I rarely get excited when a playoff team upgrades its LT. However, the Bengals picked up the fifth-year option on Williams' contract on April 29, 2022. I might be wrong, but believe they eat the guaranteed money, so we can negotiate to pay only part of his wages. He wants to leave so there is little incentive in trying to stop him.

This means we would get a relatively cheap one-year rental and likely receive a 3rd or 4th round compensation pick (if we do not sign him to a long-term deal). I am not saying he is great, but he is plenty good enough and could become a better player in our scheme.

He is a former top-ten pick, who has played up to his first contract. He is much more durable than Noteboom, who becomes our 2023/24 reserve tackle and trade chip in 2024/25.

Make it happen? Just saying but happy to field criticism

Bring it on!

Bear with me here because I’m gonna engage in some outside-the-box thinking that might coincide with Rams lean offseason strategy proposed. Assuming Rams want to minimize FA expenditures and both present and future cap costs so that they can go hog wild in ‘24.

What if they think OL is fixed after extending Shelton?

Boom
Jackson
Shelton (Allen as backup)
Anchrum, Bruss
Hav

That’s a decent line IF nobody gets hurt.

RB

Just needs a mid round draft pick for depth

TE

Hunter Long addition makes them 3 deep

WR

AR stays so no need for more help.

Backup QB

Just sign a vet off the scrap heap now that my top 3 have signed elsewhere or draft one they like mid rounds.


As to the D:

IDL. Let Gaines and ARob both go and utilize the 2 Browns and anybody else remaining from their current depth.

Edge. Hoecht starts on one side and a high draft pick becomes other starter.

CB. Durant starts outside and is joined by a high draft pick on other side. Rochell and Kendrick fight for snaps at slot (or wherever)

S. Fuller, Yeast, and Lake fight for snaps plus Rams draft another S late.


ST. Draft a kicker and a punter (if Dixon isn’t extended). Find a long snapper among udfa’s, as usual.

Well, something like the above appears to be in store for ‘23, y’all. Semi competitive if McVay and his staff coach their brains out, but probably not a serious playoff contender this year.

Projected draft priorities?

First 3 picks will be edge, CB (maybe 2), OL (interior), TE, WR, or RB depending on their board. All 6 positions will be drafted for sure before end of Day 3. Kicker will probably be drafted in 6th or 7th if one if the guys they really like is still there. Otherwise it’s gonna be FA or more likely a udfa for kicker.

Beyond the above I expect Snead.McVay to sprinkle in depth players at a variety of positions that fall plus a very active udfa strategy. Whatever money is left over will likely be spent on 2nd tier FA’s at thin positions and/or signings down the road from final cuts by other teams.

This roster building is gonna be a 5 month ongoing process (even more than it normally is for Rams, anyway).

Do I like it? Am I excited by what our ‘23 roster might look like? Nope. But something like this is probably in the cards for 2023, I’m afraid. Rams will win 7-9 games IF coaches do a great job.

Thoughts?

Looking at different salary cap websites... the Rams could get about $100 million under the cap next year.

They would be moving on from Boom, Havenstein and Allen in that scenario.. as well as Higbee. Doesn't seem far fetched at all, imo.

They need to bring in real contributors in this draft and we have to hope that the 22 draft class turns out well.. meaning Bruss has to be a starter.. Durant needs to be a high-level contributor.. probably Lake or Yeast need to be a real starter.

Next year, you basically have all your picks.. I doubt they get much in compensation.. maybe a sixth-rounder or two between Mayfield, Rapp and Scott.

This year has a lot of good players in the top 150.. I would trade down and package end-of-draft picks to get as many above 120 that I could. If you end up with 5 there, you can make a real impact on your 24 roster.

Need a home run draft this year, imo.. something at least like 2017 or 2018 at the worst.

24 should be a lot of fun.. this will be a Rams fan year to watch for development, imo.. and hope they're able to scratch out a winning season.

The Rams are starting NEW!!
Clean Slate -w/ Chase Blackburn

Well we've traded Ramsey the combine has come and gone and we have a start to free agency so lets get going.

Resign:
Gaines
Perkins
Shelton (already done)
Haley

IMO We're going to let as many go for the comp pick formula as possible even though most of the rest really won't move that needle.

Free agents:
JJ3
Dante Fowler

Quiet free agency because I doubt we put a lot of money into players this year each of these I think are 1 year deals.

Draft:
2nd Round pick 36:

BJ Ojulari Edge LSU
After Nolan Smith playing himself out of our range IMO this is my main target. Can come in year one start and contribute.

