http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...gaines-ready-to-help-neutralize-cardinals-wrs

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- This is probably as good a week as any for E.J. Gaines to return to the Los Angeles Rams secondary, and it looks like it will happen.

Gaines has spent the last two weeks practicing in pads and was not even given an injury designation on Friday's report, an indication that there is not much doubt he will play at University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday. He'll face anArizona Cardinals team with a loaded receiving corps, a group highlighted byLarry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John and Jaron Brown. And he'll look to help a defense fresh off allowing 405 passing yards to Tampa Bay Buccaneersquarterback Jameis Winston.

"As many DBs as you can have out there is better for us, considering how many wide receivers they have that can play," Gaines said of the Cardinals. "Just making sure we can match up the right way and compete with these guys."



The Rams are 17th in passing yards allowed through the first three weeks, a ranking largely affected by a 37-32 win in Week 3. The unit entered the season shorthanded, with cornerback Janoris Jenkins (New York Giants) and safetyRodney McLeod (Philadelphia Eagles) both departing in free agency. And they've missed Gaines as the outside corner who would line up oppositeTrumaine Johnson, with Coty Sensabaugh and Troy Hill doing their best to fill in.

The Rams are a yard shy of allowing three 100-yard receivers over the last two weeks, though they're tied for first with 15 pass breakups.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said his safeties "have really come a long way" and noted that his secondary as a whole faces a tall task each week, because the Rams put a lot of pressure on them by defending the run so aggressively. It's why Winston threw the ball 58 times against them.

"You can get hung up on all the analytics you want, but when you force somebody to throw it 58 times in a game, it’s because they can’t run it," Williams said. "Those guys [the secondary] have a lot of heat on them at all times, and this league is a throwing league. There are some teams that’ll still try to pound you. One of them is coming up, the Arizona Cardinals. I have so much respect for [Cardinals coach] Bruce Arians. I’ve gone against him for so many different years at so many different spots. We’re going to have to play the run really hard, and they’ve got a quarterback that can take shots on you down the field.”

That would be Carson Palmer, whom Gaines will help try to neutralize.

Gaines started 15 games as the No. 2 corner during his rookie year in 2014, then spent all of 2015 recovering from foot surgery. This summer, he's dealt with a nagging hamstring injury and then an ailment in his left thigh, which has kept him out of action since the third preseason game. Gaines said he was "pretty close" to playing last Sunday and feels even closer now.

"It was just kind of a game-time decision, whatever [Rams coach Jeff] Fisher wanted," Gaines said. "It’s the same thing this week, as far as practicing and everything, just kind of what Coach Fisher and the training staff came up with for me. I'm just waiting for my chance."

Matt Waldman
https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2016/09/08/but-can-he-make-music-thoughts-on-rookie-quarterbacks/


I was wrong to think that Jared Goff was the most pro ready of the 2016 rookie quarterback class. I underestimated the difficulty of the transition from Cal’s Air Raid offense to the Rams’ West Coast system. But I don’t think this is a big deal if you’re focused on the true North of the compass for what matters most for a young quarterback:

Long-term development.

Most people aren’t oriented this way. What we see written and discussed in major media reinforces the fallacy that rookie quarterbacks need to perform well immediately. When a lesser-regarded prospect outperforms a player of higher regard, there’s often a one-to-one comparison of the two and there shouldn’t be.

Quarterbacks are a lot like musicians and it’s problematic to judge two rookie quarterbacks during the rehearsal process. They’re learning how to interact with their band and the performance environment and each band and environment has enough differences that most boom-bust conclusions are short-sighted.

Jared Goff is learning an entirely new system. Will Hewlett–a quarterback coach and consultant to high school, college and professional passers–says the transition from the Air Raid system at Cal to a West Coast system with the Rams is like learning Chinese.

If you’ve ever taken language lessons as an adult, it becomes apparent almost immediately that the process sublimate the winning traits of your personality. Learning Chinese? Forget having a quick wit or great sense of humor for months.

Are you known for your sensitivity? You’ll be so busy focusing on what people are saying that you only catch a glimpse of how they’re saying it. Facial expressions and tone of voice are like third and fourth reads for a quarterback at your opponent’s 45 on 3rd and 12 with 1:34 left on the clock, down by 3, and dealing with the potential for A-gap pressure and missing that DE dropping into the flat.

