both coaches prepare briefings for position coaches and lead a weekly meeting with the offense and defense to point out the smallest bad habits.
The coaches are careful to stress that these are simply clues, and not necessarily the gospel truth of what will transpire on a given play.
Some examples:
“A defensive lineman might tilt in his stance when he’s going inside, or communicate a certain way when it’s a twist.” —Offensive tackle Donald Stephenson
“Stances, code words, how a quarterback holds his hands or bends his knees, a center’s heels.” —Outside linebacker Shane Ray
“How does a cornerback stand on any given playcall? Is he flat-footed or on the balls of his feet? Where are his hands?” —Wide receiver Jordan Norwood
“If this one guy has his right hand down, he’s going this way, or he has his left hand down he’s going this way.” —Tight end Virgil Green
Then there’s counter-counter tells. The coaches work to identify which guy knows he has a tell and is doing it intentionally so he can break tendency at a key moment. “There’s a lot of smart guys in the league,” said offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo, “so having tendencies isn’t necessarily the worst thing because people then assume that of you and you can use it to your advantage.”
The dedication to this study is something unique to Denver, according to Broncos players who have been in other locker rooms and players across the league. In Kansas City, where Stephenson spent the first four years of his career, lower level coaches communicated this sort of information, and it was left to position coaches to brief players. There was no offensive meeting dedicated simply to identifying individual tendencies.
“A running backs coach might see something the defensive line is doing and tell the offensive line coach about it,” Stephenson says. “Here, we have an actual meeting. There’s a guy for it. We probably focus on it more than other teams.”
Stephenson’s ex-teammate, Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, said the study of individual behavior is something veterans do, but wasn’t emphasized by coaches or built into the schedule in Kansas City or in Philadelphia, where he spent his first five seasons,
“Looking at that stuff… that’s next level,” Maclin says. “I do that, especially when you’re going up against one of these good corners. The average guy in the league doesn’t do that.”
In the Denver wide receivers room, Rauscher collaborates with position coaches Tyke Tolbert and Marc Lubick to create a film reel consisting of individual tendency breakdowns of each defensive back they’ll face that weekend, which players can then view on their tablets at home.
Norwood, a veteran of the Browns, Eagles and Buccaneers, says he’s never seen that sort of commitment to the study of individuals. “It’s more detailed here than in other places,” Norwood says. “I can’t say I ever got a film breakdown of each individual player until I came here.”
It is, perhaps, a symptom of Denver’s success; the Broncos have lost just 16 regular season games since 2012 and won the Super Bowl in February on the strength of four defensive turnovers. Though NFL teams rally behind the notion of taking the season one week at a time, the Broncos are built for the playoffs, and their philosophy reflects that.
“This franchise has been to the playoffs a lot,” says Stephenson, who joined the team this offseason, “so I guess in the playoffs those little edges really do matter.”
Naturally, the next question is: Were there specific examples of moments in playoff games where the attention to detail paid off? To a man, the players were wary to go into detail on how the Broncos respond to the clues.
“I cannot go into specifics,” said Sambrailo, “but for example, we’ll look at safety rotation. Usually a defense will roll safeties towards pressure. You can look up at the movement in the secondary and then look at the guy in front of you and piece together what’s going on. Phil tells us which teams will tip you off that way and which ones won’t.”
Often enough, the breakdown is even more micro. Coaches will identify one player on each side of the ball who has the worst habits and brief the entire offense or defense on that player.
“It’s hard to study all five guys and look for tendencies, so we try to key in on one guy, whether it’s guard, center or tackle,” says Barrett. “You go down the list of all five guys and say, well he doesn’t have tendencies I can use, and you cross him off the list. But there’s usually one guy.”
Says Stephenson: “If it’s something blatant, we’ll zero in on that one guy. Maybe nobody on their team has told him, Don’t do this because you’re giving it away.”
To drive the point home, the two coaches will then recruit a scout team player to play the weak link. Practice squad tackle Justin Murray might spend any given week dropping his outside foot back just a few inches further when it’s a pass play, so that everyone on defense can get familiar with the habit.
Then players get comfortable spotting the tell and relaying it to the rest of the defense. That’s why you’ll see Ware on Sundays turning to Aqib Talib and banging his fists together to signify run, or quickly shooting a hand to the sky to show pass. You’ll see it most often in the second half of games, when fatigue sets in and bad habits manifest.
“You’ve got to pay attention to it and be patient,” Ware says. “I feel like studying this stuff is just starting to be a big thing in the league.”
One man in the locker room didn’t see what the big deal was. Of course, cornerback Aqib Talib said, the Broncos put a lot of emphasis on player tendencies, just like he’d done at his previous stop ... in New England with Bill Belichick.
Well, Aqib, your teammate DeMarcus said they didn’t do that sort of thing while he was in Dallas.
“Well that’s why they suck on defense,” Talib concluded. “They’re not getting that little extra stuff they need.”
It references, of all sources, Rams Wire. So I followed that link, and the headline is this: Could Los Angeles Rams trade for Cleveland Browns' lineman Joe Thomas?
The sourced article (Rams Wire) goes on to say:
According to Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk, Cleveland is seeking a second-round pick for the nine-time NFL Pro Bowler. Thomas almost landed with Denver last season. In the same report, we learned that many teams (including the Giants, Cardinals, Seahawks and Vikings) would like to make the trade.
