Hot
-
To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
CELEBRATE !! RAMS GO WILD IN THE WILD CARD ROUND!!!!! CELEBRATION THREAD.
- By Memento
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 306 Replies
RAMS WIN, RAMS FUCKING WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STAFFORD THE MOTHERFUCKING SOUL-STEALER!!! PUKA WITH TWO TOUCHDOWNS! K-WILL WITH A BIG ONE! AND THEN THE BIG ONE. THE PARKINSON ONE. AND THE DEFENSE STANDS STRONG IN THE END!
FUCK. YES!
CBS Sports Super Bowl picks
- By Lunchbox
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 18 Replies
Not sure how I feel about this.
Who wins Super Bowl LX?
By Jordan Dajani
8 hrs ago•8 min read
Join the Conversation
CBS Sports Design
The 2026 NFL playoffs are here, and this season has been one of the most fascinating seasons we've seen in quite some time. Not only are Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson at home on the couch, but no one could have predicted the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks would be the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences.
Could Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams rebound from their disappointing end to the season to make a run to the Super Bowl? Will Josh Allen finally get the Buffalo Bills to the big stage, or maybe Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are for real despite playing the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. Remember, that team ended up winning the Super Bowl.
We asked 10 of our CBS Sports NFL experts to turn in their full NFL playoff brackets. Not just Super Bowl picks. We wanted to see their work and how they got there. Let's take a look.
"This is the most wide-open playoffs I can remember. With no dominant teams, I expect chaos. That would be the Jaguars winning it all. Of all the teams, they might be the most balanced. They aren't great at anything, but they don't have as many flaws as the others. They are also riding the hottest quarterback in the league. As for the Eagles, they will find their offense in the playoffs. It's back to Saquon Barkley and the running game. That will carry them to the Super Bowl, but the Jaguars and their top-ranked run defense will limit him on the biggest stage to win the team's first Super Bowl."
JP Acosta
CBS Sports Design
"The Rams have been the most complete team in the NFL, with an offense that can both grind out tough wins and go head-to-head in shootouts with anyone left in the league. They also have a pass rush that can put any opposing offense on its back foot and give them the advantage. While I'm worried about RG Kevin Dotson's injury, if WR Davante Adams comes back healthy, this offense has enough to win a Super Bowl. While the NFC is sort of chalk with arguably the four best teams left making the divisional round, the AFC is where we get wild. The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, with an offense that can go toe to toe with everyone in the league, and they are well-coached on both sides of the ball. If they can get past the Bills in the Wild Card round, there might not be another team that could stop their momentum. Both the one and two seeds in the AFC get bounced in the divisional, with both facing bad matchups in the two AFC South teams left."
"After one of the most unpredictable seasons in NFL history, it only makes sense that we end up with a Super Bowl matchup that's never happened before, and that's what we would be getting here with a five-seed facing a six-seed in the big game for the first time ever. In the NFC, there is no team I trust more than the Rams. Matthew Stafford is the only QB I trust against a Seahawks defense that has been terrorizing everyone. I think the Eagles could be a threat in the NFC, but asking them to potentially beat the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all in a row is just too much. In the AFC, I'm rolling with the Texans. There's a reason they say that defense wins championships, and right now, the Texans have the best defense in the NFL. The Texans have already beaten some of the AFC's best teams (Bills, Jaguars, Chargers), which gives me even more confidence that they'll get to the Super Bowl. If the Rams and Texans meet, it would be a rematch of a Week 1 game that Los Angeles won 14-9. Both teams have come a long way since then, but I think it would be another defensive struggle with the Rams taking home their second Lombardi Trophy in five years."
