A few random thoughts on this Tuesday morning...

[Rams43]

These are in no particular order...

Think Foles is a happy camper these days? He will be behind over 1600 lbs of nasty run blocking OL and with Gurley and Mason behind him to hand the ball to. Bet Foles can't stop smiling.

Speaking of smiles, with opponents placing 8 in the box to stop Gurley, can you imagine how open Britt, Quick, Tavon, Cook, Bailey and Kendricks might quickly get? And with a legit NFL starting QB to throw to them? What a concept!

Some have suggested reducing Gurley's carries. Not me. Once he's healthy, he is a weapon that must be used early and often. He is capable of rendering a tired and somewhat demoralized opposing D by the end of the 3rd quarter. A perfect time for Fisher to trot out a fresh and highly motivated Mason.

The more I learn of this Havenstein kid, the more impressed I become. Not only his run blocking, but his low incidence of penalties against and sacks allowed. He just might be our starting RT on opening day.

Speaking of which, I no longer have a clue as to whether Barksdale will now be signed. I think I would bet the under.

Blalock, or his equivalent, is a real possibility, however. I just don't see Fisher starting 2 rookies plus an inexperienced youngster at C on opening day. I think a FA is in their plans. The money is certainly there for them.

I'm intrigued by this Cody Wichmann kid. Bryce Hager, too. Did we get "Gaines lucky" with one of them?

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Snead didn't snag a pleasant gem or two among our UDFA signings. He's done very well at that.

What will Aaron Donald do for an encore? Can't wait to find out.

Our D was top 5 last year in the second half of the season. Can they start this year where they left off? If so, I predict playoffs.

I need to remind myself that this offseason was off to a great start BEFORE the draft. The Foles trade was a stroke of luck, the Ayers, Fairley, and Reynolds signings sure look good, and Barron is technically a part of this year's draft. I call that a productive offseason before the draft even started. Clearly, S/F have a strategy and are working their plan.

I love the smell of playoffs in the morning...

What did I miss, fellas? Bring it.

 

[RamzFanz]

These are in no particular order...

Think Foles is a happy camper these days? He will be behind over 1600 lbs of nasty run blocking OL and with Gurley and Mason behind him to hand the ball to. Bet Foles can't stop smiling.

Speaking of smiles, with opponents placing 8 in the box to stop Gurley, can you imagine how open Britt, Quick, Tavon, Cook, Bailey and Kendricks might quickly get? And with a legit NFL starting QB to throw to them? What a concept!

Some have suggested reducing Gurley's carries. Not me. Once he's healthy, he is a weapon that must be used early and often. He is capable of rendering a tired and somewhat demoralized opposing D by the end of the 3rd quarter. A perfect time for Fisher to trot out a fresh and highly motivated Mason.

The more I learn of this Havenstein kid, the more impressed I become. Not only his run blocking, but his low incidence of penalties against and sacks allowed. He just might be our starting RT on opening day.

Speaking of which, I no longer have a clue as to whether Barksdale will now be signed. I think I would bet the under.

Blalock, or his equivalent, is a real possibility, however. I just don't see Fisher starting 2 rookies plus an inexperienced youngster at C on opening day. I think a FA is in their plans. The money is certainly there for them.

I'm intrigued by this Cody Wichmann kid. Bryce Hager, too. Did we get "Gaines lucky" with one of them?

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Snead didn't snag a pleasant gem or two among our UDFA signings. He's done very well at that.

What will Aaron Donald do for an encore? Can't wait to find out.

Our D was top 5 last year in the second half of the season. Can they start this year where they left off? If so, I predict playoffs.

I need to remind myself that this offseason was off to a great start BEFORE the draft. The Foles trade was a stroke of luck, the Ayers, Fairley, and Reynolds signings sure look good, and Barron is technically a part of this year's draft. I call that a productive offseason before the draft even started. Clearly, S/F have a strategy and are working their plan.

I love the smell of playoffs in the morning...

What did I miss, fellas? Bring it.

So we're changing my "1,500 LBS of nasty" nickname for the line to 1,600? I like! Yes, Foles is one lucky dude and he better damn well know it.

I imagine that we will actually be a pretty balanced team with the prototypical "take the lead with the pass, keep the lead with the run, defense, and takeaways".

Having Mason AND Cunningham as fresh legs is a dream come true!

Barksdale will sign with the Rams today or tomorrow. He's got to be acutely aware he has no options and the clock is ticking on the offer.

Aaron Donald? I can't wait either!

I'm keeping the position that last season was just new OC, new scheme, kinks. I see them roaring out of the gate this season and no one will convince me otherwise!

The last half of the season the Rams held the average score against to 17 and scored an average of 21, if I recall correctly. Now add Fairley, Ayers, Foles, Gurley, the O line, Quick, Robinson STARTING, an easier schedule, and experience for the entire team and... OMG! I'm going with 15 points against average and 24 points for.

 

[Robocop]

I wouldn't mind really easing Gurely into it. make sure he gets a full year of rehab in since time of the surgery. start throwing in 10 -15 carries a game to start when he's ready and then start picking up steam.