The Patriots have interest as well for the right value. Why not Los Angeles?
Garbage. Pure, unadulterated, garbage. I'd be interested in discussing the idea of the Rams trading for Thomas. His pro-rated cap hit, his salary, the feasibility of trading our only 2nd rounder, etc., but I'm not really appreciative of being duped into believing that it's already in the works. To that end, it's why I sucked you in to share my pain.
Falcons released OG Mike Person. A 14-game starter last season, Person had yet to be active in 2016. Person is a guard who can play center (poorly) in a pinch.
Mike Person | Guard | #68 Team: Unsigned Free Agent Age / DOB: (28) / 6/17/1988 Ht / Wt: 6'4' / 300 College: Montana State Drafted: 2011 / Rd. 7 (239) / SF
These are selected questions and answers. To read the whole chat click the link below.
Before we get into this chat, and because there were some questions about it, I thought I'd kick things off with a tweet from Rob Lowe. This most likely wouldn't happen if the Rams were still in St. Louis.
Wow, that didn't take long. When you lose Rob Lowe, surely the rest of Hollywood will follow. There goes "Malibu Stan" and "Tinsletown Demoff"
My question to Rob Lowe would be, what exactly did you think you were getting?
----------- odds that stubborn Fisher will survive the year?
Yeah, he's sure being stubborn about the quarterback situation. I don't see how the Rams can keep him if the team fails to finish above .500. Then again, I would have said the same thing last year.
--------- Bleacher Report is reporting Goff is "a long way from playing"
Which makes you wonder what has he been doing since the draft, and what have the coaches been doing with him? In the last several weeks, from people I know around the league, I've heard these 2 things: 1.) Goff doesn't appear to have much in the way of leadership skills. 2.) Behind closed doors in Thousand Oaks, the Rams aren't as high on Goff as they are proclaiming publicly.
--------- Did you ever see a mind-numbing end to a game like we witnessed last Sunday night?
I was listening on the radio driving back from Kansas City, where I had covered Chiefs-Saints earlier that day. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. And listening to Kurt Warner, who was doing the analyst work on the radio broadcast, was highly entertaining. Kurt couldn't believe what he was seeing. A part of me likes low-scoring defensive struggles.
They're kind of like football's version of a pitcher's duel. And they are not all that unusual in the NFC West _ where it's just the nature of the beast. Of course, had I actually been watching the Cardinals-Seahawks instead of just listening to it, maybe I would have felt otherwise.
---------- Or possibly Goff is not as smart the Rams thought? Even my 5 year old niece knows the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Wow. That one's going to stick with Goff for a while, isn't it? He did apparently score very high on the Wonderlic test.
---------- As I sat in my seat at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday, surrounded by thousands of Giants fans (from NY, London and Germany) who completely outnumbered and drowned out the “home” support; a UK Rams fan of 34 years; I reflected on what has become a pretty futile pursuit - supporting this team and this franchise.
I spent the entire half time and all of the third quarter waiting to get some food from the criminally understaffed concession stands and didn’t miss a thing. So I withheld my ire regarding the £95 ticket, having missed over ¼ of my “entertainment”, as it would have been pretty miserable to witness it anyway.
And then it came down to the 4th quarter and as I munched on my indigestible burger and saw our offense splutter its way down the field. At no point, even when we got to the 15 yard line, did I think we would score (not even when we converted on 4th down).
There was no confidence or swagger and so it came to pass. The conclusion drawn as I stayed seated amongst hundreds of high fiving obnoxious Giants fans was, we just aren’t a very good football team. We are not terrible, but we are definitely not great.
There is no diagnosing a couple of quick fixes to make us suddenly play off worthy – Goff won’t make the difference and I am not sure if getting Gurley going is necessarily going to make us “Good” So 7-9 or 8-8 (if we are lucky) will be our lot.
My question, after this long diatribe (I did the same after the previous Pats/Rams debacle in 2012, so apologies), is what would three things would you do in the off season to elevate this team in to the playoffs?
1.) Hire a new head coach, an offensive mind who would put some excitement into the team. 2.) Hire a new general manager, someone who lived and breathed personnel _ this will take a lot of homework to find the right guy. 3.) Find some WRs, offensive linemen, and a quarterback.
----------- Just saw the comment from the UK fan being surrounded by obnoxious fans for the other team. Just want to say to him welcome to our world when the Rams were in St Louis. I had to suffer through it eight games a year! Actually it is common in other stadiums I have been to with a high profile visiting team.
Yeah, in these days of the secondary ticket market (StubHub, etc.) it's pretty easy to get into other stadiums, particularly if the home team isn't that good. For the most part you see it all over the league.
--------- Well heck, if all we need is wide receivers, a QB and some offensive lineman, we should be able to pick all of those up in the draft next year!
And you could probably use another cornerback and linebacker.
----------- So have you already decided that Goff is useless? A complete bust? Even Jamarcus Russell played before it was known he was a bust. Tim Couch. Just wondering what you know here.
No, I haven't decided that at all. I'd just like to see the guy play.
---------- Why does Fisher keep stressing how far Goff is from playing, yet dresses him, making him 1 injury away from playing?
You noticed that too, eh?