"I don't have many surprises in the wild-card round, except the Jaguars upsetting the Bills. I view Jacksonville as the real sleeper in the AFC, not Buffalo. Think about it, Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL right now and Anthony Campanile's defense ranks No. 2 in takeaways. The divisional round is where things get interesting. I have the Jaguars upsetting the Patriots in New England, the Rams upsetting the No. 1-seeded Seahawks and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles beating the Bears in Chicago. Yes, three road teams winning in the divisional round. In the conference championships, the Broncos end the Jaguars' Super Bowl dreams, while the Rams get revenge for their divisional-round loss in Philadelphia last year. This could be Matthew Stafford's final season, so I have him ending his Hall of Fame career atop the NFL world. Not only is he the MVP this year, but he has a loaded arsenal of weapons and enough talent on defense. The Rams were my preseason pick to win the NFC, and now I'm taking them to win the Super Bowl."
"Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. This is finally going to be the Bills' year. They will capitalize on the most wide-open Super Bowl race in NFL history, one without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow on their side of the bracket. Josh Allen will play flawlessly and the Bills' No. 1 rushing attack will control the clock and keep their flawed defense on the sidelines as much as possible. It's going to take a dramatic comeback or two, including one in the Super Bowl, to beat the best team in the league, the Los Angeles Rams. A Super Bowl between a six and five seed only seems fitting given the year of parity. It would be the first Super Bowl between five or worse seeds ever."
"I think we're all overlooking just how dominant Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have been down the stretch. Inside the confines of EverBank Stadium, they send Josh Allen packing. Then, they end Drake Maye's season in Foxborough, and follow that up with a trip back down to Jacksonville for a meeting with their division foe, the Texans, in the AFC Championship. I give them the edge there to reach their first-ever Super Bowl, but that's as high as they fly. I lean toward championship experience in the NFC, with Matthew Stafford continuing what looks like an MVP season and lifting his second Lombardi Trophy during his Rams tenure. Meanwhile, given how unpredictable this season has been, don't be surprised to see BOTH No. 1 seeds on upset alert coming out of their respective bye weeks."
"It's an all-AFC South conference championship game, while two of the best quarterbacks in the league, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford, power their respective squads to the NFC title game. The Jaguars entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak with quarterback Trevor Lawrence leading the entire NFL in total touchdowns (24) since Week 11. Lawrence's 38 total touchdowns this season are the third-most in the league behind only 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen (39) and Stafford (46). The Rams' wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams proves to be too much for the Packers' depleted defense, and Sean McVay knocks off pupil Liam Coen to hoist a second Vince Lombardi trophy."
"I've been on the Rams Super Bowl train for quite a while, and I think the healthy returns of Davante Adams, Alaric Jackson and Quentin Lake are not to be overlooked. Adams, of course, is the biggest addition, and his red-zone abilities are crucial, especially for a team that can struggle in short yardage. Jackson and Lake plug key holes in the offensive line and secondary, respectively. The Patriots make a run through a wide-open AFC thanks to Drake Maye's tremendous playmaking, but the biggest surprise here might just be neither the Bills (Josh Allen) nor the Broncos (No. 1 seed) winning a game. The Texans' nightmare-causing defense fuels an upset in Denver in the Divisional Round, and there's just not enough around Allen on either side of the ball, even if the narrative is that it's his year, given Patrick Mahomes' absence."
"I truly have absolutely no idea who to pick in either conference, so I went with a chaos scenario of two wild card teams making the Super Bowl, and the winner being the No. 5 seed from the NFC. The Rams seemed like the best team in the NFL for much of the season, only to lose the division title and top seed in the conference due to that crazy game against the Seahawks. They might have to go on the road three times to even make it to the Super Bowl, but I trust Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay to do it. On the AFC side of the bracket, I just think Josh Allen is the best quarterback, and in the absence of feeling comfortable with any particular team, I decided to back them. Do I have much confidence that any of this will play out the way I predicted? I do not. But you've got to predict something, and this is where I landed."
"For only the eighth time, the Super Bowl champion will be a team that didn't win its division. I'm actually predicting that both Super Bowl participants will be wild card teams. Buffalo has the league's reigning MVP, Josh Allen, and the NFL's leading rusher, James Cook, at its disposal. The Rams have one of this year's leading MVP candidates in Matt Stafford, a dynamic receiving corps and one of the league's best defenses. In the Super Bowl, I've got the Bills edging the Rams in what would be an intriguing matchup if it comes to fruition."
https://trace.mediago.io/ju/ic
Who wins Super Bowl LX?
