Arnold Ebiketie could drop because he's viewed as undersized as an edge rusher. That said he possesses qualities that I like in pass rushers. He's got speed, explosiveness, good lateral agility, and good hand play. AD is considered undersized but his quickness and strong hand play allows him to penetrate quickly. I don't know if he will last to the bottom of the third round, but if he's in the 3rd round like he might be he's the kind of player the Rams should trade up for. He plays with leverage just like AD. He could learn a lot from Donald.

Basically, all I'm saying is that there are players to be had that can get the job done and Snead is excellent at finding them. We shouldn't sleep on Lewis or Hollins while we wait and see.

I wrote an email for my list today that I thought some of you good people may enjoy.

-------------

I’ve just read a quite remarkable and scary book called Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker a Professor of Neuroscience at UC Berkeley.

Everybody knows sleep is good for you and not enough can hinder all forms of mental and physical health, but I had no clue how crippling a lack of sleep can be.

Walker doesn’t stray into hearsay and on the occasions where there’s a correlation between poor sleep and poor health rather than causation he goes to great lengths to explain that.

Here are some of the urban myths and scientifically proven facts from the book that may make you sit up and take notice, especially if you have kids and want to safeguard their long-term health.

Myth # 1 - We need less sleep as we get older

Nope, it just seems that way because sleep function declines as we age.

Consequently, we presume struggling to get to sleep or waking up earlier than we used to means we don’t need it.

We do.

We all need 7 to 8 hours.

Myth # 2 - Some people just don’t need much sleep

Ok, so this is somewhat of a volte-face from the last myth because there are some people who can get away with 6-hours and not see a negative impact on their mental and physical health.

How many?

About the same amount as those who get struck by lightning every year.

Myth # 3 - Our metabolism slows down in middle age

It doesn’t.

There is no discernible drop off in the rate of metabolism before you get into your 60s’ and even then it's not a certainty.

However, things we normally associate with ageing and a slowing metabolism like weight gain, reduced memory function and higher blood pressure, can be directly attributed to a lack of quality sleep.

Myth # 4 - If I miss a couple of hours I may as well miss the entire night

A lack of sleep impacts us exponentially, not incrementally.

This means that only getting 5 hours of sleep isn’t a bit worse than 6 hours, it’s a shit ton worse.

And only getting 4 hours a fucking shit ton worse.

This is why the Guinness Book of World Records removed sleep deprivation records because they can cause long-lasting physical and psychological harm.

It’s also why very few countries (although the US is one) still use sleep deprivation tactics on prisoners.

Myth # 5 - You can catch up on sleep at the weekend.

It’s no good getting up after 6 hours of sleep all week and then bingeing at the weekend.

Your body cannot catch up on lost sleep and the negative effects are cumulative.

Myth # 6 - Sleeping tablets will help you sleep

Since they’re called sleeping tablets, they really should, right?

Alas, will they fuck.

They just sedate you in the same way as a lot of alcohol does with the same deleterious impact.

Speaking of which....

Myth # 7 - A few beers will help me sleep

Alcohol offers some benefits in terms of relaxing you for a very short period of time.

But it's all downhill after that.

Alcohol disrupts sleep because your body is working hard beating off what it sees as an invader (alcohol is a poison) at a time when it has more important shit to do.

Alcohol raises your core temperature which promotes wakefulness as does the accompanying dehydration and needing to go to the bathroom.

It obliterates REM sleep (this is the reason why we remember so little after heavy drinking as that is when memories are formed) and sedates us rather than helps us sleep.

That's why nobody bounces out of bed after a skinful feeling fresh and rested.

Truth #1 - A lack of sleep can be worse than alcohol for driving

Ten times more people die in accidents attributable to tired drivers each year in the US than through alcohol and drug-related deaths combined.

Going 16-hours without sleep and then driving is as dangerous as being legally drunk.

But, most accidents aren’t caused by people falling asleep at the wheel in the traditional sense.

They are caused by people being slower to react than normal and making poorer decisions because of fatigue.

Plus, there is something called microsleeps that may only last two seconds or less, are commonplace and indiscernible to the person having them.

A two-second microsleep doesn’t seem like a lot, but at 30 mph it can take you across four lanes of traffic before you snap out of it....or die.

Truth # 2 - Forget losing weight if you’re short on sleep

When you’re body is short of sleep it prefers to burn muscle and preserve fat because it’s dealing with an existential threat.

Also, a shortage of sleep suppresses the production of the hormone leptin, which tells you when you have eaten enough.