 

[RamzFanz]

My biggest fears:

Gurley injury, of course. While this is a realistic fear we all probably have, Tre Mason and Cunningham (and even Watts) behind that line are bound to be even better. We have a SOLID plan B for once.

Foles goes down. No plan B here that we can count on yet, although, any QB on the team should be better than last season with an improved line and Gurley and Mason. The Rams could probably top .500 with a guy that just hands it off 2 out of 3 plays.

We start slow because of the rookies and a tough schedule and it demoralizes the team. They need to be mentally prepared to be at .500 or less at the bye and then go on a tear.

That's it.

I think we are pretty well prepared for most storms and are more than likely to lose one or zero games after the bye. After the bye, Gurley should be up to speed, the rookies should be acclimated, Foles should have settled in, they will be rested, the schedule is easier, the coaches will know our strengths and weaknesses better, and any kinks from the changes to the offensive scheme should be worked out.

Plus, I think we added by subtraction with Schotty not calling the plays.

 

[V3]

I wouldn't play Gurley until November 25th at the earliest. That's the one year mark for the surgery and someone posted medical studies that showed an increased likelihood of re-injury within the first year post-surgery. I don't care how well his rehab has gone. Bradford's and Long's went well also. Don't push it! It's not like we're thin at RB.

 

[blue4]

I've slowly warmed to this draft. No, many players weren't the ones I would have chosen but I can see how these guys fit what they want to do. I guess at heart I'm more Martz than Fisher when it comes to offense. But that's not going to stop me getting excited about this year. I've always said it don't matter what kind of offense you are if you have a line, and we should have the start of that.

My fears are much the same as RamzFanz. Injuries to Gurley, Foles.

I also fear what will happen if we get down a couple of scores. Will our maulers line hold up to speed rushers pinning their ears back?

 

[RamzFanz]

I wouldn't play Gurley until November 15th at the earliest. That's the one year mark for the surgery and someone posted medical studies that showed an increased likelihood of re-injury within the first year post-surgery. I don't care how well his rehab has gone. Bradford's and Long's went well also. Don't push it! It's not like we're thin at RB.

I don't know about November the 15th unless we see we really have no need at all, but I agree with taking him slow if he's not ready.

The doctors say after 7 months and a week, with the new rehab, it's typically 100% healed. They warn against favoring the injured knee and having to retrain the knee muscles at that point.

I personally think the re-injury in the first year is probably bound to happen no matter when you start them after they are ready because you don't heal more after you're healed.

 

[RamzFanz]

"Barksdale will sign with the Rams today or tomorrow. He's got to be acutely aware he has no options and the clock is ticking on the offer."

I have to revise this as he's visiting the Falcons today.

If they don't make him an offer, or another team, I'll bet he's in a Rams uniform by Friday.

 

[V3]

I don't know about November the 15th unless we see we really have no need at all, but I agree with taking him slow if he's not ready.

The doctors say after 7 months and a week, with the new rehab, it's typically 100% healed. They warn against favoring the injured knee and having to retrain the knee muscles at that point.

I personally think the re-injury in the first year is probably bound to happen no matter when you start them after they are ready because you don't heal more after you're healed.

I can't find the post but someone here posted a link showing that there's a higher likelihood to re-injure ACL's a year after surgery. It was a medical study, not something I just made up. IMO, there's absolutely no good reason to rush it. We have some solid RB's to carry the load until Gurley is ready. If they push it and he gets injured again, his career is probably over or severely damaged and Fisher will/should be fired.

 

[RamzFanz]

I can't find the post but someone here posted a link showing that there's a higher likelihood to re-injure ACL's a year after surgery. It was a medical study, not something I just made up. IMO, there's absolutely no good reason to rush it. We have some solid RB's to carry the load until Gurley is ready. If they push it and he gets injured again, his career is probably over or severely damaged and Fisher will/should be fired.

Oh, I agree. Much higher likelihood in the first year historically. I would like to see a new study with the new rehab. I'm not sure the historical data or even non-NFL data really apply. These guys get the best of the best of everything.

I'm just saying that even if the first year is when it typically happens, that doesn't mean sitting out a year changes that risk factor. It may be that someone who is injured again was going to re-injure no matter how long they sit out. Are there any studies on athletes or NFL players after they sat out a year I wonder?

 

[RamzFanz]

I did find this quote from a surgeon:

"In the Adrian Peterson and Derrick Rose examples, using only nine months or 17 months and counting as baselines to judge when other players should return to play (RTP) misses the point. Time from surgery is not the determining factor. It probably isn't even all that important."

He was explaining that the more important factor was type of rehab.

"The use of time as a criterion for return to play evolved from studies of the incorporation of the ACL graft into the knee. In the early weeks after ACL surgery, the graft matures from a cellular and structural level. In this early stage, if the knee was subjected to forces seen in sports, the graft would likely fail. In that sense, time from surgery is probably a better minimum standard – a player shouldn't return sooner than three months out, for instance – than as a framework for expected return to the same level of ability."

Oh, and one study showed 15 times more likely to experience a second ACL within the first year, same or opposite knee, and 6 times more likely in the second. BUT this was for all athletes, male and female, and without consideration of type of rehab.