2026 NFL playoff bracket picks: Expert predictions for who will win Super Bowl LX
CBS Sports experts reveal their full brackets for the 2026 NFL postseason
By Jordan Dajani
8 hrs ago•8 min read
Join the Conversation
The 2026 NFL playoffs are here, and this season has been one of the most fascinating seasons we've seen in quite some time. Not only are Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson at home on the couch, but no one could have predicted the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks would be the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences.
Could Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams rebound from their disappointing end to the season to make a run to the Super Bowl? Will Josh Allen finally get the Buffalo Bills to the big stage, or maybe Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are for real despite playing the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. Remember, that team ended up winning the Super Bowl.
We asked 10 of our CBS Sports NFL experts to turn in their full NFL playoff brackets. Not just Super Bowl picks. We wanted to see their work and how they got there. Let's take a look.
2025-26 NFL Playoff bracket picks
Pete Prisco
"This is the most wide-open playoffs I can remember. With no dominant teams, I expect chaos. That would be the Jaguars winning it all. Of all the teams, they might be the most balanced. They aren't great at anything, but they don't have as many flaws as the others. They are also riding the hottest quarterback in the league. As for the Eagles, they will find their offense in the playoffs. It's back to Saquon Barkley and the running game. That will carry them to the Super Bowl, but the Jaguars and their top-ranked run defense will limit him on the biggest stage to win the team's first Super Bowl."
JP Acosta
CBS Sports Design
"The Rams have been the most complete team in the NFL, with an offense that can both grind out tough wins and go head-to-head in shootouts with anyone left in the league. They also have a pass rush that can put any opposing offense on its back foot and give them the advantage. While I'm worried about RG Kevin Dotson's injury, if WR Davante Adams comes back healthy, this offense has enough to win a Super Bowl. While the NFC is sort of chalk with arguably the four best teams left making the divisional round, the AFC is where we get wild. The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, with an offense that can go toe to toe with everyone in the league, and they are well-coached on both sides of the ball. If they can get past the Bills in the Wild Card round, there might not be another team that could stop their momentum. Both the one and two seeds in the AFC get bounced in the divisional, with both facing bad matchups in the two AFC South teams left."
John Breech
"After one of the most unpredictable seasons in NFL history, it only makes sense that we end up with a Super Bowl matchup that's never happened before, and that's what we would be getting here with a five-seed facing a six-seed in the big game for the first time ever. In the NFC, there is no team I trust more than the Rams. Matthew Stafford is the only QB I trust against a Seahawks defense that has been terrorizing everyone. I think the Eagles could be a threat in the NFC, but asking them to potentially beat the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks all in a row is just too much. In the AFC, I'm rolling with the Texans. There's a reason they say that defense wins championships, and right now, the Texans have the best defense in the NFL. The Texans have already beaten some of the AFC's best teams (Bills, Jaguars, Chargers), which gives me even more confidence that they'll get to the Super Bowl. If the Rams and Texans meet, it would be a rematch of a Week 1 game that Los Angeles won 14-9. Both teams have come a long way since then, but I think it would be another defensive struggle with the Rams taking home their second Lombardi Trophy in five years."
Jordan Dajani
"I don't have many surprises in the wild-card round, except the Jaguars upsetting the Bills. I view Jacksonville as the real sleeper in the AFC, not Buffalo. Think about it, Trevor Lawrence is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL right now and Anthony Campanile's defense ranks No. 2 in takeaways. The divisional round is where things get interesting. I have the Jaguars upsetting the Patriots in New England, the Rams upsetting the No. 1-seeded Seahawks and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles beating the Bears in Chicago. Yes, three road teams winning in the divisional round. In the conference championships, the Broncos end the Jaguars' Super Bowl dreams, while the Rams get revenge for their divisional-round loss in Philadelphia last year. This could be Matthew Stafford's final season, so I have him ending his Hall of Fame career atop the NFL world. Not only is he the MVP this year, but he has a loaded arsenal of weapons and enough talent on defense. The Rams were my preseason pick to win the NFC, and now I'm taking them to win the Super Bowl."