And for the trifecta of weight-losing crapiness, the prefrontal cortex (responsible for good decision making) is overridden by the hypothalamus which is insisting on two burgers, fries and a big duck off shake because it’s in survival mode.

Truth # 3 - Kids shouldn’t be allowed to fall asleep watching TV

You shouldn’t put a child to bed after he or she has fallen asleep, but as they are doing so.

Otherwise, you can reduce their ability to self-nurture causing sleep difficulties later in life.

Truth # 4 - Kids shouldn’t be made to get up too early

Kids have an advanced circadian rhythm of about 3 hours, meaning that they’re owls, not larks.

Put another way, asking a kid to get up at 7 am for school is like asking an adult to get up and go to work at 4 am every day.

And it’s not just a question of pushing through it, their ability to learn is SEVERELY hampered for the first half of the day.

Experiments by schools in the US showed huge jumps in grade point averages when they pushed the school start day back.

Even so, kids are still made to get up too early because it fits with parents' and bus company schedules and it’s just the way we have always done things.

Truth # 5 - Pulling an all-night to learn is counterproductive

After as little as 15 hours awake the brain's ability to learn falls off a very steep cliff and the ability to absorb information degrades rapidly.

Also, a good night's sleep before learning is wasted if you then have poor sleep the following nights because it takes the brain at least 3 nights of sleep to move that learning into long term memory.

Truth # 6 - Don’t get a flu vaccine if you’ve had a bad night's sleep

Having a flu vaccine (and I presume this is the case with Covid, but the book came out in 2018, so I'm guessing) when you are sleep deprived can reduce its efficacy by as much as 50%.

Insufficient sleep suppresses the immune cell response.

Truth # 7 A warm bath before bedtime really does help you sleep

Not just because it relaxes you, but also because blood rushes to the surface of your body causing your core body temperature to drop (the opposite of the aforementioned alcohol).

Which is exactly what’s needed to sleep well.

This is the reason why if you are too hot in bed at night you may well stick your feet out from under the duvet.

This causes your feet to cool so your body reacts by sending lovely warm blood there and dropping your core temperature.

These are the 2021 last place finishers, their FA signings and draft picks.

Who is poised to improve the most? What do you think?

Jets 4-13

QB Joe Flacco (1 year, $3.5 million)
RB Tevin Coleman (1 year, $1.5 million)
WR Braxton Berrios (2 years, $12 million)
Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah (3 years, $24 million)
Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (3 years, $21 million)
49ers OG Laken Tomlinson (3 years, $40 million)
OG Dan Feeney (1 year)
DT Nathan Shepherd (1 year)
Texans OLB Jacob Martin (3 years, $13.5 million)
Seahawks CB D.J. Reed (3 years, $33 million)
S Lamarcus Joyner (1 year, $4.5 million)
Buccaneers S Jordan Whitehead (2 years, $14.5 million)

Round 1: Nos. 4, 10 (from Seahawks) overall
Round 2: Nos. 35, 38 (from Panthers)
Round 3: No. 69
Round 4: Nos. 111 (from Panthers), 117 (from Vikings)
Round 5: Nos. 146, 163 (from Steelers)

Ravens 8-9

Jets OT Morgan Moses (3 years, $15 million)
Vikings DT Michael Pierce (3 years, $16.5 million)
Saints S Marcus Williams (5 years, $70 million)

Round 1: No. 14 overall
Round 2: No. 45
Round 3: Nos. 76, 100
Round 4: Nos. 110 (from Giants), 119, 128 (from Cardinals), 139, 141
Round 6: No. 196 (from Dolphins)

Jags 3-14

Cardinals WR Christian Kirk (4 years, $72 million)
Raiders WR Zay Jones (3 years, $24 million)
Giants TE Evan Engram (1 year, $9 million)
OT Cam Robinson (franchise tag)
OT Will Richardson (1 year, $2 million)
Commodes OG Brandon Scherff (3 years, $49.5 million)
OG Tyler Shatley (2 years, $6.8 million)
Jets DT Foley Fatukasi (3 years, $30 million)
Falcons LB Foye Oluokun (3 years, $45 million)
Rams CB Darious Williams (3 years, $30 million)
CB Tre Herndon (details unavailable)

Round 1: No. 1 overall
Round 2: No. 33
Round 3: Nos. 65, 70 (from Panthers)
Round 4: No. 106
Round 5: No. 157 (from Vikings)
Round 6: Nos. 180, 188 (from Seahawks), 197 (from Eagles), 198 (from Steelers)
Round 7: Nos. 222, 235 (from Ravens)

