ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast...bc-las-nick/id1233567831?i=1000396747131&mt=2

ANDROID: https://www.spreaker.com/user/downtownrams/battle-of-nfc-aaron-donald-nick-hamilton

I thought this might be an excellent thread to let others now about your experiences as a Ram fan. It's okay if you're not interested and someone may even close it but I thought it might be fun so I'll start.

My father became a Ram fan in 1949. He loved college football before that and started cheering for the USC Trojans. He always told me this story. Back in 1949 my dad was saving to buy a car and he would bus around the city or take the RED CARS (Trolley System) He decided to attend the 1949 NFL Championship game between the Rams and Eagles (how appropo). He had a nickel for the bus ride and off to the Coliseum he went with a sandwich and peanuts in a paper bag and a thermos full of hot coffee (my dad never ate stadium or ballpark food and he never drank carbonated beverages. One thing he didn't have was a ticket to the game nor did he have the money for a decent seat. Because of his poor eyesight, my dad always needed a decent seat. He wore coke-bottle glasses and he would always bring his binoculars.

He wasn't having any luck but about 10 minutes before game time, he tapped a guy on his shoulder and asked him if he had an extra seat for the game. The guy turns around and it turns out to be the the famous nightclub singer and actor Danny Thomas, of "Make Room for Daddy" fame though I think the long-running sitcom came later.
"Sure I got a ticket I can give you but how do I know you won't turn around and sell it?"
"I'll walk right in with you and I will be at your side the entire game."

So my dad sat next to Danny Thomas the entire 1949 championship game.

Sidenote: Eagles won 7-0 as their star RB Steve Owen ran roughshod over the Rams all afternoon.

Check out episodes of "Make Room for Daddy" on YouTube.

some of the video we've seen is just unreal

I hope everyones safe

Login to view embedded media

The league suspended celebrations due to whiny @$$ b!#ches crying about the Rams rubbing their noses in it after all those TDs.

Now the year the celebrations are back the Rams suddenly find themselves scoring TDs again.

Coincidence? I say this year's Rams need to bring back the MFing BOB 'N WEAVE for the playoffs. What say you?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...walter-payton-man-of-the-year-award-nominees/

NFL announces 32 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominees
Posted by Michael David Smith on December 7, 2017, 8:15 PM EST

The NFL has named 32 finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which recognizes players for their contributions both on the field and in their communities.

As the league has attempted to add to the prestige of the Man of the Year Award, it has shined an increasing spotlight on the nominees and the winners. The latest example of that comes with a new Man of the Year uniform patch that players who have received the award will wear on their jerseys.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is wearing the patch tonight, and Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis will all wear the patch on their jerseys going forward.

The winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award will be announced the night before the Super Bowl. Here are the 32 nominees:

Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson
Atlanta Falcons: Ben Garland
Baltimore Ravens: Benjamin Watson
Buffalo Bills: Lorenzo Alexander
Carolina Panthers: Greg Olsen
Chicago Bears: Sam Acho
Cincinnati Bengals: Michael Johnson
Cleveland Browns: Randall Telfer
Dallas Cowboys: Travis Frederick
Denver Broncos: Chris Harris Jr.
Detroit Lions: Haloti Ngata
Green Bay Packers: Clay Matthews
Houston Texans: J.J. Watt
Indianapolis Colts: Darius Butler
Jacksonville Jaguars: Malik Jackson
Kansas City Chiefs: Alex Smith
Los Angeles Chargers: Casey Hayward
Los Angeles Rams: Rodger Saffold
Miami Dolphins: Kenny Stills
Minnesota Vikings: Kyle Rudolph
New England Patriots: Nate Solder
New Orleans Saints: Cameron Jordan
New York Giants: Mark Herzlich
New York Jets: Quincy Enunwa
Oakland Raiders: Bruce Irvin
Philadelphia Eagles: Malcolm Jenkins
Pittsburgh Steelers: Cameron Heyward
San Francisco 49ers: Bradley Pinion
Seattle Seahawks: Michael Bennett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Clinton McDonald
Tennessee Titans: Wesley Woodyard
Washington Redskins: Nick Sundberg

IMO Cleveland took their first big step to respectability. Let DePodesta or somebody else handle the contracts, like we do with Demoff, because IIRC some of his contracts were his downfall. But let him handle the draft and free agency. Keep Hue running the team. Add a QB at #1 finally that won't flop (we hope) some secondary help with their other 1st. A RB and WR in the 2nd and shore up both lines with the rest of their bounty of picks. And Cleveland will turn it around fast.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/mortreport/status/938953239994748929

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...picks-from-expert-whos-10-2-on-falcons-games/

Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
by CBS Sports Staff

The Atlanta Falcons host the New Orleans Saints on "Thursday Night Football" to open Week 14 of the NFL season. The Falcons are favored by 2.5 in a game that's seen plenty of odds movement. The line opened at Falcons -2 and swung all the way to Saints -1.5. Then, in a flurry on Thursday, the line moved back to Atlanta -2.5.