Doug Clawson
"Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills. This is finally going to be the Bills' year. They will capitalize on the most wide-open Super Bowl race in NFL history, one without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow on their side of the bracket. Josh Allen will play flawlessly and the Bills' No. 1 rushing attack will control the clock and keep their flawed defense on the sidelines as much as possible. It's going to take a dramatic comeback or two, including one in the Super Bowl, to beat the best team in the league, the Los Angeles Rams. A Super Bowl between a six and five seed only seems fitting given the year of parity. It would be the first Super Bowl between five or worse seeds ever."
Tyler Sullivan
"I think we're all overlooking just how dominant Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have been down the stretch. Inside the confines of EverBank Stadium, they send Josh Allen packing. Then, they end Drake Maye's season in Foxborough, and follow that up with a trip back down to Jacksonville for a meeting with their division foe, the Texans, in the AFC Championship. I give them the edge there to reach their first-ever Super Bowl, but that's as high as they fly. I lean toward championship experience in the NFC, with Matthew Stafford continuing what looks like an MVP season and lifting his second Lombardi Trophy during his Rams tenure. Meanwhile, given how unpredictable this season has been, don't be surprised to see BOTH No. 1 seeds on upset alert coming out of their respective bye weeks."
Garrett Podell
"It's an all-AFC South conference championship game, while two of the best quarterbacks in the league, Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford, power their respective squads to the NFC title game. The Jaguars entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak with quarterback Trevor Lawrence leading the entire NFL in total touchdowns (24) since Week 11. Lawrence's 38 total touchdowns this season are the third-most in the league behind only 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen (39) and Stafford (46). The Rams' wide receiver duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams proves to be too much for the Packers' depleted defense, and Sean McVay knocks off pupil Liam Coen to hoist a second Vince Lombardi trophy."
Zach Pereles
"I've been on the Rams Super Bowl train for quite a while, and I think the healthy returns of Davante Adams, Alaric Jackson and Quentin Lake are not to be overlooked. Adams, of course, is the biggest addition, and his red-zone abilities are crucial, especially for a team that can struggle in short yardage. Jackson and Lake plug key holes in the offensive line and secondary, respectively. The Patriots make a run through a wide-open AFC thanks to Drake Maye's tremendous playmaking, but the biggest surprise here might just be neither the Bills (Josh Allen) nor the Broncos (No. 1 seed) winning a game. The Texans' nightmare-causing defense fuels an upset in Denver in the Divisional Round, and there's just not enough around Allen on either side of the ball, even if the narrative is that it's his year, given Patrick Mahomes' absence."
Jared Dubin
"I truly have absolutely no idea who to pick in either conference, so I went with a chaos scenario of two wild card teams making the Super Bowl, and the winner being the No. 5 seed from the NFC. The Rams seemed like the best team in the NFL for much of the season, only to lose the division title and top seed in the conference due to that crazy game against the Seahawks. They might have to go on the road three times to even make it to the Super Bowl, but I trust Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay to do it. On the AFC side of the bracket, I just think Josh Allen is the best quarterback, and in the absence of feeling comfortable with any particular team, I decided to back them. Do I have much confidence that any of this will play out the way I predicted? I do not. But you've got to predict something, and this is where I landed."
Bryan DeArdo
"For only the eighth time, the Super Bowl champion will be a team that didn't win its division. I'm actually predicting that both Super Bowl participants will be wild card teams. Buffalo has the league's reigning MVP, Josh Allen, and the NFL's leading rusher, James Cook, at its disposal. The Rams have one of this year's leading MVP candidates in Matt Stafford, a dynamic receiving corps and one of the league's best defenses. In the Super Bowl, I've got the Bills edging the Rams in what would be an intriguing matchup if it comes to fruition."
https://trace.mediago.io/ju/ic
Attachments
-
Article
Peacock Audio Enhancements Will Allow Fans To Mute Announcers & Adjust Crowd Noise During Sports Broadcasts
- By Q729
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 9 Replies
Peacock is adding new audio enhancements that will excite sports fans.
