nighttrain
Legend
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Sammy Watkins to the Rams
- Thread starter JIMERAMS
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LACHAMP46
A snazzy title
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2013
- Messages
- 11,735
After last night he better. LOL
https://www.buffalorumblings.com/20...60.1469396302.1502638259-733856057.1495204464
What Los Angeles Rams fans should know about Sammy Watkins
A primer for Rams fans after adding their latest former Buffalo wide receiver
by Sean C. Murphy
Now that Sammy Watkins has been dealt from the Buffalo Bills to the Los Angeles Rams, plenty of questions will arise regarding the dynamic receiver. Here’s what Rams fans should know about their latest addition:
He is a dynamic talent
Sammy Watkins is supremely talented. He has great hands, he runs crisp routes, and he has plenty of speed to burn. Watkins averages 16.1 yards per reception for his career, and a great deal of those yards came on balls thrown well down the field. At Clemson, he was known for racking up yards after the catch on wide receiver screens and other quick-hit routes, but that wasn’t the case in Buffalo. He will help when he’s healthy. Speaking of which...
He has dealt with a ton of nagging injuries in his career
Whether it was his ribs, his ankle, or the infamous foot which cause him to miss half of the 2016 season, Watkins always seemed to be “dinged” in some way. However, aside from the foot injury, which required two surgeries to fully fix, he played through those injuries and was a bright spot in an often poor passing attack. Whereas Robert Woods, his former-turned-current teammate, is more of a grit and guts possession type, Watkins provided the flash and dash plays. He could take the top off a defense even when everyone knew the ball was coming to him, and he could also make top-flight corners look silly on intermediate routes. He battled through plenty for the Bills, and if he’s even 75% healthy, he is an immediate upgrade to any roster.
He appears to be fully recovered from his foot injury
At training camp, Watkins has been planting and cutting seamlessly, and his trademark speed and burst appear to be back. He had a brief injury scare at practice a few days ago, but it turned out that he rolled his ankle. He attributed it to bad footwork, missed a few minutes of practice, and came back just fine. He played well against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, nabbing 4 receptions for 39 yards. He’s ready to roll for the 2017 season.
You got yourselves a good one, Rams fans.
:yess::yay::boxing:
:banana:
OnceARam
Hall of Fame
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- 3,344
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2014
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- 20,922
- Name
- Peter
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-when-bills-didnt-exercise-fifth-year-option/
Rams started pursuit of Watkins when Bills didn’t exercise fifth-year option
Posted by Mike Florio on August 16, 2017
The trade that brought receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams was more than three months in the making.
In an interview that will be included within Thursday’s PFT Live, Rams G.M. Les Snead explained how the team first became interested in Watkins. (Click link above to watch video).
“I think he landed on the radar screen when the Bills’ organization didn’t put the fifth-year option on him back in the spring,” Snead said. “At that point you can sense, OK, maybe they’re not satisfied.
Maybe there’s a question mark or two because they didn’t do the fifth-year option. So to be honest with you, I probably made the first call within that week. From there it probably was a summer’s worth of calls to try to get this thing done. It was finally consummated on Friday.”
The discussions continued until last week, with talks at the “98-percent range” as the preseason opener for the Bills approached. But it still wasn’t done until after Buffalo’s preseason opener.
“I believe probably the night before their game we had discussed that, ‘Hey, if something gets done, it’ll be first thing in the morning after their game,'” Snead said. “I remember we had the Bills game up on the iPhone app or something watching the first quarter. Of course we got to see Sammy make those four catches.
So two things go through your mind. Number one is, look, it’s good to see Sammy playing and healthy. Number two is, hey, he just had a relatively decently big game so this thing may or may not get done.”
But the Bills still went through with it, and while the deal was pending Snead didn’t know that the Bills were also talking about a trade with the Eagles. (The Eagles also didn’t know the Bills were talking about a trade with the Rams.)
Snead made it clear that the interest in Watkins traces directly to the offensive preferences of the team’s new head coach.