The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has also seen plenty of movement. It's a robust 51.5, down 3.5 from where it opened.

Rookie running back Alvin Kamara has scored in six straight and is third among running backs in receptions with 59, behind only Le'Veon Bell (66) and Christian McCaffrey (64). Kamara and Mark Ingram form a dynamic 1-2 punch out of the backfield.

Ingram is nursing a toe injury, but is expected to play on Thursday Night Football. SportsLine's advanced computer model says Kamara and Ingram will combine for almost 200 total yards from scrimmage against a Falcons defense that's ranked in the bottom half of the league against the run.

And defensively, the Saints could get back rookie corner Marshon Lattimore (ankle), bolstering a defense that's No. 12 in scoring (20.3 ppg) and No. 11 against the pass (217.3 ypg).

But just because the Saints have been on fire doesn't mean they cover on the road in a divisional game on a short week.

The Falcons have won three of their past four games and put up at least 27 points in all three victories. Quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown for multiple scores in four of his past six outings.

SportsLine's model says Ryan will continue to roll in prime time, putting up almost 300 yards and two touchdowns. WR Julio Jones has a high probability of finding the end zone this week after a 2-24 clunker last Sunday against Xavier Rhodes and the Vikings.

And, like the Saints, the Falcons could also get defensive reinforcements. Top corner Desmond Trufant has been cleared from his concussion and will play for Atlanta on Thursday night.

The Falcons badly need a win against the Saints, who hold a two-game lead on Atlanta in the NFC South. These two teams meet twice in the next three weeks.

Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/rich_hammond/status/938919293214789632


Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/rich_hammond/status/938910806564933633


Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/rich_hammond/status/938919098880163840


Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/rich_hammond/status/938921555077115904

http://seahawks.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=143171

Sorry on my phone so can’t post comments. Very interesting to read those shitbags take on our game. I obviously want to win this week but if we get an L I can live with it. Really want to stomp them bitches next week!

Yeah, I know, it should have been Goff vs Wentz right? Not sure wtf I was thinking. But anyway, I wanted to discuss the other side of the ball a bit going into this game, and the key matchup is the schematic look of Goff vs Schwartz.

Schwartz has done a great job with the Eagles' defense. He's aggressive as F, and has always managed to find ways to get heat on opposing QBs and make life hard on them. Over the course of the season the Eagles have, in fact, held opposing passers to a very impressive 77.0 (3rd in the league) with an approach that relies heavily on the coverage ability of their secondary with some crazy looks like cover 0.

On the flipside of all that is the fact that obviously Schwartz is a gambler, and the cover 0 and sell-out blitzes they run at times bring a lot of risk and it cost them last week in Seattle. One would think that this approach would result in a very high sack percentage, but surprisingly they are pedestrian there (6.71%, 16th) which is a testament to their back end.

Jared, meanwhile, benefits greatly from good pass protection (4.81% sack percentage, 7th). But he has struggled a bit vs the top defenses he's faced thus far (79.2 passer rating @ Minn, 86.2 @ Jax, and 48.9 Seattle).

So obviously Goff's preparedness vs facing Schwartz's scheme is going to be an enormous deciding factor. Will he be able to burn that defense when he catches them in the right looks, and avoid too many hits with quick throws and throwaways? That is critical because that scheme--as we're well aware of from the Fish regime--feasts on QBs who aren't reading pre-snap and reacting quickly enough.

My own prognosis is that he's going to play well overall, and that he will execute McVay's plan to include burning the defense here and there. I don't think he should face any more pressure per snap than he's used to facing in this game, first off, barring things like injuries up front. Also I think the Rams are going to use a lot of play action on first down, because the Eagles won't have any choice but to honor it. I'm guessing he'll be in the 85-95 range in passer rating, and if so we have a pretty good chance to pull this game out.

Login to view embedded media
Sunday can't come fast enough.
Login to view embedded media

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/07/pfts-week-14-picks-8/

PFT’s Week 14 picks
Posted by Mike Florio on December 7, 2017

Eagles at Rams

MDS’s take: This is a great game in the NFC playoff race, and I see it as the second consecutive West Coast loss for an Eagles team that previously looked like it was ready to run away with home-field advantage.

MDS’s pick: Rams 21, Eagles 20.