You’re still sensitive, witty, and intelligent. You still have those skills and others but they won’t show up nearly as often when first learning that new language. Goff’s stats show that he’s not handling pressure well and he’s make critical errors but to conclude that he’s lost these skills or analysts were wrong for ever seeing them, glosses over the realities of learning a complex system.

And the West Coast system is the most difficult offense to learn. It’s the most common one in the league because coaches have witnessed how unstoppable it can be when at its best. However, there are few quarterbacks who can run it at that level.

It’s like staring in one band as a tenor saxophonist and then being asked to perform a ballad like the one shown above on the soprano. There are multiple, subtle demands to evoking deep emotions from the audience and the main performer’s flaws are at much greater risk of exposure to the crowd.

Jared Goff’s learning curve is far different but he’s judged along the same standard. RamsWire writer Jeff Smith has done a good job of telling Rams fans to freak out that Goff is the No.3 quarterback after the preseason. Smith is correct that the Rams invested a lot of capital in Goff, analysts (like me) thought Goff was the most pro-ready quarterback in the class, and Goff’s statistics haven’t been good.

But the stats only show that Goff’s results are bad and they way they are presented, there’s a presumption that Goff should display the same qualities that made him productive at Cal. This is a bad presumption.

The Cowboys have asked Prescott to play his best ax as a part of a strong group of players and perform songs with strict time boundaries, comfortable tempos, and tightly rehearsed forms. The Rams want Goff to learn a similar but slightly different and temperamental instrument and perform songs that have a lot more variables.

Goff is doing a lot more thinking than performing and it’s why he’s the No.3 option. If the Rams ownership has a clue, Goff’s temporary tenure as the final backup on the depth chart is more annoying when answering media questions than it is in the locker room.

Jeff Fisher gets his share of media criticism as an overrated coach but he believed in bringing quarterbacks along slowly. He wanted Vince Young to rely more on his brains than his body but Young didn’t become a student of the game. After a great rookie year with the team working around Young’s talents, opposing defenses generated more demands for Young to succeed and he didn’t study enough to meet them.

Steve McNair was a student of the game and he evolved into one of the more underrated pocket passers of his time. McNair didn’t start immediately and there were concerns early on that McNair wasn’t worth the No.3 overall pick in the draft. Fisher and the Titans were patient and it paid off.

Brett Hundley was the No.3 quarterback last year. He’s now considered a promising backup with starter potential. The notable difference in perception between Hundley and Goff is that Goff was the No.1 overall pick and Hundley dropped to the middle rounds in 2015.

Those in the know understand that Hundley was considered an early round talent entering his junior year. If he stayed at UCLA last year, he might have earned a high-round selection.

The public pressure on Goff and the Rams has greater intensity due to the number of picks the team traded to invest in the rookie. But if the Rams ownership and executive team is thinking clearly, they’ll look at Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady’s career arcs.

Neither players was remotely a No.1 overall pick in the draft. Brady began his career as the No.3. Most teams would have spent more on these two players in their prime than what the Rams spent on Goff.

So when readers ask me, “What do you think about Jared Goff and Dak Prescott now?” it’s all about my frame of perspective. For fantasy football, Goff is a player that I’ll monitor. He’s a potential waiver-wire player in re-draft leagues later in the year.

Prescott is at least a temporary starter with actual value in daily fantasy formats. He’s also capable of strong opening month in season-long formats.

In dynasty leagues, I’m still drafting Goff over Prescott and there’s no hesitation. If anything, I’m getting better value on Goff. The bump in Prescott’s value makes him a little less attractive although the opportunity to solidify his future as a starter is a lot more compelling in the immediate present.

Beyond the immediate fantasy implications of late summer and early fall, I stand by the process that led me to the results that I publish every April.

If the Rams give Goff the time the Packers and Patriots gave to their starters–or even Washington inadvertently gave to Kirk Cousins while rushing the process with Robert Griffin III–Goff has the talent to thrive. His pocket presence, accuracy, and feel for the game hasn’t left. The new system is forcing him to think rather than play.