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3rd Round pick 69:

Jaelyn Duncan LT Maryland
A project in the 3rd at LT. Good size and strength and a bit better as a run blocker than pass. With his size and strength he'd be a good guy for our new OL coach to work on.

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3rd Round pick 77:
Julius Brents CB Kansas St

A corner with good size and strength to replace (eventually) Ramsey. His stock is rising so not sure where he falls but a lot of mocks have him around this range.

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5th Round pick 167:
Roschon Johnson RB Texas

We should be very lucky to have him fall to us in the 5th.

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5th Round pick 171:
Dante Stills DE/DT West Virginia

Good size and strength, very good attacking the run game. Would rotate him with Brown along with AD and Gaines on the front 3.

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5th Round pick 177:
YaYa Diaby Edge Louisville

More of a project at Edge but has the physical tools to develop into a good pass rusher. We lack playmakers at this very important position so two draft picks and a couple UDFA seem in order to me.

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6th round pick 182:
Jake Haener QB Fresno St

A commonly mocked to us development QB behind Stafford and Perkins.

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6th round pick 189:
Ronnie Bell WR Michigan

Plays bigger than his 5'11" frame has a good catch radius and is a playmaker in the medium to long range game. Somebody to replace Robinson on the roster and develop. Limited experience in the return game but a possibility back there.

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6th round pick 191:
Daniel Scott S Cal

Will likely be in every one of my mocks. Good deep safety will contribute even as a 6th round pick as a rookie.

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7th round pick 223:
Jake Moody K Michigan

We need a kicker now and he's one of the best in the draft

7th round pick 251:
Zack Kuntz TE Old Dominion

Had a great combine as he showed off his agility. A good TE to develop and surpass Higs in a year or two.

I already know the two main complaints. I drafted a TE too late and only one guy on the OL. McVay and Snead have both said they like the guys they have in the OL room. For better or worse it may be another draft that ROD is upset by the lack of attention to that room. Though he may not start at OT as a rookie I do think if needed Duncan can play at Guard as a rookie. We'll go in to the season IMO with Boom at LT with Jackson his backup. Jackson and Anchrum will compete at LG with Bruss at RG. Shelton and Allen battle it out for C and Hav stays for another year or two at RT before he retires.

To me it's very conceivable that the top 5 picks all contribute as rookies with Ojulari Brents and Johnson getting a lot of PT early and the other two working their way in.

I had just moved to the Sacramento suburb of Fair Oaks with my family and I was bored.

In those days kids still played outside and I was lookin for some sort of ballgame to play.
I was with a new friend and he thought he knew of a football game that might be played
a block or two away from our street and so we walked over. We came to the yard and guys
were playing, but I hardly noticed. I experienced vertigo for a moment when I realized
it was the exact same spot in a dream a week before. the houses and trees and everything
were exactly the same.
I never lived in Northern California before this and so I was certain that I had never
been there before in the flesh. Deja' vu!

Your turn. Whether it was being probed by aliens like @Merlin or if you dealt with the hog
spirit world like @ottoman89 , share your story!

I have an iPhone 12. Around September I was unable to sign into ‘The Athletic’ app.

Customer service tried to help, but it didn’t work. I’ve deleted the app, updated it, turned the phone off after deleting, etc… Nothing has worked. I had to resort to logging in on my browser and resetting my Password that way. Then I opened the app and still couldn’t log in with the reset Pw. I ended up saving the link to my homepage. But it’s not as good as the app is.

Has anyone had this issue and if so how did they get around it?

What Do You Really Want to Know About the Rams’ Plan?
E.B. Redding
Zihuatanejo Daily News

Rebuild,” “remodel,” “retool,” “reload,” “reboot”… much like “rehabilitated,” these are made-up words… fans and sportswriters words… words so people who’ve never built or run a team can express their thoughts on the internet. What do you really want to know?

Are the Rams cutting or trading players to save money and clear cap space for this year and the years to come? Of course they are. That’s obvious, and obviously necessary.

Are the Rams tanking 2023? Of course they’re not. Sure, they’re going to rely on a lot of young players to support the remaining stars (the “pillars”), but nobody at Rams Park is presuming that the playoffs are unreachable.

Are the Rams gearing up to have the means to make a run in 2024? Of course they are. There is obviously a two-year story arc at work here, in which, after living lean in 2023, the Rams will go into the 2024 offseason with (hopefully) some broken-in young talent, plenty of money to spend, and.. FINALLY… a first round draft pick!

“Rebuild,” “remodel,” “retool,” “reload,” “reboot”…these are bullshit words. So go ahead and label the Rams, and stop wasting my damn time. Truth is, I don’t give a shit.