Florio’s take: One is an accident, twice is a trend. Or something. Either way, the Eagles won’t be letting their losing streak run to two.

Florio’s pick: Eagles 27, Rams 21.
---------
Saints at Falcons

MDS’s take: This game is so good, it’s surprising it’s on Thursday night. (Order will be restored next week when the Thursday night game is Broncos-Colts.) I think the Falcons’ defense will have a tough time containing the 1-2 punch of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.

MDS’s pick: Saints 31, Falcons 28.

Florio’s take: The Falcons know they can’t afford to lose many more games if they hope to get back to the playoffs, and they should be able on a short week to show up against a rival they’ll be playing again in little more than two weeks.

Florio’s pick: Falcons 27, Saints 23.
------------
Colts at Bills

MDS’s take: It hasn’t exactly been a successful season in Buffalo, and yet here they are likely to win this week, improve to 7-6 and find themselves right in the thick of the wild card race down the stretch. The Bills are still playoff contenders and have a good chance of finishing 9-7.

MDS’s pick: Bills 28, Colts 20.

Florio’s take: The playoffs remain elusive, but the Bills are good enough to beat a team that has been in a full-season free fall.

Florio’s pick: Bills 24, Colts 14
--------------
Cowboys at Giants

MDS’s take: Eli Manning is back at quarterback, which probably gives the Giants a better chance to win but doesn’t allow them to evaluate rookie Davis Webb, which is something they probably ought to do before the season is over. I’m tempted to pick the Giants to rally after the firing of Ben McAdoo, but the Cowboys are fighting for a wild card berth and so I see them putting together a strong game.

MDS’s pick: Cowboys 23, Giants 20.

Florio’s take: The end of the Eli Manning era has ended. It won’t be enough to overcome two weeks of dysfunction against a Dallas team that remains alive for a playoff berth.

Florio’s pick: Cowboys 27, Giants 17.
-------------
Lions at Buccaneers

MDS’s take: Two of this season’s more disappointing teams will battle in Tampa, and I like the Lions, who still have slim playoff hopes, to beat the Buccaneers, who have no playoff hopes.

MDS’s pick: Lions 20, Buccaneers 17.

Florio’s take: The Lions are falling apart, and Jim Caldwell could end up facing the same fate as Dirk Koetter. The good news is that Jameis finally gets to eat a long-awaited W.

Florio’s pick: Buccaneers 23, Lions 17.
------------
Raiders at Chiefs

MDS’s take: The AFC West has suddenly become the league’s most interesting division. The Chiefs are imploding, but I think they’ll bounce back with a good offensive performance against a bad Raiders pass defense.

MDS’s pick: Chiefs 31, Raiders 24.

Florio’s take: The Chiefs are in full-blown desperation mode. Fortunately for them, the Raiders aren’t nearly as good as they were expected to be.

Florio’s pick: Chiefs 30, Raiders 20.
-------------
49ers at Texans

MDS’s take: Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback makes the 49ers a better team, but he can’t do anything about their lousy defense. DeAndre Hopkins should have a big game.

MDS’s pick: Texans 24, 49ers 20.

Florio’s take: This could be a preview of Super Bowl LV. For now, it’s a game that only family members and friends would want to witness.

Florio’s pick: Texans 20, 49ers 13.
--------------
Packers at Browns

MDS’s take: This is actually a winnable game for the Browns, which we don’t say very often, because Brett Hundley is playing so poorly. And yet . . . they’re the Browns. I can’t pick them to win.

MDS’s pick: Packers 14, Browns 13.

Florio’s take: It’s time, Cleveland. It has to be.

Florio’s pick: Browns 18, Packers 12.
------------
Bears at Bengals

MDS’s take: The Bengals’ playoff hopes came to an end with Monday night’s meltdown. Now they’re just playing out the string — but they should still beat a lousy Bears team at home.

MDS’s pick: Bengals 17, Bears 10.

Florio’s take: Another game involving a pair of potential short-time head coaches. Marvin Lewis has the better chance to save himself.

Florio’s pick: Bengals 27, Bears 13.
------------
Vikings at Panthers

MDS’s take: The Vikings are fighting for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, while the Panthers are fighting for a playoff berth. Case Keenum will have a big game and strengthen his MVP candidacy.

MDS’s pick: Vikings 24, Panthers 21.

Florio’s take: Mike Zimmer has handled Cam Newton with a lesser defense than the one Zimmer currently has.

Florio’s pick: Vikings 27, Panthers 24.
------------
Redskins at Chargers

MDS’s take: Los Angeles has found itself surprisingly back in the AFC West race, while Washington has found itself surprisingly out of the NFC East race. The Chargers will take another step toward the playoffs on Sunday.