If the Cowboys continue to surround Prescott with a strong band and can spotlight the rookie’s confidence and athletic ability, he’ll succeed this year. If they gradually feed him more options and responsibilities so he can grow into a well-rounded leader of an offense, he develop into a complete player.

Quarterbacking is like making music. Thanks to our digital age, most young quarterbacks have more access to technical coaching, nutrition and training programs, and football theory than their predecessors.

Look at their technique, athletic ability, and understanding of specific offensive ideas in a vacuum and they appear more pro-ready than in the past. But just like musicians who developed the optimal physical techniques to produce a good sound, memorized hot licks, and gained extensive knowledge of harmony, none of it matters if they can’t make it all sound musical.

NSFW


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Tell you what. This chick is the definition of objective while being a fan.
And did you see her checking me out during the whole video?
That actually happened.
Yes it did too.


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Probably have to watch it on YouTube.

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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post Practice – September 30, 2016

(On the health of the team)
“It’s in good shape. The only one that we didn’t have on the field this week was (DE) Will Hayes. He’ll be a game-time decision. Everybody else was good.”

(On the biggest difference between facing a mobile quarterback, than a pocket passer)
“He’s been in the pocket his whole career. He’s been very, very effective, and he’s won a lot of games over his career in the pocket. Believe it or not, he can move in the pocket. He’s not stationary there, he’s got a good sense, and he always keeps his eyes down field. We have to collapse the pocket as quickly as we can. Fortunately for (QB) Carson (Palmer), unfortunately for us, he’s tall, he can see. So, he knows what’s going on down the field, and he makes the right decisions. He’s got some great targets too.”

(On if the team senses how big of a game this is)
“Yeah, they get a feel for it. Last week was big, and the week before, every one is big. But yeah, this is a division game. We know them really well. They’re coming off a rough loss and a road trip, and they’re going to be ready. Every one is a challenge. The philosophy against these guys, and anybody for that matter, don’t watch the scoreboard, just play, just play. We’ll tell them what the score is halftime or the third quarter, just keep playing. You can’t get consumed with negative plays. They’re going to make some big plays, and we’re going to make some big plays. You expect this thing to come down to the end, as most of them do.”

(On his thoughts of the game at Arizona last season)
“It started off rough, as it always does against them in the run game. Fortunately for us, we scored points, and we were able to stay with the run game in the second half. That’s when we broke out and he made most of his plays, and then the four-minute run which was extraordinary. They didn’t let him do it the next time around. We came back again in September, and we didn’t play well. We had some injuries, and they got that thing fixed. They gave up some runs at Buffalo last weekend. They’re going to be determined not to give up any big plays, so we’re going to have to block better than we have.”

(On his philosophy behind the new kickoff rule change)
“I think it changes week-to-week. It really depends on the return concepts, what we think of their return scheme and their blockers, their returner. But given the choice, I much rather knock someone, or block here down on the 15-yard line, than just bring the ball out of the end zone and put them on the 25 (-yard line). It’s going to be an important game for us field-position wise.”

(On what will WR Pharoh Cooper bring to the offense, once he’s healthy enough to play)
“Hopefully, some first downs; that’s the big thing. Going out and catching first downs. He’s shown, since he’s been here, that he’s pretty effective in the plus territory. First downs and touchdowns would be great if he’s up.”




Rams Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams – Post Practice – September 29, 2016

(On how the secondary has performed so far)
“Those guys play every week, they scramble hard. I’m really pleased with how (defensive backs coach) Brandon (Fisher) and (secondary coach) Dennard (Wilson) are coaching them. I’ve been around both those guys for so long and it’s fun for me to hear those coaches take some raw and sometimes young projects and teach them to play the way we want them to play – because we play very aggressive secondary concepts and stuff. Those guys have grown a lot, (CB) Troy (Hill) has come in here and battled for a spot, (DB) Coty’s (Sensabaugh) still battling and E.J. (Gaines), it’s going to be fun to see if he answers the bell this week – the head coach will make the determination – it’s been a while since he’s played. He had a really good camp, I like him a lot, I know an awful lot about him from the high school he grew up in, in the same conference that I grew up in back over in Kansas City. It’ll be fun to see those guys play. But the safeties have really come a long way, also. And all those guys, they have their work cut out for them when we are able to play the run aggressively and force you to throw the ball 58 times in a game. You can get hung up on all the analytics you want, but when you force somebody to throw it 58 times in a game, it’s because they can’t run it. And those guys have a lot of heat on them at all times, and this league is a throwing league. There are some teams that’ll still try to pound you – one of them is coming up – the Arizona Cardinals, I have so much respect for (Cardinals head coach) Bruce Arians, I’ve gone against him for so many different years at so many different spots and I’ve been at so many different spots. We’re going to have to play the run really hard and they’ve got a quarterback that can take shots on you down the field.”