--------- I feel all the protests at the beginning of game is a factor in the ratings decline. The decline is being blamed on a number things, but no one wants to state the obvious.
I'm sure this has been a factor for some, even though NFL headquarters isn't willing to concede that's the case. But I don't think it's the only factor.
--------- Is Russell Wilson hurt? He is incapable of scrambling and that hurts Seattle big time
Yeah, from what I've heard, he wasn't moving that well Sunday night, eh? Remember, he had the knee injury in one leg, and the high ankle sprain on the other. And apparently the bye week wasn't enough to get him back closer to full health. His mobility certainly is a big factor in what he does.
---------- Does the NFL make available to the media/public any reports showing how officials are evaluated for their game performances?
No they don't
--------- If I asked for your opinion on 'The Walking Dead', would you tell me about Negan and Rick.....or Case and Fisher?
I've heard of the show, but I have no idea what it's about. Except, I guess, dead people walking around. So I guess there's a sarcastic joke in there that I'm sure plenty of our chatters think is funny. I do appreciate the effort. (I'm making fun of myself, not you.)
--------- Is Fisher going to have new wr's in the next game?
From where? It's not like he has many options at this point. And who are you sitting?
The alternatives at WR to Austin, Quick, and Britt are Marquez, Thomas, Spruce, and Cooper. And I don't see any of them equipped at this point to provide a meaningful alternative.
---------- If Orlando Pace is a 10 and Jason Smith is a 1, how do you rate Greg Robinson? I get that you like to give players some time to develop before you write them off, but by the third year, it's getting time to start making some conclusions, yes?
No doubt. Usually, but not always, if you're not seeing it by the third year in the NFL you're simply not going to see it. Now I have to preface this by saying I've watched hardly any coaches' film this season of the Rams (which gives you a much better indication of the quality of line play); I've been watching TV copy.
But on your ranking scale, I'd give Robinson maybe a 4 or 5, which obviously isn't good enough for a No. 2 overall pick. The penalties as much as anything continue to astound me. Shouldn't he have been coached out of those bad techniques by now? Or is this simply one of those cases where no amount of coaching can fix it.
-------- How many more pathetic losses till I can buy a Rams ticket on the street for $10, and sit alone in my own section displaying my STL>LA sign?
Well, you should be pretty close already. I heard tickets for the LA home opener this year were going for $19 on stubhub.
--------- Head scratching ? why you gamble the future for Goff and then go with Keenam, when you could have used the draft picks on real needs and maybe have gotten over the hump. Kinda puzzling
Yeah, real puzzling.
-------- I think a main reason the nfl has lost viewers is that there's no continuity with coaches anymore. Coaches give a team an identity (Lambeau, Ditka, and more recently Cowher, Gruden) a fan can relate to. If you like ground and pound, you'd watch a Bears game, if you liked an air game, you'd follow the Dolphins. Now, with very little exception, it's the flavor-of-the-month league where everyone copies everyone else and very few coach past their third season with the same team.
There's some merit to what you're saying. But hasn't that always been the case in terms of coaches coming and going? I will agree that there seems to be less overall personality in today's head coaches. Most head coaches these days say very little and avoid letting you know what they're really like, who they really are. There are very few colorful types like Ditka, or Vermeil, or Mike Martz for that matter.
-------- The rams have had only two home games halfway thru the season. Has this hurt?
It can't help. And so far, the Coliseum has been a pretty good home-field advantage. But keep in mind, the London game was a Rams home game _ Kroenke's attempt to make more money and keep demand up in LA. So only five of the Rams' remaining nine games will be played in LA.
--------- Sounds like some 6-10 BS
I believe the b.s. in question here is of the 7-9 variety.
---------- Lifelong resident of Sacto, loved the LA Rams as a kid, loved the St Louis Rams as a young adult now I love the LA Rams again in middle age, & so it goes. This year its once again poor OLine play, bad QB play, lack of productive WRs, weird mediocre coaching, dumb mistakes and penalties plus an owner who gives ugats about winning games...i.e, way way too much "7-9 bs" have followed the Rams from the 314 to the 213. Whats the biggest bye-week tweak you see them making or not making to beat/lose to the Panthers?
Well, this would be the week I change QBs, but that's not going to happen. But if I point to one thing: They simply have to get the run game going. Gurley showed signs that he was close to that breakout game against both Buffalo and Detroit, but then the running game took a step back against the NY Giants, and the Rams really didn't give him a ton of work (15 carries) even though it was a close game throughout. Now, how exactly do you fix the running game, I'm not sure.
---------- Jim, when the football Cardinals left in the 1980s, it strung, but I think many of us were confident St. Louis would eventually get a team. That made it easier to take. This time, I would be surprised if St. Louis got another team in my lifetime and that makes it even harder to stomach.
In the past, the league eventually took care of cities who lost teams (Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston), but there seems to be no sense of doing the same with St. Louis. That's one reason why I have lost total interest in the NFL. Thoughts, please?? And, how much do you enjoy covering the NFL without one particular team to focus on?
It stings more this time because St. Louis made a good-faith effort to keep the team this time. That wasn't the case in 1987, when there really wasn't a bona fide stadium plan. Plus Bill Bidwill didn't trash St. Louis on the way out of town. Plus Bill Bidwill really didn't have a burning desire to leave St. Louis.