MDS’s pick: Chargers 28, Redskins 23.

Florio’s take: From 0-4 to AFC West title to a real chance to disrupt a Steelers-Patriots AFC title game.

Florio’s pick: Chargers 31, Redskins 20.
------------------
Jets at Broncos

MDS’s take: The Jets are still playing hard late in a season that many thought they were tanking. The Broncos are terrible late in a season that many thought would see them in the playoffs.

MDS’s pick: Jets 30, Broncos 20.

Florio’s take: The Jets are the better team, but if the Broncos are going to win another game this year, this is the one to win.

Florio’s pick: Broncos 20, Jets 17.
---------------
Titans at Cardinals

MDS’s take: Marcus Mariota is not playing well, but the Titans are finding ways to win. They should do so again in Arizona.

MDS’s pick: Titans 20, Cardinals 17.

Florio’s take: The Titans win the games they’re supposed to win. They’re supposed to win this one. It’s that simple.

Florio’s pick: Titans 24, Cardinals 20.
---------------
Seahawks at Jaguars

MDS’s take: It sounds odd to say a December game in Jacksonville is a big one, and even odder to say the Jaguars are going to win. But they will, thanks to their first-rate pass defense holding MVP candidate Russell Wilson in check.

MDS’s pick: Jaguars 17, Seahawks 13.

Florio’s take: It’s potentially a sneaky great game, but December is a bad month to see the Seahawks on the schedule.

Florio’s pick: Seahawks 24, Jaguars 17.
-------------
Ravens at Steelers

MDS’s take: I have a feeling this is going to be a matchup we see three times this year, with the wild card Ravens also visiting Pittsburgh in the playoffs. And I have a feeling the Steelers are going to go 3-0 against the Ravens.

MDS’s pick: Steelers 24, Ravens 14.

Florio’s take: The Steelers have been living too close to the edge in recent weeks. The Ravens knock them off the cliff, with possibly the first of two straight home losses.

Florio’s pick: Ravens 19, Steelers 16.
-------------
Patriots at Dolphins

MDS’s take: The absence of Rob Gronkowski might be enough to make the difference if it were coming against the Steelers next week, but against the Dolphins this week, the Patriots should win anyway.

MDS’s pick: Patriots 27, Dolphins 21.

Florio’s take: For the Dolphins, this is the closest thing to a Super Bowl. For the Patriots, it’s a prime opportunity to be caught napping — as they sometimes are in late-season divisional games.

Florio’s pick: Dolphins 24, Patriots 23.

I didn't make this highlight video, but its super lite. I wanted ya'll to see it too . All credit go to J Swoosh. Our QB1 is growing up. He will go down as one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game. @LACHAMP46 @jrry32 @Legatron4 @CGI_Ram

Login to view embedded media

.

Playoff time. Need a good result from my qb.

The homer in me says to start Goff but i want to make the right decision.

Who ya got?

.

From what I saw, the Eagles offense is similar to our offense sans the misdirection built into every play, and zero deep threat. The Eagles tried to throw it short, seemingly hoping their skill players would make that one defender within tackling range miss somehow. What they didn't realize is that the Sea Hawks DB's DO NOT EVER miss a tackle. I saw at least 2 screen plays that resulted in tackles for losses thanks to heads up plays made by a sure tackling secondary. Number 41 was the main culprit if I'm not mistaken.

I think if we can just trust our CB's to make tackles at the point of the catch we can shut down their offense. Especially now that Wentz no longer has Ertz to exploit match ups with and actually make deep passes.

Also, the Eagles skill players have zero heart, hit them hard enough times and they seem to not be willing to make plays anymore.

What do you guys/gals/superfluous AI's think?

Local news here in So Cal showed Johnny Hekker handing out donated items at the fire evacuation center at the Ventura County fairgrounds.

He went shopping and bought clothing and other items and then drove up to Ventura to hand these items out at a rescue shelter.

Sorry I don't have a link.

What an unselfish act from such a great guy. This act alone defines his character.

One particular play got a lot of attention in the Hawks- Eagles game:

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh4NoTLN01o


It is indisputable that Russel Wilson threw the ball BEHIND him, toward the RB trailing on the play, #39, Mike Davis.

However, the ball left Wilson's hand at around the 47 yard line, yet first touched Davis' hands at about the 48 yard line. There is indisputable video evidence that the ball moved forward.

How can this be?

Fact A: Wilson threw the ball behind him.
Fact B: The ball moved forward.