According to a report from Joe Lemire of Sports Business Journal, Peacock will become the first streamer to integrate new Dolby products that will “enhance the sights and sounds of the games” to their sports broadcasts.
Via Sports Business Journal
“Our livestreams on Peacock are already in HDR, and we introduced Dolby Atmos as well last year, which made a massive jump in the immersiveness,” said David Bohunek, NBCUniversal SVP of Global Video Engineering. “You have to have a great sound with great picture, but then with Dolby Vision, we think we can push it into the next level.”
When AC-4 launches, fans will be able to personalize how they want to listen to games, including the option to turn off commentary and listen to crowd noise.
“With AC-4 and the personalization of the audio, we can let the customers do what they prefer with a very simple control in our own UI,” Bohunek said, “and maybe let them turn off commentary completely if that’s what they want.”
Unfortunately, the new upgrade will only be available on the Peacock app and not on TV broadcasts.
“In streaming, we’re able to operate at a pace of change that’s just a lot faster than we could ever do in more traditional broadcast,” John Couling, Dolby’s SVP of Entertainmen said.
Dolby AC-4 audio is expected to be available later in 2026, with no specific launch date announced yet.
https://brobible.com/sports/article/peacock-audio-enhancements-announcers-fans/
Which FA cornerbacks would you want?
- By MansSearch
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 249 Replies
I've been wanting the Rams to draft a top CB for a long while. But knowing that they need help in other places in the draft, I'm hopeful they get a free agent CB and O-lineman (center or tackle). The Ringer says that CB is one of the best areas for free agents in the next year.
Per Google, the "cap space estimates range from around $75 million to over $93 million, placing them among the NFL's top teams in available funds."
These ESPN and The Ringer articles (links below) agree on the top 4 available:
1. NO's Alontae Taylor (age 27) as the top available FA corner - ranked #11 among the top 25 FAs. The Ringer has him the top CB as well.
2. The Chiefs' Jaylen Watson (age 27) is ranked #15. The Ringer has him as the second best as well.
3. Seachickens' Riq Woolen (also age 27), who is 6"4" and has speed, is #18 of 25. The Rams have seldom had a tall CB, but I'd argue they need one. (Side note: Another big CB who may be a FA is Nashon Wright (6'4" 200lb), but he's more of a CB2.)
4. The Jags' Greg Newsome II (age 26), is ranked 25 of 25.
The net says that there are also more "established veterans like D.J. Reed, Carlton Davis, Rasul Douglas, and younger talents such as Asante Samuel Jr."
I'd be happy with any of them, but I am not very familiar with any of them except Woolen.
What do you think?
www.espn.com
Per Google, the "cap space estimates range from around $75 million to over $93 million, placing them among the NFL's top teams in available funds."
These ESPN and The Ringer articles (links below) agree on the top 4 available:
1. NO's Alontae Taylor (age 27) as the top available FA corner - ranked #11 among the top 25 FAs. The Ringer has him the top CB as well.
2. The Chiefs' Jaylen Watson (age 27) is ranked #15. The Ringer has him as the second best as well.
3. Seachickens' Riq Woolen (also age 27), who is 6"4" and has speed, is #18 of 25. The Rams have seldom had a tall CB, but I'd argue they need one. (Side note: Another big CB who may be a FA is Nashon Wright (6'4" 200lb), but he's more of a CB2.)
4. The Jags' Greg Newsome II (age 26), is ranked 25 of 25.
The net says that there are also more "established veterans like D.J. Reed, Carlton Davis, Rasul Douglas, and younger talents such as Asante Samuel Jr."
I'd be happy with any of them, but I am not very familiar with any of them except Woolen.
What do you think?