(On defensive back being a thankless job with the cards stacked against you)
“In a lot of ways in the league and also in the interpretation of the rules. The more physical you are, the better you are – they’ll come up with a new rule next year because everybody wants to see the ball thrown more.”

(On what becomes the measuring stick)
“The measuring stick is this, it’s that points allowed. And we have to do a good job, we have to make a few more field goals happen down in the red zone. The first game, third game, we didn’t do as well there as we would like to do, but they played very aggressively. When you make an earned play – those guys get paid, too – and when they make tight throws, some of the quarterbacks in our league, and we’ve played against some good ones already, can make the tight throws and uncover the receivers against very good leverage that our defensive backs are playing with – (Cardinals QB) Carson Palmer is one of those guys.”

(On the Cardinals’ receiver group)
“Outstanding. They’ve good deep speed and a future Hall of Famer in (WR) Larry Fitzgerald – he can uncover against any kind of coverage, and he plays basketball on grass. He does a very good job and Carson trusts him so much, to be able to uncover on whatever coverage you are running. Even in double situations, when you double that guy, he’s still able to get open in those situations. They’ve got a good mix, they’ve got a good plan, they’ve got a good conceptual plan on how Bruce wants them to play in the offensive philosophy and we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

(On what is says about DT Aaron Donald that he can play defensive end and still play very well)
“He played all four positions for us last week, really. And let’s talk about seven positions – because we have four positions when we have four D-linemen out there and we have three other positions when we have our three-down packages. He played in all seven of those spots last week, that’s the kind of guy you want. And I’ve said this before, every single player on defense has to play a primary position and backup position, he played a backup in seven different positions, and that speaks volumes for him. He didn’t even bat an eye, he got out there and played for us and played very strong in those areas. People want to get hung up on the sacks part of it, that will come. He is such a good football player, he can do so many things I can’t even coach. He’s so intelligent, he gives us a lot of pitches to be able to throw out there and he helped us in some tough situations at the D-line – injury position and then we lost one on an ejection. It was pretty good that he did that.”

(On what getting pressure on a team that throws a deep ball does)
“You would like to say this – and our guys get tired of hearing me say – that rush and coverage work hand-in-hand. The first thing I look at on a deep ball is not the defensive back, I look at the rush, that’s the very first person I blame. A defensive back that has to cover somebody 45, 50 yards down the field and a D-lineman has a one-on-one rush – in some cases, maybe he’s doubled – but there’s somebody that’s up there that had a one-on-rush for five steps. No, no, no, no, I look at the rush first over the deep coverage concepts, that’s how we play defense, hand-in-hand. We have to do a better job at that, and we’ve done pretty good, we’ve eliminated a lot of shots last week. (Buccaneers QB) Jameis Winston had been taking a ton of shots. How many shots did he take against us? I’ll tell you, none. But Carson and Bruce will do a good job, and we’re going to have to handle that situation.”




Rams Running Back Todd Gurley – Post-Practice – September 30, 2016

(On last year’s game against Arizona – first career start):
“First start, yeah. First win. Gave up a touchdown. It was a good game. It was my first start and we were on the road, division opponent – we went in there and we won. It was a good feeling for sure.”

(On whether he was nervous prior to his first career start against Arizona last year)
“Not really. I had played the week before, got like six carries. I was just so anxious to get back on the field, because I went for like six carries for nine yards. So, I was just ready to play again, try to redeem myself.”

(On how much closer he felt to busting a long run in last week’s game against Tampa Bay, versus how he felt in the first two games)
“Definitely, I felt like stuff got going – definitely in the second half. There’s always that, you’re just so close, you just got to stay patient and hopefully, it’ll come soon. It’s definitely been opening up.”