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The flood gates are open

Aaron Donald is one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, but Penn State Football coach James Franklin had some biting criticism for his impact on college football.

As the Nittany Lions opened spring practice, Franklin addressed the media, discussing his program’s quarterback situation, setting the expectations for some key positions, and made some surprising comments in Donald’s direction.

“I’m a huge Aaron Donald fan,” Franklin told reporters. “Aaron Donald has hurt college football.”

Donald is likely earmarked as a future First Ballot Hall of Famer, but his impact on how young players view the defensive line position has changed, in Franklin’s opinion, significantly.

“Because every single one of these kids think they’re Aaron Donald,” Franklin revealed. “‘Well, I’m going to lose weight, and I’m going to be more athletic.’ Well, there’s been one Aaron Donald, in 50 years, at his size, to be as disruptive as he is, as quick, and explosive, the problem is, everyone thinks they’re the exception.”

Donald 6-foot-1 and 284 pounds, is certainly undersized as an interior lineman, but he has produced 103 career sacks, and was instrumental n the Los Angeles Rams’ win in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals.

From what Franklin is saying is that a lot of defensive tackles in college football are trying to take a shortcut and using Aaron Donald as an example.

“There are a lot more 300-plus pound defensive tackles who have had great NFL and college careers,” Franklin pointed out. “Than there have been 275 or 280-pound defensive tackles.

“Don’t get me wrong, if Aaron Donald wants to come to Penn State Football, we want him. Our guys have to understand that’s the exception, not the norm. And we have to find the happy medium between the two.”

What a compliment!!!!

Audio

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Tidbit from today's Dan Patrick Show...

This date in sports history in 1985 Coach K earned his first NCAA Tournament victory with a 1st rd win against the Pepperdine University Waves. It was the next year that ESPN first televised the entire first round so there would normally only be one or 1st round games on those first two nights and this was not one of them in SoCal that year.

My suite-mates and I sat around listening to the game and were encouraged as the Waves played pretty well for the first 20-25 mins. I had a friend that was a walk-on that year who said they were feeling pretty good about the game-plan and their play right up until Duke broke out the Big Boy press.

All down hill from there...

Here’s what the Rams have accomplished:

Winning %: .598 (6th/tied)
Playoff Appearances: 3 (4th/tied)
Playoff Wins: 7 (2nd)
Conference Titles: 2 (2nd)

And, of course, the Rams are one of only 4 teams with a championship in the past 5 years.

Does this record make Snead, McVay and Co. beyond criticism?

Of course not.

But a bit of faith, patience and deference is in order, no?

List Of Proposed NFL Rule Changes For 2023​

On Monday, the NFL issued the full list of rule Playing Rules, Bylaw and Resolution Proposals to be considered for the 2023 season.

2023 Playing Rule Proposals Summary​

1. By Philadelphia; amends Rule 5, Section 1, Article 2, to permit the use of zero (“0”) as a
   jersey numeral; to allow kickers and punters to use any jersey numeral between 0-49 and 90-99.
2. By Philadelphia; amends Rule 6, Section 1, to permit a team to maintain possession of the ball after a score by substituting one offensive play (4th and 20 from the kicking team’s 20-yard line) for an onside kickoff attempt.
3. By Los Angeles Chargers; amends Rule 4, Section 6, Article 3 and Section 7, Article 4, to
   make the adjustment of the play clock following an Instant Replay reversal consistent with other timing rules.
4. By Detroit; amends Rule 15, Section 3, Article 9, to expand the coaches’ challenge system to include personal fouls called on the field.
5. By Detroit; amends Rule 15, Section 1, to provide clubs more opportunities for a third
   challenge.
6. By Detroit; amends Rule 15, Section 3, to expand the Replay Official’s jurisdiction to allow for consultation regarding penalty assessment.
7. By Houston; amends Rule 15, Section 1, Article 2, to expand the Replay Official’s jurisdiction to allow for review on failed fourth down attempts.
8. By Los Angeles Rams; amends Rule 15, Section 1 and Section 3, to make fouls for Roughing the Passer called on the field subject to replay assist and/or review by a coach’s challenge.
9. By New York Jets; amends Rule 12, Section 2, Article 6, to expand the crackback prohibition to players who go in motion and go beyond the center to block (“split-flow block”) a defender below the waist.