Ranking the best NFL free agents for 2026: Our early top-25 list, plus who might re-sign
We listed the NFL's top 25 pending free agents -- including Daniel Jones and George Pickens -- and gave intel on who might return to their current team.
Ranking the Top 40 NFL Free Agents of 2026
Is your team out of the playoffs? It’s time to get ready for the offseason. These are the best veteran players who could be on the move in the new year.
www.theringer.com
Penn State vs Iowa State vs Washington State
- By IowaRam
- NFL DRAFT / COLLEGE FOOTBALL
- 0 Replies
I'm not a big , Government needs to step in and do this or do that kinda guy
but.............
college football has turned into a complete s**t show
This year , Matt Campbell left Iowa State to take the Penn State job
51 players from Iowa State then entered portal
yes , 51 players , thats not a typo,
which left Iowa State with a total of 16 players , not counting the upcoming Freshman class
so far , Penn State has signed 21 of those Iowa State Players
tell me , how can just one school be allowed to totally wipe out another schools entire football team
and to a lesser extent.....
Jimmy Rogers has left Washington State and took the Iowa State job , and in turned , again , to a lesser extent , I don't have the exact numbers on this one , but about 10 or 12 players from Washington State have now transferred from Washington State to Iowa State , along with a few of their recruiting class
Like I said , I'm not a big government needs to step in kinda guy , the something needs to be done with this NIL transfer portal thing , it'll just snowball from here
but.............
college football has turned into a complete s**t show
This year , Matt Campbell left Iowa State to take the Penn State job
51 players from Iowa State then entered portal
yes , 51 players , thats not a typo,
which left Iowa State with a total of 16 players , not counting the upcoming Freshman class
so far , Penn State has signed 21 of those Iowa State Players
tell me , how can just one school be allowed to totally wipe out another schools entire football team
and to a lesser extent.....
Jimmy Rogers has left Washington State and took the Iowa State job , and in turned , again , to a lesser extent , I don't have the exact numbers on this one , but about 10 or 12 players from Washington State have now transferred from Washington State to Iowa State , along with a few of their recruiting class
Like I said , I'm not a big government needs to step in kinda guy , the something needs to be done with this NIL transfer portal thing , it'll just snowball from here
Playoffs Edition: 10 Things I think I think about our beloved Rams.
- By OnceARam
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 31 Replies
Rules of this post and thread that I am adhering to, but do not expect others to adhere to:
(1) No captain obvious comments.
(2) No a**hole comments.
My intension of this post is to stimulate a "keys of the game" type discussion. This post does pay homage to the fine work of past RamsOnDemand posters. I do not mean to degrade the great work that they have done in any way. Nor am I taking ownership of this format in any way. I only hope to build upon the shoulders of the giant that came before me because I appreciated their work and sincerely miss it. With all of that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the read and feel inspired to add to it or argue against it:
One.
Tyler Higbee is the heart and soul of this team. I did not realize it before the Cards game, and in retrospect it was obvious. When he was chopped down in the heat of the game against Detroit, it was devastating. It was devastating on a physical basis for Tyler, but also on an emotional basis for the team as a whole. I don`t pretend to know what it is about him in terms of personality, character traits or work ethic, but he is the clear alpha. (“Alpha” meaning; he who is most willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the group.)
Two.
Our chances of beating Philly or SEA on the road without Dotson are in question as McVay would have to scheme around his absence, limiting the playbook. We should be fine without him against the Panthers, SF, GB or Chicago. Not sure about potential AFC opponents, but I would imagine he will be back by then if not before.
Three.
Alaric Jackson is the unsung hero of the team. Second is McCollough, who has played beyond what we could have expected from him. I hope our QB puts those guys on his Xmas list for the rest of his days, because they have earned it.
Four.
Poona Ford is our best signing of the offseason (although there were excellent ones, like the extensions of KW and Alaric, and the additions of Adams and Landman). Poona is critical to our run defense. The difference is night and day. And the success our run defense experiences going forward is based on his availability. The Panthers will be an indication of his availability and impact going forward. Remember the reason the Panthers were able to gash us in the regular season was because he was limited with a calf injury. I will go even further by saying that an 80% healthy Poona is enough to make us competitive, which is rare-rare.