(On whether that 15 – yard run he had last year against Arizona, ranks up with the better ones he’s had in his career thus far)
“Probably like top 10.”

(On whether it would’ve been higher if he had got a touchdown)
“Yeah, it probably would’ve been top five, if I got the touchdown.”

(On what he sees when he watches that run on film)
“Just good balance. Just able to keep myself up with my arm, doing pop-up drills. Just hard running and of course, (WR) Tavon (Austin) blocking his tail off for me, definitely saw that. Hopefully, I can get some more runs like that this week.”

(On why the Cardinals’ defense is so hard to run against)
“They’re just physical. They have great linebackers, great defensive lineman, and their DB’s can tackle –they want to tackle, and they have great ball skills. They’re just a great overall defense. They come with a lot of blitzes.”

(On whether Arizona is a defense that if you get past the first level you can go all the way)
“Yeah, if the Honey Badger (S Tyrann Mathieu) doesn’t come to get you or ‘Pat P’ (CB Patrick Peterson), he’s fast as well. They have some players, for sure – (DT) Calais (Campbell), ‘Pat P’, (LB Kevin) Minter – a lot of guys that can play different positions. That’s what makes them unique.”

(On what he remembers about Arizona’s four minute drill during last year’s game)
“Like I said, going down on that touchdown, I could’ve got it, but you know, just wanting to get out of there, and get in victory formation. But it’s definitely a good feeling, be in it for a minute – running the ball, able to get first downs at the end of the game. That’s what it’s all about. We didn’t get a chance to do that last week –hopefully, we can do it again this week.”

http://www.geek.com/tech/a-commodore-64-has-helped-run-an-auto-shop-for-25-years-1672510/





Apple’s Phil Schiller thinks it’s sad that people use 5-year-old computers. Well, Phil, there’s an auto repair shop in Poland that’s going to send you spiraling into a long depression.

Why? Because one of the computers they’re using on a day-to-day basis is a Commodore 64, and I don’t mean one of the slick nostalgic remakes. I’m talking about a classically beautiful beige C64 and its whirring, clunking 5.25″ floppy disk drive.

It’s been there for more than 25 years. See, not everyone finds the idea of using an old computer sad. Some, like the mechanics at this shop in Gdansk, treat their hardware like a trusted member of their team. Clearly this Commodore 64 has been pulling its weight for the past 25 years, or the shop would’ve found a different system to help them balance driveshafts.

As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — and this C64 seems determined to not break. According to the woman who originally posted this photo to a retro computing group, the computer has shrugged off plenty of abuse over the years. It’s been soaked by rain coming in a nearby open window and “most likely shat on by birds.”

This Commodore has earned a spot alongside other long-serving workhorses… Workhorses like its distant Amiga cousin across the pond. For more than three decades, it’s been running the air conditioning systems for the Grand Rapids Public School District. Just for comparison’s sake, Phil, that’d be like them still using an original Mac. Take that, planned obsolescence!

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I stumbled upon this on YouTube and there's a few interesting things. First, Bradford looked like a rookie. He had slow feet and missed wide open targets. He's definitely improved.

Second, the playbook looks the exact same as it does now. Especially the runs. Everything is off tackle and inside. I was getting frustrated all over again about how predictable we looked in our run game. The blocking has to be darn near perfect to work.

Lastly, I'm convinced Fisher is the one who tells the defense to play prevent in certain situations. It lost them that game because they were playing games 10-15 yards off the ball.

Oh, and Craig Dahl is by far the worst safety to ever play this game. That is all.

I REALLY liked this guy coming out of college... but he's always beat up.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ut-sammy-watkins-availability-moving-forward/

Early last week, Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins said missing games because of his surgically repaired foot was “out the window.”

At some point after that, Watkins’ foot was stepped on in practice and now worry is mounting that Watkins’ season may be out the window.

Watkins didn’t play in last Sunday’s 33-18 win over the Cardinals and he has been ruled out again this week after failing to get on the practice field at all. Beyond that, Bills coach Rex Ryan said in his Friday press conference that there is “major concern” about Watkins’ availability as the season moves forward.

There were reports to that effect coming out of the first game of the season, although Watkins shrugged them off by saying that his foot was merely “tired.” He went on to play against the Jets in Week Two, but didn’t look like the same kind of downfield threat that he was in his first two seasons.