Because of the way the league and Kroenke misled St. Louis, the appetite for the NFL among local and state leaders isn't there. I can't see any kind of push for the NFL made locally among this generation of civic, political, business leaders.
As for my new responsibilities, it has its plusses and minuses. I enjoy the variety of covering different things and different teams. I enjoy the fact that I don't have to cover a lousy team year after year after year. You can only take so many trainwrecks.
It's kind of liberating to know that I don't have to monitor every hamstring pull or worry about finding out in the middle of the night that a player has been shot. But I do miss the routine and the intensity of covering a team on an every-day basis, and I realize that not as many people are reading me as was the case when the Rams were in town.
--------- I'm a St. Louisan living in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1990. The Niners have a lot of fair weather fans and the Raiders have a lot of die-hard fans. When the Niners are losing nobody cares about them. The Bay Area is huge. That's a lot of people not watching football. The attitude in LA is this "OK, we have a team. That's a start. Call me when they start winning."
There won't be a 3 year honeymoon until the new stadium comes up. And, name a game that a borderline fan is going to say "I can't wait to see that game!" In the past you had Brady vs. Manning and other attractions that brought the borderline fans to the games. You don't have that anymore.
Yeah, the league always has been able to replace lost starpower (retiring players) with new stars. But that doesn't quite seem to be the case right now.
---------- Any chance the rams could trade Keenum?
Given Fisher's feelings about Keenum, why would they want to do that?
---------- How do you explain 53 passes on Sunday? I can't.
Only if they fell behind by 3 touchdowns in the first quarter.
--------- If not even Todd Gurley can run the ball, I can only conclude that, after all these years, the OL is still poor. Your thoughts?
Doesn't seem to be much of a line surge in most games, that's for sure.
-------- When you have a combination of the worst qb and worst head coach in the league you're not going to win many games. Throw in two awful OTs and you have no chance. Fisher sucks.
I wouldn't call Havenstein awful, but I catch your drift.
-------- 1. Switch Robinson and Saffold. 2. Start Goff. 3. play press coverage and blitz on 75% of defensive plays. 4. Use Donaldson as 4th down goalline back. 5. Fisher tells the team no days off until we win consistently.
I think Robinson might be more effective inside. Blitzing 75% of the time isn't a good idea. Who's Donaldson? NFL Players association would complain about no days off.
-------- The Rams are not going anywhere this year no matter who plays QB, the Rams must have some idea what Goff. What happens if Goff gets hurt, What happens if Goff stinks, What Happens if Goff is ok, nothing good for Fish. If Goff goes in and lights it up, then Fish looks bad for waiting to play him. Or at best, Fish looks good for drafting him. However, the Rams wont be able to market the intrigue of Goff next year to sell tickets.
I wouldn't write off the schedule just yet. The Rams have a pretty soft schedule this year, particularly compared to some of their recent schedules in St Louis. Coming out of the bye, they get 1-5 Carolina, and still have games against San Fran 1-6, Miami 3-4, the New York Jets 2-5, and New Orleans 2-4. Those are all winnable games.
--------- What kind of celebrations will the NFL/Los Angeles be holding when Jeff Fisher breaks the record for most losses?
I'm sure it will be epic. Because after all, the Rams are home.
----------- Why do you think that Greg Robinson is struggling so bad in the NFL?
Seems to lunge at approaching defenders instead of staying back and "catching" them. And I can't explain the penalties _ he must have bad habits there that he can't seem to break.
-------- NFL.com draft website: Goff fumbled 24 times and sacked 81 times (from the shotgun) in his last 3 years in college (small hands?, can't scramble effectively?). Several interceptions came when he failed to read zone defenders - which will obviously be much more prevalent in the NFL. Maybe the guy just isn't able to translate his skillset to the NFL. Where was stan the "quarterback picker" when the rams needed him?
Goff's fumbles were a lot lower last season at Cal. Smaller hands can be an issue in ball security. And Goff has a relatively slight frame which could make him more prone to injury. But he also has a very quick release
-------- Do you think Jeff Fisher is extremely literal? For example, the phrase "you win some, you lose some", I mean he is Mr. 8-8, maybe more Mr. 7-9. Or another example, the Rams OC is Rob Boras which is very close to Rob Bor-us. Maybe S(a)tan Kroenke needs to talk to Jeff, unlike what he did for us fans here in St. Louis.
Thanks for playing. . . .
--------- Jim, thanks for having me back in group therapy I love this place. You made a good point that the Rams are pretending the last 21 years didn't happen. People seem so surpised they suck. Have people not been following them over the years? This whole minset of being in a new city means you're better is a myth!
Judging by his tweet over the weekend, Rob Lowe has not been paying attention.
----------- Let's rate Snead. It is early to rate his second big trade (for Goff), but it is not looking good. The RG3 trade is not looking all that good either. Who did we get from that deal that is still on the roster and dominating?
Of the 8 players the Rams got in the RGIII and spinoff deals, the Rams still have Alec Ogletree, Michael Brockers, and Greg Robinson. The only other player still in the league is Janoris Jenkins.
--------- How often was Georgia out at Rams Park in season? I know you said you could count on 1 hand how many times Kroenke was there.