Five.
Shula is not a magician. What I mean by that is that he cannot make plays for our players. But what he can do is put players in position to succeed. I would argue that he has exceled at that with one glaring exception. Going forward the DL rotation will have to be 100% on point. The exception has been Fiske for much of the season. That said, the rumor is that he has been playing hurt. I think if that is true, Fiske should not be on the field if he isn`t able to generate that low end, first-gear explosion that we witnessed glimpses of in his rookie season. That said, he had a sack against the Cards and looks healthier… maybe healthy?
Six.
Shula needs to figure out who can play in the secondary and how to mitigate situations where teams have exposed their limitations. Thank goodness our singular big bodied CB, Witherspoon got some quality reps against the Cards. Someone on the board said his footspeed looked slow. That may be true and given that you can`t replicate game speed in shorts, it is understandable. However, if you look at the big body receivers that we will be facing in the playoffs, they are not speed guys. They are more like basketball power forwards – and that is where we need him.
Seven.
We need Lake healthy and productive. I am a big fan of McCollough in situational situations, especially when those situations don`t require read-and-react capabilities. McCollough is an elite blitzer and has many other above average NFL traits. But Lake enables Shula to run his FULL defense, which is why we extended him (along with his leadership traits). What I mean by that is that Lake, because of his elite tackling and read-and-react capabilities, allows Shula to play cat and mouse in terms of what secondary players are occupying which zone windows. This also makes our pass rush better because it makes opposing QBs second guess what they are seeing. (Also, what happened to the promise of McCreary???)
Eight.
The expectation for the Rams is to beat Carolina regardless of health issues. The expectations after Carolina will be dependent on availability and match-up. (This includes the availability of Adams and Ferguson, which I haven`t addressed elsewhere.)
Nine.
There is something rotten in Denmark… The NFL might be fixed (over 51% chance imo). I believe in the integrity of the game, and I believe many of you do to. But from what I have witnessed this season, the games looked guided by the refs toward a predetermined outcome. Perhaps it is just incompetence, but I will be watching the playoffs with this lens to decide on whether I will continue to watch the professional game.
Ten.
We have an ELITE coaching staff, front office and owner. And I for one am thanking my lucky stars when I look out on the landscape of the league. The difference between earned wealth/position and inherited wealth/position could not be more apparent. Yes, I realize that you cannot separate earned from inherited in many cases due to the nature of the how much of an advantage guys like McVay, Shula and Dimitroff have had growing up, in the families that they grew up in. For those of you, like me, that have not grown up in privileged positions, Godspeed and good luck to you. Don`t ask for life to be easier, turn hardship into the strength of character that will propel you forward.
Romans 5:3-5 NIV. Not only so, but we also glory (give glory to God) in our sufferings (and in our victories), because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame (there is no shame in loving God), because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (the quiet voice of our conscience), who has been given to us (when we exercise our free will to surrender our false sense of control to Christ Jesus, who is our lord and savior offering us unearned forgiveness and unmitigated favor).
Go at it boys.
(1) No captain obvious comments.
(2) No a**hole comments.
My intension of this post is to stimulate a "keys of the game" type discussion. This post does pay homage to the fine work of past RamsOnDemand posters. I do not mean to degrade the great work that they have done in any way. Nor am I taking ownership of this format in any way. I only hope to build upon the shoulders of the giant that came before me because I appreciated their work and sincerely miss it. With all of that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the read and feel inspired to add to it or argue against it:
One.
Tyler Higbee is the heart and soul of this team. I did not realize it before the Cards game, and in retrospect it was obvious. When he was chopped down in the heat of the game against Detroit, it was devastating. It was devastating on a physical basis for Tyler, but also on an emotional basis for the team as a whole. I don`t pretend to know what it is about him in terms of personality, character traits or work ethic, but he is the clear alpha. (“Alpha” meaning; he who is most willing to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the group.)