The Bills were able to adapt well enough to win without him last week, but the loss of Watkins would be a hard thing for them to overcome on a weekly basis while still winning enough to make a push for a long-awaited playoff bid.

Did anybody see the ending of the game between the Cards and Reds? Ground rule double for sure but Umps flee the scene. What the hell?

We have added a new feature called the "Betting Exchange". This allows for member to member wagers using ROD cash. Woot!

It's fairly intuitive, however I've added a few screen shots below to help.

A couple of notes;

1. We tested this feature before taking it live, however it was only a limited test
2. Wagers are not tied to the notification system, therefore you may need to send a private message (PM via your inbox) to any member you are challenging to a wager
3. We've set a limit of $2000 for these wagers, to keep people from betting the farm

To initiate a wager:



Click "create bet":



Fill out all the required fields. A definition is located under each. Click "create bet" and you are done. This might be a good time to PM the person you created the wager with, so they can accept it.


Have some fun!!

Cheers!

Lots of movement this week. Like....a crap ton.. But yea, it's deserving....Maybe..... Enjoy!!!!!! Or don't.... freak off!!!!

This woulda been posted last night but in my drunkin haze I forgot to make it public. My bad....

http://www.ramsondemand.com/powerrankings/trons-power-rankings.7/

Ok I know I've had a few but "offfffficer I'm good to drive still...."

Seriously where in Zeus butthole is it?

I was jone'sing last week.

http://fox2now.com/on-air/program-schedule/

Lady Gaga

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17672444/super-bowl-half-show-feature-lady-gaga

EW YORK -- It's official: Lady Gaga will headline the Super Bowl halftime show next year.

The NFL and Pepsi announced Thursday that the pop star will take the stage on Feb. 5, 2017, for the Pepsi Zero Sugar Super Bowl LI Halftime Show at NRG Stadium in Houston, airing on Fox.

Gaga sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl earlier this year in Santa Clara, California. Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Coldplay headlined the halftime show.

Gaga will release a new album, "Joanne," on Oct. 21. The Grammy winner's hits include "Poker Face," "Bad Romance," "Born This Way" and "Applause."

I run a dry cleaning company in VT, been a Huge Rams fan since 1969. Today I'm walking through the plant and spotted a Rams jersey..... Wait, what? Yup, there it was, beautiful white (home) jersey with big old 89 on it, thinking 89,89,89? Ah yes, looked at the back.... HIGBEE. Nice too see another Rams fan back east.

Maybe it's a good thing we didn't offer a pick for him.

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My personal opinion is that Goodell is turning the NFL into the No-Fun-League through constant tweaking of the rules and ridiculous fines for celebrating and wearing the wrong socks, etc. It's become a huge, billion dollar business and along with that has come the control-freaks who drain all the joy out of it in favor of the almighty dollar.

Then there's this prediction by Mark Cuban:

"I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion," Cuban said Sunday evening when his pregame conversation with reporters, which covered a broad range of topics, swayed toward football. "I'm just telling you: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they're getting hoggy.

"Just watch. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I'm just telling you, when you've got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That's rule No. 1 of business."

http://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/stor...cuban-says-greedy-nfl-10-years-away-implosion
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/09/29/why-is-tv-viewership-down/

Why is TV viewership down?
Posted by Mike Florio on September 29, 2016

Fewer people are watching the NFL on TV, and no one really knows why.

The NFL Players Association admits that the trend is an obvious concern. The league has kept quiet, likely fearful that talking about the situation would lend credence to the dynamic, possibly causing other fans who are still watching the games to say, “Maybe I should stop, too.”

The decline has become a mystery, for the media and surely for the NFL. The league’s failure to discipline more aggressively players who have engaged in off-field misconduct possibly has turned off some fans. A perception that the league reacts too heavy-handedly in other matters (like #DeflateGate and the Saints bounty scandal) could cause others to think the NFL hopes to steer certain teams toward success and to make it harder for others to succeed.

These two dynamics have contributed to an intense sense of disdain by plenty of fans for Commissioner Roger Goodell. It’s odd, however, to think that fans are choosing not to watch the NFL on TV because they don’t care for the man whose name appears on the football. (That said, it’s likely no accident that Goodell largely stays out of view.)