2023 Bylaw Proposals Summary​

1. By Detroit; amends Article XVII, Section 17.3, to allow a club to designate an emergency third quarterback from its Inactive List or Practice Squad who would be eligible to enter a game in the event the first two quarterbacks on the game day Active List are ruled “Out.”
2. By Los Angeles Chargers; amends Article XX, Section 20.2, and Article XXI, Section 21.4, to seed Wild Card teams higher than Division Championships in the playoffs if (i) the Division Champions have won-loss-tied percentages lower than .500, and (ii) the Wild Card teams have four or more wins than the Division Champions with losing records.

2023 Resolution Proposals Summary​

1. By Buffalo; to make the regular season and postseason roster transaction deadlines the same; changes the transaction deadline for Saturday night postseason games to 4:00 p.m., New York time on Saturday.
2. By Los Angeles Chargers; to provide greater clarity as to a player’s availability for a game.
3. By Philadelphia; to require game clocks to display tenths of seconds for the final 30 seconds of each half.
4. By New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota, New York Jets, Philadelphia, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington; to establish one preseason roster reduction date and related procedures.

Traded #36 for a lower-2nd, another 3rd, 4th and 6th. End up with 14 picks-- 1 2nd, 2 3rds, 2 4ths, 1 5th, 5 6ths and 2 7ths.

With the start of Free Agency ready to begin is there any news or rumors on what Free Agents the Rams might be targeting? Keeping my fingers crossed the Rams can come up with a positive surprise or two!!!

While I don't get a lot of the moves, or where we're going. I've been a Rams fan for 55 years now. This latest round of off season shit bothers me not at all compared to what I've witnessed over the years.

So to what I find funny...

I was sitting in my bar and this guy we call "Google" because he knows fucking EVERYTHING, was talking about NASCAR and he was stating as fact that a certain driver should have never taken the inside track. "He would have won if he would have not done that. What a moron.".

All I could think was, gee... I bet they wish they had you in their team to straighten them out.

Kinda reminds me of here.
While I think there are plenty of bright football minds here, I can't help but roll my eyes at those that - while they might be right occasionally - think THIS organization that has brought us to real prominence has no clue as to what they're doing.

I'm all for opinions. But "fire this guy or that guy is an idiot..." Welp... Just makes me wanna bitch slap you.

You make it REALLY tough to want to read your takes - at least from this old bastard's point of view.

There you have it. Disagree? Go for it.

I put this as a response in another thread but feel like it's worth throwing out.

So.. Jourdan is being a little coy about the Stafford stuff. There's some smoke there... it seems like it's probably more generated by another team, but there's smoke.
So.. what's a fit out there that makes sense?

To me.. Atlanta.

His wife is from Georgia.. they both went to college there.. Falcons are just outside of the sweet spot for QBs this year with the #8 pick.
Arthur Smith had great success with Tannehill and I think Stafford represents a serious step above Tanny, even now... but with some similar traits.
Atlanta has the cap space and some interesting weapons and a good run game.

If you were trying to think of scenarios where someone was calling to ask about Stafford.. and Stafford was interested in moving.. this would seem to fit some very specific criteria.

I'm not saying it's going to happen... I'm saying there's SOMETHING going on.. as in conversations. How serious those are? Yet to be seen.

If you're looking for another reason to suspect... well.. Mayfield hasn't signed with anyone yet. Perhaps he's in the loop and will be the replacement.. for now.

Lot of complications because of the cap.. and I don't have all the answers with that. But I think that these are conversations that are very possibly happening right now.

Does anyone have any Idea where we stand after the moves we have made so far?

https://www.nfl.com/news/raiders-sign-quarterback-jimmy-garoppolo

The Las Vegas Raiders are signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.75 million contract, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported Monday, per sources.
The contract includes $34 million guaranteed, Rapoport added.
The deal reunites Garoppolo with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who coached him as OC in New England at the start of Garoppolo's career from 2014 to 2016. The Patriots won Super Bowls in Garoppolo's stint there as Tom Brady's backup. Now, the Raiders hope he can bring a championship to Las Vegas -- site of Super Bowl LVIII next February.

Tom Brady? Retired.

Aaron Rodgers? Headed for NY, apparently.

Russell Wilson? Long gone.

Matthew Stafford is now the last of the old guns in the NFC. Is he the best of the bunch at QB?

Certainly, Jalen Hurts gets some consideration, coming off an MVP-type year, but will he sustain that level?

Others have put up good years, but is anyone taking Kurt Cousins, Dak Prescott, Daniel Jones or Jared Goff over Stafford in crunch time?

We’ve got a lot of roster issues, but we may very well have the best QB in the conference.

That’s a pretty good thing, no?

Asking for a friend...