Until the later years, when her health was failing, Georgia was around a lot at Rams Park. I can remember her taking me on a long tour of a little store she had set up on the second floor of Rams Park _ I think it was called The Huddle. She had her own office on the second floor. I remember her coming out to the practice field to talk to Tony Banks after he missed the team flight back from a game in Miami. I'm sure many LA Rams fans won't share this opinion, but I found her eccentric but fascinating.
------- Have defenses solved Gurley? one 100 yard game in 14 starts. Your Thoughts?
Here's what I've noticed. They are almost always tackling him low these days, around the ankles. The few times Gurley has gotten in the open field, he doesn't seem like he has his normal acceleration this year. And I don't think you can over-estimate the fact that teams are ganging up against the run because the Rams don't have a passing game that you have to fear.
But if you notice on some pass plays _ and the Rams are starting to use him more in the passing game _ he remains very hard to bring down in the open field. I'd like to see a few more stretch plays with him, instead of these constant runs off right guard and left guard.
--------- How about Josh McDaniels for head coach of the Rams? They've made such a significant investment in Goff, doesn't it make sense to have an offensive coach to guide him?
Not a bad thought. Although McDaniels wasn't exactly a hit as Rams offensive coordinator in 2011. He got Bradford pounded.
-----------
I mean, rather than continue to point out the myriad of player mistakes, why not just remove the elephant in the room?
It all starts at the top and everything flows downhill from there.
Sometimes, we just have to sit down and admit we've made a mistake. A mistake that can't be corrected other than by drastic means.
A career choice
A marriage
A house in the wrong neighborhood
A car that's proven to be a lemon
An organ transplant
You get the picture. Dainty halfway measures just won't do. Only way out is to cut the cord and start all over again from scratch.
I believe that we are at that point with Fisher. He will NEVER give us a playoff worthy O. We're kidding ourselves if we think that he will.
I would let him finish the season. Nothing to be gained by a symbolic firing in midseason.
But I would have instructed Demoff to start the HC search process long ago.
I predict that if the new HC has been properly vetted, we will be amazed by the "improvement" in our QB, OL, RB, WR, and TE play. IOW, there is already talent on board to produce respectable results. It's just not being properly developed and focused.
I will even go so far as to say that we could be a playoff team in '17 with these same O starters, other than the obvious replacement of Keenum with Goff. But not with Fisher. Gotta be a new sheriff in town.
I further believe that until Kroenke comes to the same conclusion about Fisher, we will continue to endlessly bumble along in this 7-9 BS wilderness.
The Rams are heading into their much needed bye at 3-4 after blowing a quick 3-1 start on the season. Who is to blame for this three game slide? Well, many people are responsible but it starts with the QB and his Head coach.
For those of you who don't know I have been supporting Jeff Fisher because quite honestly I think the Rams waited too long to fire him and have missed out on young Head coaching candidates like...Hue Jackson, Adam Gase, Todd Bowles, Gus Bradley, Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer, Doug Pederson, the list goes on. I wouldn't necessarily say I am advocating a firing of Fisher but I am saying this: If Fisher sticks with Case Keenum as his QB for week nine I completely want him gone.
Hear me out, I understand why Jared Goff hasn't played yet. However, this isn't about Goff entirely and Fisher seems to blind to realize that. For example this Fisher quote here is telling.
“Jared’s going to play when we feel Jared’s ready. Had we won this game you wouldn’t be asking about Jared, we didn’t lose this game because of the quarterback play. We lost it because of some other positions.”
This is the problem Fisher thinks Goff not being ready to start means Keenum is the starter moving forward. No, how about this. Give Sean Mannion a shot at QB, the fans are tired of Keenum and to be honest he's not winning games anymore so you have no leverage other than the fact he had one great game versus the Lions which in all accounts was a fluke and even so didn't lead to a win. Mannion could easily throw four interceptions like Keenum so how do you even have leverage to say Keenum is the guy after that game.
Lets take a look back at the previous QB's benched by Fisher with the Rams and compare them to Keenum's 2016 campaign.
Well, I didn't understand moving on from Austin Davis as you may well know and I still never will. Just imagine what he could have done if he was on this team. This isn't about my love for Davis this is about the fact Keenum has a good defense, running game is off to a slow start but he has talent and he's not getting the job done. Again, while I want Goff to start week nine, if he's not ready then let Mannion get his shot. Otherwise drafting him in the third-round was a complete waste.
Back at the beginning of the off-season around the draft Head coach Jeff Fisher and General manager Les Snead asked for Owner Stan Kroenke's blessing in trading up to no.1 overall for California QB Jared Goff. Well they received his blessing and then they basically pleaded for time with the reason being that Goff isn't ready. Kroenke has given them time, the fact of the matter is this. The Rams are 3-4 in a division they could easily be in front of had Keenum not lost them to out of the last three games. This is a team that should be making the playoffs in Fisher's fifth year as HC. Kroenke might need to put his foot down and pull a "Jimmy Haslam" just like Haslam did with Pettine last year. "If you aren't going to play our young QB then I am going to look elsewhere for a HC". Now he was wrong because Johnny Manziel proved to be a bust on and off the field but my point is that it's time to see what Goff can do.