The disconnect between the images televised across the country in high definition and the things seen by the naked eye in real time by seven officials interspersed with young, strong, large, fast men in armor remains a far bigger problem than the league office ever would admit. The NFL seems to have a general reluctance to fully embrace technology in order to get the calls right.

At some point, however, the league must take more seriously the impact of fan frustrations arising from the sense that what everyone else sees is missed by the small group of people whose vantage point is the most important.

The ongoing desire to expand the NFL’s reach to other countries likely alienates some fans as well, given the potential belief that the league is taking the domestic audience for granted as it tries to spread the pro football virus around the globe. The mere mention of, for example, an international franchise or a Super Bowl played beyond borders of the U.S. sparks a strong negative reaction from plenty of fans.

Meanwhile, viewing habits have changed, dramatically. The younger generation no longer congregates around a large box; they carry small ones everywhere they go, constantly staring at them like zombies peering in to a sardine can full of brains.

Many members of Generation Z don’t feel compelled to take the time to witness the flow of a game, the shifts in momentum, the nuances that set the stage for game-changing moments in the fourth quarter. They just want the highlights and the stats, so that they can see how their favorite team and, perhaps more importantly, their fantasy team performed.

Speaking of fantasy football, consider the perspective of kids who were born after the rise of what once was a collateral consideration to traditional rooting interests. With the pieces of a fantasy team spread over various NFL franchises, plenty of fans may not have the same zeal about one specific team, with the us-against-the-world mindset inherent to pre-fantasy fans fully undermined by the reality that, for example, an ardent Panthers fan may have Saints quarterback Drew Brees on his fantasy team.

Some would say the election is a factor, but if anything the political consternation should be causing people to more fervently embrace their diversions. Apart from the conflicts between prime-time games and two of the presidential debates, fans should be regarding NFL games as an escape from the political nonsense.

The quality of the early-season matchups could be an issue, due in large part to a lesser number of star players on great teams. Peyton Manning has retired, Tom Brady is suspended (his team nevertheless had two of its first three games televised nationally), and some of the best quarterbacks remain largely unknown and/or unaccomplished.

The concussion crisis, and the reality that football has become the pin cushion for criticism even though plenty of sports and other activities entail a risk of head injuries, likely has caused some fans to feel guilty about watching or enjoying football. In turn, the league’s efforts to make the game safer probably has influenced others who want big hits and who don’t care about the physical consequences to lose interest.

Some are suggesting that the anthem protests are causing fans to boycott the NFL, but it’s hard to see a connection between the objections to the behavior of a small group of players and the decision of significant numbers of fans to deprive themselves of something they enjoy. The NFL has made its position on the anthem clear, and the vast majority of players continue to stand at attention.

Even with the decline, nothing brings a live audience together like the NFL (except for The Walking Dead). But it’s clear the NFL has reason to worry, and that it has work to do. A more aggressive and creating marketing push could be needed, along with a willingness to consider significant changes to the rules and the officiating procedures.

Whatever the reasons, and there surely are many, the NFL has billions of reasons to figure them out — and to begin the process of addressing the problem. Publicly ignoring the issue is fine. If they’re privately paying no attention to it, the league will be in or a rude awakening when the time comes to negotiate the next set of TV deals.
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Because my wife won’t let me watch football ALL DAY on Sundays.
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The rules that keep going against the physicality of the sport, particularly when it comes to quarterbacks.
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Over-saturation, poor reffing, bad match-ups, politics.
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Lets see, poor officiating, an obscene number of commercials, arbitrary and capricious discipline (or no discipline in some cases), the pure greed of the league and its owners, the mixed messages on player safety, etc.
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Its simple. There used to be Sunday Games, and Monday night. Now we have Sunday Games, Sunday Night, Monday Night, and now Thursday Night Games. Over exposure.
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no credibility in this league. water it down and promote favorites so the storylines jive with the marketing.
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Flow of the game? What flow.

Tons of flags. Challenge review process that requires up to 5 minutes. Lots of commercials.

Quality of product is down too. Especially in September, due to limited practice in pads. September is really sloppy and often bad football.

How many teams are even legitimate contenders? X
How many teams are really awful? Y

Y is far greater than X.