Broncos 7-10

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (via trade)
Ravens TE Eric Tomlinson (1 year)
49ers OL Tom Compton (1 year)
OT Calvin Anderson (1 year)
Packers OG Ben Braden (1 year)
49ers DT D.J. Jones (3 years, $30 million)
LB Josey Jewell (2 years, $11 million)
Cowboys OLB Randy Gregory (5 years, $70 million)

Round 2: No. 64 (from Rams)
Round 3: Nos. 75, 96 (from Rams)
Round 4: Nos. 115, 116 (from Seahawks)
Round 5: No. 145 (from Lions)
Round 6: No. 206 (from Bucs through Jets and Eagles)
Round 7: No. 232

Giants 4-13

Texans QB Tyrod Taylor (2 years, $11 million)
Commodes TE Ricky Seals-Jones (unavailable)
OT Korey Cunningham (unavailable)
Colts OG Mark Glowinski (3 years, $20 million)
Bills OL Jon Feliciano (1 year)
CB Jarren Williams (unavailable)
LS Casey Kreiter (unavailable)

Round 1: Nos. 5, 7 (from Bears) overall
Round 2: No. 36
Round 3: Nos. 67, 81 (from Dolphins)
Round 4: No. 112 (from Bears)
Round 5: Nos. 147, 173 (from Chiefs through Ravens)
Round 6: No. 182

Lions 3-13-1

QB Tim Boyle (1 year, $2 million)
QB David Blough (unavailable)
FB Jason Cabinda (2 years, $4.1 million)
Jaguars WR D.J. Chark (1 year, $10 million)
WR Josh Reynolds (2 years, $6 million)
WR Kalif Raymond (2 years)
C Evan Brown (1 year, $2.05 million)
DE Charles Harris (2 years, $14 million)
LB Josh Woods (1 year, $1.55 million)
LB Alex Anzalone (1 year, $2.25 million)
LB Shaun-Dion Hamilton (1 year, $1.035 million)
S Jalen Elliott (1 year, $825,000)
S Tracy Walker (3 years, $25 million)
S C.J. Moore (1 year, $1.75 million)

Round 1: Nos. 2, 32 (from Rams) overall
Round 2: No. 34
Round 3: Nos. 66, 97
Round 5: No. 177
Round 6: Nos. 181, 217
Round 7: No. 234 (from Browns)

Panthers 5-12

Rams P Johnny Hekker (3 years)
Commodes DT Matt Ioannidis (1 year, $5.9 million)
Titans RB D'Onta Foreman (1 year, $2 million)
Browns WR Rashard Higgins (1 year)
WR Brandon Zylstra (1 year)
Rams OG Austin Corbett (3 years, $29.25 million)
K Zane Gonzalez (2 years, $4.5 million)
DE Marquis Haynes (2 years, $5.5 million)
Jaguars OLB Damien Wilson (2 years)
Vikings S Xavier Woods (3 years, $15.75 million)

Round 1: No. 6 overall
Round 4: No. 137 (from Rams through Texans)
Round 5: Nos. 144 (from Jaguars), 149
Round 6: No. 199 (from Raiders)
Round 7: No. 242 (from Patriots through Dolphins)

Seahawks 7-10

Raiders DT Quinton Jefferson (unavailable)
Broncos QB Drew Lock (via trade)
Broncos TE Noah Fant (via trade)
TE Will Dissly (3 years, $24 million)
Chiefs C Austin Blythe (bag of chips)
Broncos DL Shelby Harris (via trade)
DT Al Woods (2 years, $9 million)
Chargers LB Uchenna Nwosu (2 years, $20 million)
CB Sidney Jones (1 year, $3.6 million)
Bears CB Artie Burns (1 year, $2 million)
S Quandre Diggs (3 years, $40 million)

Round 1: No. 9 overall (from Broncos)
Round 2: Nos. 40 (from Broncos), 41 overall
Round 3: No. 72
Round 4: Nos. 109 (from Jets)
Round 5: Nos. 152 (from Broncos), 153
Round 7: No. 229

Outside of anything off the field, id Watson worth what Browns just gave him.

I am a firm believer that mobility in a QB is a very valuable asset, but the most important skill by far for a QB is the skills tossing the ball (i.e. pocket passer).

Is Watson worth among top top end money and 3 1st round draft picks?

Imo he is better than L.Jackson and K.Murray in the pocket, and may be in the J.Allen category. Not sure though.
I see the future top QBs to include Mahomes, Burrow and Herbert all dominating in the pocket.