Two.
Our chances of beating Philly or SEA on the road without Dotson are in question as McVay would have to scheme around his absence, limiting the playbook. We should be fine without him against the Panthers, SF, GB or Chicago. Not sure about potential AFC opponents, but I would imagine he will be back by then if not before.
Three.
Alaric Jackson is the unsung hero of the team. Second is McCollough, who has played beyond what we could have expected from him. I hope our QB puts those guys on his Xmas list for the rest of his days, because they have earned it.
Four.
Poona Ford is our best signing of the offseason (although there were excellent ones, like the extensions of KW and Alaric, and the additions of Adams and Landman). Poona is critical to our run defense. The difference is night and day. And the success our run defense experiences going forward is based on his availability. The Panthers will be an indication of his availability and impact going forward. Remember the reason the Panthers were able to gash us in the regular season was because he was limited with a calf injury. I will go even further by saying that an 80% healthy Poona is enough to make us competitive, which is rare-rare.
Five.
Shula is not a magician. What I mean by that is that he cannot make plays for our players. But what he can do is put players in position to succeed. I would argue that he has exceled at that with one glaring exception. Going forward the DL rotation will have to be 100% on point. The exception has been Fiske for much of the season. That said, the rumor is that he has been playing hurt. I think if that is true, Fiske should not be on the field if he isn`t able to generate that low end, first-gear explosion that we witnessed glimpses of in his rookie season. That said, he had a sack against the Cards and looks healthier… maybe healthy?
Six.
Shula needs to figure out who can play in the secondary and how to mitigate situations where teams have exposed their limitations. Thank goodness our singular big bodied CB, Witherspoon got some quality reps against the Cards. Someone on the board said his footspeed looked slow. That may be true and given that you can`t replicate game speed in shorts, it is understandable. However, if you look at the big body receivers that we will be facing in the playoffs, they are not speed guys. They are more like basketball power forwards – and that is where we need him.
Seven.
We need Lake healthy and productive. I am a big fan of McCollough in situational situations, especially when those situations don`t require read-and-react capabilities. McCollough is an elite blitzer and has many other above average NFL traits. But Lake enables Shula to run his FULL defense, which is why we extended him (along with his leadership traits). What I mean by that is that Lake, because of his elite tackling and read-and-react capabilities, allows Shula to play cat and mouse in terms of what secondary players are occupying which zone windows. This also makes our pass rush better because it makes opposing QBs second guess what they are seeing. (Also, what happened to the promise of McCreary???)
Eight.
The expectation for the Rams is to beat Carolina regardless of health issues. The expectations after Carolina will be dependent on availability and match-up. (This includes the availability of Adams and Ferguson, which I haven`t addressed elsewhere.)
Nine.
There is something rotten in Denmark… The NFL might be fixed (over 51% chance imo). I believe in the integrity of the game, and I believe many of you do to. But from what I have witnessed this season, the games looked guided by the refs toward a predetermined outcome. Perhaps it is just incompetence, but I will be watching the playoffs with this lens to decide on whether I will continue to watch the professional game.
Ten.
We have an ELITE coaching staff, front office and owner. And I for one am thanking my lucky stars when I look out on the landscape of the league. The difference between earned wealth/position and inherited wealth/position could not be more apparent. Yes, I realize that you cannot separate earned from inherited in many cases due to the nature of the how much of an advantage guys like McVay, Shula and Dimitroff have had growing up, in the families that they grew up in. For those of you, like me, that have not grown up in privileged positions, Godspeed and good luck to you. Don`t ask for life to be easier, turn hardship into the strength of character that will propel you forward.
Romans 5:3-5 NIV. Not only so, but we also glory (give glory to God) in our sufferings (and in our victories), because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame (there is no shame in loving God), because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (the quiet voice of our conscience), who has been given to us (when we exercise our free will to surrender our false sense of control to Christ Jesus, who is our lord and savior offering us unearned forgiveness and unmitigated favor).
Go at it boys.