“I think it all started really with the hiring of Sean McVay and he’s got a system, he’s got an offensive philosophy,” Snead said. “He tries to keep it simple but at the end of the day he likes to attack people in the passing game and he likes to do it with the running back, the tight ends, and all the different genres and flavors of wide receivers.
And the one flavor after free agency, after the draft, was the flavor we were really missing was going to be somebody that is going to threaten you down the field which would then open up, let’s call it the intermediate, the short, and even the running game lanes that we haven’t had in the last couple years. So we felt like that was a missing piece that we needed. It was a perfect complement for what we added and we’re gonna go from there.”
Basically, then, Watkins will be the DeSean Jackson in McVay’s offense with the Rams. If they can get Watkins up to speed.
“‘It seems like baseball trades are slightly easier to fit someone in,” Snead said. “If you trade for a pitcher he comes right in and starts the next few days. Where in football there is a system. It’s very systematic.
And bringing in Sammy at this point in time is probably the toughest time to bring him in because Sean and his staff have installed the entire offense now twice. So we’re at this stage over these next two weeks in preseason where it’s probably the hardest on the players because every play in the playbook is open game.”
For Watkins, the playbook is still a new challenge to be digested and conquered. And he’s trying to get comfortable with new coaches and teammates. And he’s in a contract year. Which means that a lot need to get accomplished, in not very much time.
Rams started pursuit of Watkins when Bills didn’t exercise fifth-year option
Posted by Mike Florio on August 16, 2017
The trade that brought receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams was more than three months in the making.
In an interview that will be included within Thursday’s PFT Live, Rams G.M. Les Snead explained how the team first became interested in Watkins. (Click link above to watch video).
“I think he landed on the radar screen when the Bills’ organization didn’t put the fifth-year option on him back in the spring,” Snead said. “At that point you can sense, OK, maybe they’re not satisfied.
Maybe there’s a question mark or two because they didn’t do the fifth-year option. So to be honest with you, I probably made the first call within that week. From there it probably was a summer’s worth of calls to try to get this thing done. It was finally consummated on Friday.”
The discussions continued until last week, with talks at the “98-percent range” as the preseason opener for the Bills approached. But it still wasn’t done until after Buffalo’s preseason opener.
“I believe probably the night before their game we had discussed that, ‘Hey, if something gets done, it’ll be first thing in the morning after their game,'” Snead said. “I remember we had the Bills game up on the iPhone app or something watching the first quarter. Of course we got to see Sammy make those four catches.
So two things go through your mind. Number one is, look, it’s good to see Sammy playing and healthy. Number two is, hey, he just had a relatively decently big game so this thing may or may not get done.”
But the Bills still went through with it, and while the deal was pending Snead didn’t know that the Bills were also talking about a trade with the Eagles. (The Eagles also didn’t know the Bills were talking about a trade with the Rams.)
Snead made it clear that the interest in Watkins traces directly to the offensive preferences of the team’s new head coach.
“I think it all started really with the hiring of Sean McVay and he’s got a system, he’s got an offensive philosophy,” Snead said. “He tries to keep it simple but at the end of the day he likes to attack people in the passing game and he likes to do it with the running back, the tight ends, and all the different genres and flavors of wide receivers.
And the one flavor after free agency, after the draft, was the flavor we were really missing was going to be somebody that is going to threaten you down the field which would then open up, let’s call it the intermediate, the short, and even the running game lanes that we haven’t had in the last couple years. So we felt like that was a missing piece that we needed. It was a perfect complement for what we added and we’re gonna go from there.”
Basically, then, Watkins will be the DeSean Jackson in McVay’s offense with the Rams. If they can get Watkins up to speed.
“‘It seems like baseball trades are slightly easier to fit someone in,” Snead said. “If you trade for a pitcher he comes right in and starts the next few days. Where in football there is a system. It’s very systematic.
And bringing in Sammy at this point in time is probably the toughest time to bring him in because Sean and his staff have installed the entire offense now twice. So we’re at this stage over these next two weeks in preseason where it’s probably the hardest on the players because every play in the playbook is open game.”