I would have been furious with the Rams giving the same deal they did for Stafford last year if they had given in to Watson instead.
I don't see Watson ever becoming a SB winning QB (now that he is off his rookie deal).

What do others think?

Hmmmmm…

Well, I’m thinking that there are few actual ‘holes’, really.

Offense

I pretty much think our starters are already onboard. Gonna be some camp battles at RG and TE but that’s just to determine pecking order, don’t you think?

Not sure I can recall when Rams last had an O so clear cut at starter positions in late March.

I’m thinking that they will bring in either a FA or use a draft pick at the following positions in no particular order but even then just for depth:

RB
Interior OL
TE
QB (maybe)

That’s really about it.

Defense

Just a couple of ‘holes’, really. I see a need at edge opposite Floyd to try to replace Miller. Probably a solid FA since the experience is invaluable. Might use a pick there also if someone they like falls to them. No disrespect for Hollins and Garrett intended, but we’ve seen what a strong edge means to this D once Miller got healthy. Garrett flashed as a pass rusher last preseason but can he defend the run adequately? He’s still gotta prove that imo.

An experienced starting CB is likely on Snead’s radar, too. I like Rochell’s potential but at this point he’s unproven. A SB worthy team would be wise to shore that up in the offseason. Slot CB is a bit iffy, too. Long right now is a definite ‘maybe’ and that’s not good enough for a defending SB team. I look for at least one FA to be brought in at CB plus at least one draft pick, possibly as high as our 3rd. The good news is that Snead drafts secondary players very well.

ILB is ‘okay’ with Jones and Howard, I guess, but I’ll bet Snead will either bring in a 2nd tier FA or spend a draft pick there to build depth. A Bobby Wagner signing would be great but I’m not sure that the Rams want him badly enough to pull the trigger.

Fuller and Scott should be okay as starters but I can’t help remembering what a dramatic difference the experienced and crafty Weddle made on D in the playoffs. IOW, I’m wondering if Snead might be thinking about bringing in another FA back there to try to duplicate that settling influence. If not a FA vet then I predict that Snead will draft a FS type somewhere on Day 3.

Punter will be addressed in the draft. This draft reportedly is loaded with good prospects.

To summarize on Ram D needs I guess that Rams only have one ‘hole’ and that’s at edge to replace Miller. That Miller bar is quite high but there are still a few FA options out there if Snead really wants one.

All the other positions could be addressed with ‘depth moves’ during FA or the draft.

Thoughts?

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There was a time this guy was THE insider in the NFL.

Are all of these listed NFL Free Agents still available?

How many of these players have signed on with new teams in the last 48 hours?

Are these truly the best UFA's still on the market?


Best Remaining Free agents 2022:

Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston, Saints
Marcus Mariota, Raiders
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Commodes
Andy Dalton, Bears
Jacoby Brissett, Dolphins
Cam Newton, Panthers

Running backs
Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers
Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons
Sony Michel, Rams
Rashaad Penny, Seahawks
Melvin Gordon, Broncos
Duke Johnson Jr., Dolphins
Darrel Williams, Chiefs
Boston Scott, Eagles
Ronald Jones II, Buccaneers
Devonta Freeman, Ravens
Latavius Murray, Ravens
Justin Jackson, Chargers
Devontae Booker, Giants
David Johnson, Texans
Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers
Phillip Lindsay, Dolphins
Alex Collins, Seahawks

Wide receivers
Odell Beckham Jr., Rams
Jarvis Landry, Browns
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers
TY. Hilton, Colts
Jamison Crowder, Jets
Sammy Watkins, Ravens
Will Fuller, Dolphins
Keelan Cole, Jets
A.J. Green, Cardinals
Emmanuel Sanders, Bills
Tre'Quan Smith, Saints
Cole Beasley, Bills

Tight ends
Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers
Zach Ertz, Cardinals
Robert Tonyan, Packers
Gerald Everett, Seahawks

Offensive tackles
Terron Armstead, Saints
Duane Brown, Seahawks
Eric Fisher, Colts
Trent Brown, Patriots
La'el Collins, Cowboys
David Quessenberry, Titans
Riley Reiff, Bengals
Brandon Shell, Seahawks
Daryl Williams, Bills
Bobby Massie, Broncos
Zach Banner, Steelers

Guards/centers
Germain Ifedi, Bears
Quinton Spain, Bengals
Ereck Flowers, Commodes