It was all fine when the Rams started off 3-1 and Keenum was playing well enough with a good defense to win football games but now it's gut check time. The Rams next four opponents have a 8-18 record combined and the Rams will be at the Coliseum also known as their home until 2019 for five times out of the next nine games. The Rams have a bye so they have two weeks to prepare to face the Carolina Panthers who are spiraling downward. This is plenty of time to get whether it'd be Sean Mannion or Jared Goff up with the one's and getting ready to start. This is also plenty of time to sure up the running game and maybe even shake up the offensive line.
According to Fred Roggin of NBCLA it sounds like after years of mediocrity Jeff Fisher is on the hot seat.
Sticking with Case Keenum will lose Fisher his job at least if Goff is out there Kroenke and the rest of Rams brass might be accepting as long as they see the 22-year old under center. It's time for Fisher to make a change though because starting Keenum moving forward is a death sentence to Fisher's era with the Rams and maybe his football head coaching career.
Rams move aside, the football problems sit squarely on his shoulders. Let me count the ways:
Responsible for Hiring Fisher/Snead
Putting up with mediocre football for four+ years and was about to ink Fisher/Snead to an extension if they came out winning in 16'.
Was ready to re-up Bradford prior to 14, then again in 15' until his agent wouldnt renegotiate. Bradford is still no better than his rookie season-most fans were sick of his play-not Demoff. If his agent was willing, he would have been re-upped
Allowed for the organization to trade 6 picks for a QB that apparently still insnt "ready" to play NFL football.
Did not forecast correctly the value of Jenkins and McCleod and missed an opportunity to lock them up before 15' season.
Let Foles walk for 6mm. Bad decision and you saw why you keep that chip. He could have held it longer. Look what Eagles got for Bradford (1 & 4). Perhaps Foles would have went for a 3rd?
Locked up Austin, who's numbers are no where near they should be for the investment.
Sensabaugh decision. Driven mostly by the guys he hired, but it was a $5mm mistake.
If Stan is wise, he will clean house from top to bottom. The first decision in correcting the issue, since Demoff is not capable of correcting, is making a change at the top of Football Operations of the LA Rams.
With Case Keenum throwing four interceptions in the Los Angeles Rams17-10 loss to the New York Giants in London on Sunday, many are calling for #1 overall pick Jared Goff to finally make his long awaited debut as starting Quarterback.
Will we see Goff start anytime soon? What is keeping him on the bench at this point? When can we expect to see the California product make his debut?
Watch in the video above as Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole discusses.
The Rookie QB Waiting Game While other first-year quarterbacks flourish, the pass-poor Jets—like the Rams with Jared Goff—are letting second-rounder Christian Hackenberg watch and learn. But how long can a needy team afford to sit a valuable young investment? by Jenny Vrentas
Five QBs drafted or signed after Christian Hackenberg have seen playing time this year, several in starting roles.
Gene Puskar/AP
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Christian Hackenberg was one of the first players dressed and ready to leave the Jets’ locker room after Sunday’s win against Baltimore. On game days, at least for now, the rookie quarterback’s workday is over quickly. He’s just supposed to watch and learn and absorb as much as he can.
The Jets’ quarterback carousel took another turn on Monday with the surprising news that Geno Smith tore his ACL on Sunday. In a week they’ve gone from benching Ryan Fitzpatrick, to seeing Smith suffer a season-ending injury, to hearing Fitzpatrick publicly venting that the coaches, GM and owner stopped believing in him after his 11 interceptions in the first six games.
The string of events virtually ensured that neither Fitzgerald nor Smith will be back with the team next season, which raises the question that’s become a perennial one for the Jets: What’s the plan at quarterback?
Since the previous regime gave up on Mark Sanchez as their franchise guy, the Jets haven’t had an answer to that question, at least not the right one. Will this season help them get any closer?
It’s not that sitting a rookie quarterback is a bad idea. That was the Eagles’ plan with Carson Wentz, until Teddy Bridgewater’s injury in Minnesota spurred the Vikings to offer a first-round pick for Sam Bradford; the Broncos, too, are doing it with Paxton Lynch (though he saw some action when starter Trevor Siemian went down in early October).
But the Jets, and the Rams, fall into a different category: teams that need a quarterback change, and are choosing not to play their high draft pick.
It doesn’t help that around the league seven rookie quarterbacks have played this season, all of them selected after Jared Goff and five of them taken after Hackenberg (including Seattle’s Trevor Boykin, an undrafted free agent).
On the whole, these rookies have fared well, whether starting or in relief, with all but one of the seven QBs posting passer ratings above 80. Dallas’s Dak Prescott, who may very well have unseated Tony Romo, leads the way with a 103.9 rating through six starts.
In both Los Angeles and New York, however, the coaches are prioritizing the long-term potential of their high draft pick, deeming playing him in the short-term either detrimental or not viable. The Rams will stick with Case Keenum, coach Jeff Fisher stated without reservation after Keenum’s four-interception performance in the overseas loss to the Giants.
The Jets will turn back to Fitzpatrick, with Bryce Petty, a 2015 fourth-round pick, the expected backup (or next QB in) once his preseason shoulder injury is fully healed.
The Jets liked Hackenberg enough to draft him in the second round, 51st overall, but he was a polarizing prospect coming out of Penn State. Different teams had wildly different evaluations of his uneven college career.
If the Jets continue the current trajectory of their season, which is off to a disappointing 2-5 start, it seems likely they’ll try playing Petty to see what they’ve got there. But what about Hackenberg—is a redshirt season the best course toward a ROI on that second-round draft pick?