For those who have trouble reconciling these two facts, well, it's a physics thing. Einstein and the theory of relativity and all that. But for a simple visual explanation, please check out 30 seconds of this video below, from the 1:32 mark to the 2:02 mark:

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=box08lq9ylg


The above video is obviously about rugby, where the definition of a "backward pass" is fundamentally different than the definition of a "backward pass" in the NFL. As you can see, a player can throw a ball BEHIND HIM AND OVER THE BACK OF HIS HEAD, yet the ball STILL MOVES FORWARD.

As NFL rules are currently written, the Seahawks did indeed commit an illegal forward pass, since the ball went forward by one yard between Wilson and Davis. And the Eagles made a mistake in not challenging the ruling.

But in my opinion, the rule should be changed. However, a strong case can be made for keeping the rule as-is... it's kind of a matter of taste. But I think it should be legal for a player to make a backward pass even if his own momentum carries the ball forward.

I hate the Seahawks and love our Rams, so I'm not defending Wilson or their obnoxious whiny fans... I'm just pointing out an interesting physics thang.

Ok, ROD. We RARELY do any game day rollcalls... But I'm thinking of attending what may be the biggest regular season game of the year. Who else is attending or planning to attend? Ticket prices are a bit outrageous right now... But last game we went to we got a good deal waiting til game day and prices dropped considerably.

Wheres the L.A. hype at? I see threads for meet ups in Florida and London for fccks sake.

Locks:
Todd Gurley*
Greg Zurlein*
Aaron Donald*

Worthy:
Andrew Whitworth*
Pharoh Cooper
Alec Ogletree*
LaMarcus Joyner*
Trumaine Johnson
Johnny Hekker
Rodger Saffold*
Jared Goff*
Michael Brockers

Maybe:
Mark Barron
Robert Woods

I'm thinking we get an NFC best 8 guys voted in, indicated by *s
Even though I think all names on the worthy list should get in

I know...One game at a time!

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...eams-can-clinch-a-postseason-spot-in-week-14/

L.A. Rams: The Rams are also looking to end a long playoff drought and their route to clinching a playoff berth this week might be even more complicated than Jacksonville's. First, the Rams have to beat the Eagles. If that happens, the Rams would also need ALL of the following things to happen: Saints over Falcons, Vikings over Panthers, Browns over Packers, Buccaneers over Lions and Giants over Cowboys. Since both the Browns and Giants have to win in this scenario, we give the Rams about a 0.3 percent chance of clinching this week. If they do clinch, it would be the team's first playoff berth since 2004.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/06/new-contract-for-roger-goodell-has-been-signed/

New contract for Roger Goodell has been signed
Posted by Mike Florio on December 6, 2017



The Commissioner finally has a new contract.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL’s Compensation Committee has informed all owners that a new contract for Commissioner Roger Goodell has been executed.

The memorandum to all owners explains that a “binding contract extension has been signed by the Commissioner and by Arthur Blank, on behalf of the League entities.” The memo also cites the existence of a “nearly unanimous consensus” among the owners in favor of finalizing the extension now.

The Compensation Committee received unanimous authorization from the owners in May 2017 to execute the contract. Since then, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been working to delay and/or derail the process. He had four or five other owners on his side, at most. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to keep the contract from being executed.

Late last week, Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley was asked about why his team hasn’t joined in on the team touchdown celebration craze sweeping across the league.

Gurley gave interesting answer as to why the Rams haven’t been taking advantage of the NFL’s relaxed celebration rules. Via Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star:

“We get in there so much, we don’t have to do it every time ... I don’t have all day to do a whole cha-cha slide, electric slide.”

Click to expand...

This is almost as sweet as his knock on NFL for making teams play in London

IMO the team celebrations have been very corny. Just Bob n' Weave or GTFO

The biggest upset about the 01 Super Bowl was that it denied one of the best to ever play the game a championship ring. When I met my wife was in that 01 season and Aeneas was always her favorite player. Can't wait to watch.

Login to view embedded media
Edit: woops, Dec. 8th... mod title edit if able please.

Just a few tidbits I've picked up over the past couple of days of listening to Philly sports radio:

The station has this thing called "Fear Factor"(or something like that). Basically the fans vote on how fearful they are on the upcoming game - 0 = not fearful; 10 most fearful. Results so far (roughly):
0-2 = ~27%
3-5 = ~45% (the hosts fall in this category)
6-8 = ~20%
9-10 = ~8%

Wow, they seem pretty confident. The fans seem to have been licking their wounds over the Seattle game until today.
It was mentioned that due to the fires out in southern Cal, the Rams might be distracted.

Overall, they seem like a confident bunch.

I think some of you live near Philly as well. Whatcha got?