Edge rushers
Za'darius Smith Packers
Jadeveon Clowney, Browns
Melvin Ingram, Chiefs
Derek Barnett, Eagles
Justin Houston, Ravens
Jerry Hughes, Bills
Trey Flowers, Lions
Za'Darius Smith, Packers
Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers
Carl Nassib, Raiders

Defensive tackles
Akiem Hicks, Bears
Calais Campbell, Ravens
Fletcher Cox, Eagles
Larry Ogunjobi, Bengals
Eddie Goldman, Bears
Matt Ioannidis, Commodes
Linval Joseph, Chargers
Sheldon Richardson, Vikings
Star Lotulelei, Bills

Linebackers
Dont'a Hightower, Patriots
Bobby Wagner, Seahawks
Alexander Johnson, Broncos
Anthony Barr, Vikings
Kyzir White, Chargers
Cory Littleton, Raiders
Danny Trevathan, Bears

Cornerbacks
Stephon Gilmore, Panthers
Tyrann Mathieu, Chiefs
Jackrabbit Jenkins, Titans
Donte Jackson, Panthers
Steven Nelson, Steelers
Patrick Peterson, Vikings
Bryce Callahan, Broncos
Joe Haden, Steelers
Robert Alford, Cardinals
A.J. Bouye, Panthers

Safeties
Kareem Jackson, Broncos
Jayron Kearse, Cowboys
Landon Collins, Commodes
DeShazor Everett, Commodes

Kickers
Randy Bullock, Titans
Michael Badgley, Colts
Greg Zuerlein, Cowboys
Joey Slay, Commodes
Greg Joseph, Vikings

Punters
Bryan Anger, Cowboys
Kevin Huber, Bengals
Pat O'Donnell, Bears
Michael Palardy, Dolphins
Andy Lee, Cardinals
Corey Bojorquez, Packers
Jordan Berry, Vikings
Thomas Morstead, Falcons

I have been actively critical of those who simply cannot quit with the Creed Humphrey lament.

Get the fuck over it.
But I understand it.

So , with that in mind, I have rewatched the title game - twice.

Joe Buck and Aikman can suck my dick.

I have NEVER seen a more biased anoucing crew in my life as a Rams fan.

Ever.

The thought of watching these two biased fucks announcing what will be at least 3 MNF games makes me sick.

That is all.

I have been watching the NFL since the late 70’s early 80’s consistently. I do not remember an off season like this.

A couple of poster have stated, “The Rams broke the NFL”. Well by Gawd they may be RIGHT! Teams are moving top tier QBs, over paying with guaranteed contracts, and shaming their own players for possibly signing his replacement. All the while the team who seems to have mastered the player/picks movement just won it all (Thank you Les).

There are still a ton of free agents and trades still to process through.

Funny how the Rams have had a relatively low key off season (minus the Robinson move).

This time in the NFL May be known as the RAMification period.

It matters, because he's tweeted similar things after blockbuster Rams deals have been made....


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wow the money damn!!!

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For anyone that doesn't want to discuss AD lol

Take a look at this list:

Russell Wilson
Chase Edmunds
Davante Adams
Amari Cooper
Christian Kirk
O.J. Howard
Brandon Scherff
Alex Cappa
Laken Tomlinson
Khalil Mack
Chandler Jones
Randy Gregory
D.J. Reed
Marcus Williams
Jordan Whitehead

All of these guys have moved from the NFC to the AFC this offseason. Likewise, the Rams biggest losses, Von Miller and Darious Williams, are now in the AFC.

There's still a lot of offseason left but, at this point, I don't see any team in the NFC that has clearly risen above the Rams, despite our departures.

Stay tuned!

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2022/03/rams-receiving-calls-on-wr-robert-woods

Could Robert Woods be on the trade block? The Rams have received calls about the receiver’s availability, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

The Super Bowl champs shocked many when they inked Allen Robinson to a deal, and subsequent reports indicated that the team was still interested in re-signing Odell Beckham Jr.. Cooper Kupp obviously isn’t going anywhere, and Van Jefferson was productive during his sophomore season. While the Rams have a high-flying offense, something was clearly going to give.

It could end up being Woods, who hauled in 45 receptions for 556 yards and four touchdowns before tearing his ACL in practice. That injury happened in November, and while we’ve seen some miraculous recoveries in recent years, Woods would be hard pressed to be ready for the start of the 2022 season.

When healthy, Woods has been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL. He topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage each season between 2018 and 2020, and inquiring teams are surely counting on Woods returning to form. Woods inked a four-year, $65MM extension with the Rams in 2020, and he’s attached to $15MM+ cap hits for the next four seasons.