The Jets seem to think so. Coach Todd Bowles said last week that with three quarterbacks in front of Hackenberg, the rookie was not going to get enough practice reps to be in a position to can play in a game this season. For the past two weeks, since Petty has returned to practice, Hackenberg’s only reps are a split of the scout-team work.
“We’ll somehow create a competition or something, play our own games, within those scout-team reps,” Hackenberg said, speaking of how he and Petty share duties. Smith's injury, of course, bumps both of them up the depth chart.
After Hackenberg was drafted, his coaches alluded to potential work to be done on his mechanics, but the regular-season isn’t the most opportune time to do so. That would be done during his first offseason with the team. If he has bad habits, it’s possible that playing him now would reinforce those.
Hackenberg says his focus has been on learning from how Fitzpatrick and Smith prepare for starts, and mastering not just the Jets’ offense but also the wrinkles of NFL defenses, particularly those in the Jets’ division and conference.
“There’s obviously that competitive nature inside you that wants to do things,” Hackenberg said on Sunday, a day before the team learned that Smith had torn his ACL. “But I think you can sit there and sulk about it, or take positives from it and grow. That’s the road I’m trying to take, growing from every opportunity.
Mental reps, and physical reps when I get them. So it can kind of go two ways. I am trying to lean toward making the most, the best out of the situation, and getting every possible resource and learning experience that I can.”
Asked about watching other rookies around the league play and have success, he gave a polite side-step. "Just staying in my lane,” he said.
Of course, there are nine games left in the season, which means there’s plenty of time for more benchings, or other injuries, that further spin the carousel. Fitzpatrick’s poor play through two months has muddied the Jets’ short-term plans.
Now they also have to be considering, how can this season help them clarify their long-term plans at a position that has been thwarting their postseason hopes for five seasons and counting?
i just am amazed no reporter has the backbone to ask the question we all deserve to hear the answer for!
"Coach Fisher, you picked all the players and coaches and the team has taken in your identity. You have been in this league a very long time and are a few games away from being the most losing coach in NFL history. This year you are doing an excellent job of what you historically do best. Fielding an average, undisciplined, penalty prone, anemic offense football team. You always have excuses and could probably tape and replay your post game press conferences in duplicate. They are identical . Is there any advice you seek, or deep introspection that you conduct to determine why you can't be a good NFL winning coach? What do you feel you need to change and what changes have and will be done by you?"
(Opening Remarks)
“I’m not going to answer any questions with regard to how much sleep I’ve had. But, let’s get to the game. Disappointing, we had a chance to win. You go up by ten, and you have to make some plays and extend the lead – we didn’t. We gave up the obvious interception return for a touchdown. We battled and we just ran out of time, ran out of plays. Just one of those games, you know, if you look back the last two weeks since we left, at Detroit, offense puts up a lot of points, and defense can’t get the job done. Then, I really think yesterday, the defense played well, and played winning football, from start to finish. Offensively, we just couldn’t get the ball in the end zone. You look at a 17-10 game, and you turn the ball over four times on offense, something’s going well for you, and that was the defensive effort and the special team effort, but we just couldn’t overcome the turnovers.
“Here’s where we are. I have not changed my mindset whatsoever with respect to (QB) Case (Keenum) and (QB) Jared (Goff). As I mentioned last night, Jared’s going to get some reps, which is a byproduct of the bye week. We’re moving forward. We have to get some guys back, which we will. We have a chance to be extremely healthy, if you compare the roster after this bye week to the start of the regular season, so that’s encouraging. We’re going to work hard over the next couple of days, as staff – looking at what’s been good and what’s not, where we need to improve. I think realistically, when the guys come back after the bye week, we’ll have a couple of good days of work and then we’ll get ready for the Panthers.”
(On if there is anything QB Jared Goff can do in the next couple of weeks to show that he’s ready to start)
“Like I said, he’s going to get reps. I don’t feel like (QB) Case (Keenum) needs the reps Wednesday and early next week. So, Jared will get those reps, which is good.”
(On why this isn’t an ideal time to make a change at the quarterback position)
“It’s just what I said yesterday, and what Case has done, we won three-straight games with him. Yes, I understand we’ve lost three-straight, but the quarterback position, in my opinion, is not the reason why we lost the football games, nor was it yesterday. At first glance, if you look – oh, he threw four interceptions. You look at the actual plays, and as you guys know, interceptions – you can place blame wherever you want. (QB) Jared (Goff) is going to be our starter (in the future), but we’re going to continue with Case. Looking forward to a good couple weeks of preparation for Carolina.”
(On the play of the wide receivers and if they’re playing up to their capabilities)
“We’re getting more production out them, which is good. Brian (Quick) is making plays, Kenny (Britt) is making plays, but when you playing close games, you got to do everything exactly right, and we didn’t do that at the wide receiver position; nor did we do that at the offensive line position, or the running back position, for that matter. You have to deflect, or be realistic from that standpoint, when you’re looking at the quarterback position. Because if an offensive lineman gets beat on the snap, and the quarterback gets hit and he’s hurried on the throw, if the throw is incomplete, it’s not the quarterback’s fault, it’s the offensive lineman’s fault. That’s just an example. We just have to get better as a team.”