For Watkins, the playbook is still a new challenge to be digested and conquered. And he’s trying to get comfortable with new coaches and teammates. And he’s in a contract year. Which means that a lot need to get accomplished, in not very much time.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2014
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- 20,922
- Name
- Peter
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...layers-most-money-gain-lose-2017-performances
The NFL's 'everything on the line' rankings for 2017
Bill Barnwell
Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams
Short-term deal: $8 million
Breakout deal: $38 million
Difference: $30 million
Traded to the Rams after the Bills declined his fifth-year option, Watkins could compete with Alec Ogletree for Los Angeles' franchise tag this offseason. The book on the former fourth overall pick is that he's effective but can't stay healthy, so if he misses time because of injuries in 2017, he could be forced to take a one-year deal in the $8 million range to try to rebuild his value.
On the flip side, if Jared Goff continues to look as good as he did on Sunday, Watkins might be in line for a breakout campaign. Watkins' 2015 season, in which he played 13 games, prorates out to a 74-catch, 1,289-yard, 11-touchdown season. If the former Clemson star stays healthy and manages to top those numbers, he would have something like 1.75 No. 1-caliber wideout seasons to his name before hitting free agency at 24.
Kenny Stills just racked up $25 million over the first three years of his new deal with the Dolphins by virtue of his youth and without a season anywhere near as impressive as Watkins' 2015, let alone whatever we're projecting he does in 2017. Rams general manager Les Snead gave Tavon Austin $28.8 million over the first three years of his contract despite no discernible production.
In a market where a half-dozen wideouts could top $40 million over their first three years, it's hardly difficult to imagine Snead doubling down on his trade and giving Watkins a huge deal.
The NFL's 'everything on the line' rankings for 2017
Bill Barnwell
Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams
Short-term deal: $8 million
Breakout deal: $38 million
Difference: $30 million
Traded to the Rams after the Bills declined his fifth-year option, Watkins could compete with Alec Ogletree for Los Angeles' franchise tag this offseason. The book on the former fourth overall pick is that he's effective but can't stay healthy, so if he misses time because of injuries in 2017, he could be forced to take a one-year deal in the $8 million range to try to rebuild his value.
On the flip side, if Jared Goff continues to look as good as he did on Sunday, Watkins might be in line for a breakout campaign. Watkins' 2015 season, in which he played 13 games, prorates out to a 74-catch, 1,289-yard, 11-touchdown season. If the former Clemson star stays healthy and manages to top those numbers, he would have something like 1.75 No. 1-caliber wideout seasons to his name before hitting free agency at 24.
Kenny Stills just racked up $25 million over the first three years of his new deal with the Dolphins by virtue of his youth and without a season anywhere near as impressive as Watkins' 2015, let alone whatever we're projecting he does in 2017. Rams general manager Les Snead gave Tavon Austin $28.8 million over the first three years of his contract despite no discernible production.
In a market where a half-dozen wideouts could top $40 million over their first three years, it's hardly difficult to imagine Snead doubling down on his trade and giving Watkins a huge deal.
- Joined
- May 8, 2014
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- 37,212
Bills are garbage and it starts from their meddling owner. That dude talks to players to make decisions, makes them without his GM knowing, etc. IF I am Sam Darnold and the Bills end up with the #1 pick I would pull an Elway. I'm serious. Both them and the Colts are going to be JAG teams for the foreseeable future.
Watkins scored a damn lottery ticket getting out of there early to play for Sean McVay.
yrba1
Mild-mannered Rams fan
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Wouldn't be surprised if Austin becomes a cap casualty when it's time to ink Watkins to a new contract
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I would. He gets $8 million next year - $5 million of which is a guaranteed roster bonus. Cutting him would save all of $3 million, which is a bargain. The year after cutting him would save over $9 million, but unless somebody wants to trade for him he will be a Ram in 2018.
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That bonus becomes guaranteed on the 3rd day of the league year. Cutting him prior to that saves the whole number. There is no guaranteed money after that. He very well could be a cap casualty after the season. If he has a decent year he could be traded.