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Guess Aaron Rodgers will throw to his favorite teammate, himself!

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Bravo!

Now of course shitty media all over this. They waiting for the Rams demise. That said assuming we loathe the media it's troublesome when it's coming from the mouth of AD again.
He is already getting a new contract if he stays but when he says (paraphrasing) "what's left to prove sees Big Whit retire to be with wife and kids won a chip and now von gone too....I don't know man" He is longing for his family all of it. It's scary. We will see if money talks.

This is also now annoying and worrisome. I understand it and I back him as he is one of my favorite all time Rams but if Von Miller as I said yesterday is one of the catalysts for the Rams entire demise my gratefulness and appreciation will turn to anger and dislike.

Nothing ever comes without a price we still supposed to be living of the chip high making decisions and then boom one domino falls and the whole thing may just come down. I understand right now it's fresh but hearing it from his mouth again and not just the shitty media is on itself scary.

How do you guys realistically see this going? And even if you throw money at the problem does that ever really work?

Kyle Pitts twitter seems to indicate he's going there but I don't see/hear anything official.

Football twitter is murmuring about it now as well.

Just found this on your temporal voice mail system:

"Hey buddy! It's me... March 17, 2021 you. How's it going? Must be great, basking in the glow of that championship. I just wanted to call and remind you of a few things that I don't know. I don't know that the Rams will successfully solidify the offensive line entirely from players already on the roster. I don't know that Cam Akers will get injured, that the Rams will trade for Sony Michel to replace him, and that Cam will return for the playoffs. I don't know who the Rams will draft. I don't know that the Rams will acquire Von Miller, OBJ and Eric Weddle (REALLY? Eric Weddle?) as they make a championship run. I guess the point is... imagine what you DON'T know right now. Anyway... have a great offseason wearing that championship gear. I'm so jealous!"

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Here’s a really cool Stafford Mini movie if you have 15 mins to watch, it’s well worth it!

I think we're all a tad stressed right now. Reality is that there are good players out there....but it's possible we don't sign anyone. Who knows.

I'm feeling optimistic overall, so figured I'd put this out here.

Projected roster right now:

QB - Stafford, Perkins vs Wolford(?) - either way I think Perkins takes it this time

RB - Akers, Henderson, Funk, Xavier Jones

WR - Kupp, Woods, Jefferson, Atwell, Skowronek, Harris

TE - Higbee, Blanton, Hopkins

LT - Noteboom, Jackson

LG - Edwards, Anchrum

C - Allen, Shelton

RG - Shelton vs Evans

RT - Havenstein, Anchrum

DL - AD, Robinson, Gaines, Hoecht, Brown, Copeland

EDGE - Floyd, Hollins, Lewis, Garrett

ILB - Jones, Howard, Rozeboom

CB - Ramsey, Rochelle, Long, Haley(?)

S - Fuller, Scott, Rapp, Burgess




Looking at this, a few things jump out to me:

First - we're only down three starters from the team that took the field and won the Super Bowl - Corbett, Williams, Miller

Second - we were near the top of the league in sacks BEFORE trading for Von, and we crushed the Bucs without him the first time (and when they were fully healthy)

Third - Williams played pretty poorly for most of the year - I think we all know he is likely to fail in JAX

Fourth - we had roughly $15-17 million to give to Von, even factoring in extensions for Stafford and AD - so even if it's not today or tomorrow - we have some money to add to that roster. And by the way - take a look at that roster again. Where's the weakness? EDGE? Again, we had a good pass rush with essentially that group before trading for Von. CB? Again, Williams wasn't that great, so Rochelle stepping in likely nets the same result overall at worst. ILB? Jones appears to have a bright future

Fifth - Akers. It's easy to write him off because he came back. But he was on the fast track to breaking out. And McVay gets to sit in the lab all offseason and figure out why the run game was bad all year long

Sixth - year two for Stafford with McVay. Woods back. Another year for Atwell/Harris/Skow. Akers back. This offense should average more than 30 PPG next year - that in itself can cover for the loss of Von and then some



So, to quote the diva over in GB - R-E-L-A-X - sure, an EDGE and a CB would be great. ILB too. But we have the potential starters in place everywhere - we saw Hollins, Howard and Rochelle play well last year as complementary pieces. Our defense will still be a good unit and our offense should explode. And again, we have some money to improve those positions....and if we do, we just need to add some depth in the draft.