How many good games are there this week?
KC – Pittsburgh
Minnesota – NY Giants
Seattle – NY Jets

I count three good games.
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NFL needs to open Sunday Ticket to more than just DirecTV…I’d love that, just to be able to tell DTV to stick it.
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Here’s why it’s down: 1) Commercials every 4-5 minutes. 2)No one can tell what a catch is anymore 3)Waaay to many penalties, many of which are questionable or touchy( i.e. On the QB’s ). 4) There is no flow to the games anymore because of this.
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The greed for profit has officially overexpanded the game and if it weren’t for gambling and fantasy football, the viewership would be 35% less (or more).
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NFL Network and ESPN have become greedy over-dramatic news mongers that occasionally play some football games. The NFL is constantly in the news, across all outlets, all year long. Usually for bad reasons. Maybe people are just getting tired of it. I certainly am even as a lifelong NFL fan.

Plus, we are transitioning to the generation of cable cutters. Some people can’t even watch their local teams because of TV deals signed with certain providers. I can completely understand the lack of interest.
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All TV viewership is down. Olympics was down 20%, but even scripted shows have declines in viewership. There are more media choices than ever before, and media usage has become on-the-go, rather than stationary in front of a box.
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Well written, Mr Florio. Is traffic to this site down? Is there a correlation to NFL viewership? Is that information you would share with the public?

What if Fisher repped Goff on 25 plays against the Cards since the season began and brought him out in the second half in a spread offense. It would be unprecedented and in my opinion, genius.

Discuss...

The record for most yards passing in a single game was set by Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin on September 28, 1951 against the New York Yanks. It amazes me that this record was set in 1951 and hasn't been broken yet in today's pass happy league. If you ever have a chance, look up the Rams offensive statistics from 1949 to 1952 and compare them to other teams during those years. They actually make the GSOT pale in comparison.

I just beat a guy online and guess who he played with.. yep thats right the cardinals i won 21-3..good feelings about this sunday fellas.

Find this article at:http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...ers-rams-aaron-donald-pissed-at-lack-of-sacks

Brockers: Rams' Aaron Donald 'pissed' at lack of sacks

• 
• By Kevin Patra
• Around the NFL writer
• Published: Sept. 29, 2016 at 10:44 a.m.
• Updated: Sept. 29, 2016 at 11:03 a.m.

Stats can be misleading in football. They are especially deceptive when it comes to interior defensive linemen.

Disruption is production. A pocket caved in by a defensive tackle can discombobulate even the best quarterback, forcing missed throws and errant decisions. Yet all that disruption doesn't necessarily lead to sacks. Box score scanners might be hard-pressed to see the difference between three quarterback hits by a defensive tackle manhandling double teams from a "sack" in which a defensive end was the closest player when the quarterback ran out of bounds for a two-yard loss.

Aaron Donald epitomizes the stat problem in 2016. The Los Angeles Rams' defensive tackle tramples interior blockers, crumpling pockets. Yet he has zero sacks.





"You know how pissed he is right now!?" Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers said, laughing, via ESPN.com. "I would be livid right now!"

Through three games, Donald has nine tackles, three stuffs and two passes defensed. Even without a single sack, he grades out as the top interior defender by Pro Football Focus. Donald received a 95.8 pass rush grade from the analytics website, Fletcher Cox (named September defensive Player of the Month) was the No. 2 defensive tackle with an 81.4 grade. PFF counted 17 quarterback pressures from Donald.

You could understand why frustration might mount over the lack of sacks, but Donald still has his sense of humor. At a recent meeting with coaches, the DT cracked: "Why won't these quarterbacks take their sacks like men?"

"He's getting double-teamed and he's getting all those scheme things that you get offensively," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "It creates other opportunities for someone else. We have to keep moving him around a little bit and create the one-on-ones. Even though his numbers aren't reflecting it, he's very productive."

Numbers deceive. With or without the sack stats, Donald is one of the most disruptive defensive players on the planet. When it comes to Defensive Player of the Year discussions, anyone leaving out Donald is clearly only checking box scores.

:mrburnsevil:

Full participation in practice, and should finally see some playing time. How much difference will they make? I'm really excited to see if they can make some plays. D really needs Gaines back.