(On WR Kenny Britt running the wrong route that he referenced in his postgame press conference yesterday)
“It was a deep ball that he didn’t expect – he didn’t expect he was going to be (the) primary (receiver). It was not an interception, it was a potential touchdown. Those are the little things, when you lose a game like we did, little things become big things. And that’s what we do as coaches, we address the little things. You have to do the right things all the time.”
(On if he sees potential for personnel changes at receiver or on the offensive line during the bye week)
“No, we’re going to work some of the younger guys in there. We’ve got a healthy ‘Coop’ (WR Pharoh Cooper) as well as ‘Nels’ (WR Nelson Spruce), so they’re going to get a lot of reps, so we’ll see. (WR) Michael’s (Thomas) doing a good job out there on special teams and (WR) Bradley’s (Marquez) an outstanding special teams player. We just have to get more production out of the whole group.”
(On what the reasons are for sight-checks breaking down at the line of scrimmage)
“Understand the whole play – you have the play clock running down, you’ve got defenses that are stemming and moving and then you have a quarterback that turns out and makes a signal, and at the receiver position, you also have to recognize what’s going on, so you might miss it. It’s just one of those things that happened. Unfortunately, it happened at the wrong time. I was proud of the drive to that point, I thought the guys handled themselves really well. We got down there, we got in the plus-territory, got in position to tie the game up. Our expectation was to tie the game up, because time was running down, then we’re going to go into overtime and find a way to win it in overtime.”
(On how he treats the bye week in terms of getting from a losing streak)
“The losses are behind us, we’ll look forward to the Carolina challenge. Everybody has different needs and I think that’s the most important thing, is you address the needs. We have guys that need to rest, we have guys that need some work. At the same time, we do walk-thrus as we move through it, they need to understand some of the areas we need to improve upon. Again, offensively, given the rankings, which are subjective, our third-down stuff has really improved and I’m pleased with that and I’m pleased with where we are defensively – especially as we look at the possibility of getting some guys back. This week is about resting, it’s about recovering – which we say all the time – it’s also about getting away and coming back recharged, that’s probably the most important thing.”
(On if the fast start in the game was a correlation to being in London for the entire week)
“It’s a good football team we played, a good defense, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. It’s just what things that happened in the game. There were opportunities there, there were penalties that I disagree with that were drive-changing, drive-interrupting. But if I had to do it all over again, I’d do the same thing because they were prepared, they were fresh and they were ready to play.”
" MODS"Not sure if I should post here so move if needed
I will not be able to attend this game
I have 3 tix sect 7L 45 yard line row 70 seats 13,14,15 Parking Pass Included $60 face Value (Structure) easy in and out
$650 w parking pass
PM Me
Henry Ellard could catch. He could block. He produced first downs. He produced touchdowns. And he returned punts. So why isn’t he on the short list for Canton? Good question. Not only hasn’t he ever been a finalist. He’s never been a Hall-of-Fame semifinalist.
So what gives?
Ellard has an idea, and he shared them with us on the latest Talk of Fame Network broadcast. The way he sees it, there are two factors working against him – beginning with the Rams’ 1995 move to St. Louis.
“I proved the point that I could still play at a high level even though it was with a different team,” he said. “I think really what hurt more than anything else is that, once I left the Rams, the Rams left L.A. and moved to St. Louis. So I think you kind of get lost there in that move, more than anything else. You don’t have the coverage in L.A. where I had the majority of my career. All that moved to St. Louis. And I’m not known in St. Louis. That’s for sure.”
He’s right about that. Ellard is … and always will be associated … with the L.A. Rams. But which quarterback do you think of when you mention his name? Jim Everett? Chris Chandler? Jeff Kemp? Steve Dils? They all threw to him. And so did others.
“When I compare myself to guys who are already there,” he said of the Hall, “the only question … and something I have always asked .. is (what would have happened) if I would have had the opportunity to play with some of the quarterbacks these Hall of Famers have played with — compared to my career where I played with 10 different quarterbacks? And yet the body of work still speaks for itself.
“Even though I worked and played with 10 different quarterbacks, compared to some of these guys that had a Hall-of-Fame quarterback after another Hall-of-Fame quarterback that they played with. I never got that opportunity to play with a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, so who knows what might have happened if I had that opportunity?”
Tim Brown voiced the same concerns about his career, especially after he had been a Hall-of-Fame finalist six years before finally crossing the threshold in 2015.
“And that’s what I would speak on more than anything else,” said Ellard. “The Joe Montanas, the Steve Youngs, the Troy Aikmans, the Jim Kellys of the world that became Hall of Famers I can only (dream) of what might’ve been if I had that opportunity.”
He averages 7 tackles a game, leads all safeties with 3 INTs, and is ALWAYS around the ball, which for a single high safety is very impressive. The range. I'm happy for him! And glad he is having a career year!
I know, beating a dead horse, but just read this on PFF and though since the games have been close, a couple of extra plays per game could have the Rams sitting pretty. Just read this and thought wow...where this team could be:
2016 Highest Graded QBs per @PFF #1 Tom Brady, 91.6 #2 Carson Wentz, 90.9 #3 Andrew Luck, 87.0 #4 Matthew Stafford 86.5.
BTW...Both Case and Carson lost in Detroit, so thats my 1 loss. I would be OK with 5-2 if you want to add in SF as the game plan and defense was just awful.
