https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/15/dan-quinn-atlanta-falcons-training-camp-preseason-defense-tackling

A Lesson on Tackling from Falcons' Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn knows that the Falcons' defense must be top-notch in order to complement his high-powered offense. And how does he do that? By going back to the basics.
CHRIS BURKE

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Dan Quinn stands, hunched over the elevated desk in his office—he never sits because he doesn’t have a chair—alternating his gaze from his computer to the large television monitor at the front of the room.

“Give me a second,” he says as his guests enter. For the second consecutive training camp, Quinn has invited members of The MMQB’s NFL training camp tour bus to join him for a 30-minute coaching tutorial. He’s putting the finishing touches on his presentation.

To the right of the TV screen, there’s a framed quote from pastor and author Charles Swindoll that includes the following: “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”

To the left hangs “The Tale of Two Wolves,” a parable of a Cherokee grandfather, who tells his grandson that inside each person rages a battle between a good wolf and a bad wolf. “Which wolf wins?” asks the grandson. The grandfather replies: “The one you feed.”

It’s the next-to-last day of Falcons camp, and Quinn is still wearing his practice attire: long pants and a long-sleeve shirt (despite 100-degree temps), plus a tee that features the words “I am the sword” encircling two axes.

This is a football coach, in a football coach’s office, and there’s no mistaking either.

After a moment, Quinn stands up to shake hands with his guests, then resumes his position behind his desk.

“You guys ready? Alright,” he says. “Let’s talk tackling.”

When The MMQB bus stopped in Flowery Branch in 2016, Quinn fired up tape on Keanu Neal and explained how, and why, the then-rookie safety would help elevate the Falcons’ defense.

This year, the lesson dives deeper into the basics, and that comes as no surprise. Quinn’s coaching career began as a D-line coach back in 1994—for context, a year before 2017 Falcons first-rounder Takk McKinley was born—and he remained on the that side of the ball, as an assistant or coordinator, until taking the Atlanta head coaching job in ’15.

That’s also where the Falcons must show improvement to stay atop the NFC. Its offense (save the painful second half of Super Bowl LI) lit up the NFL last season, but Atlanta allowed 30-plus points in seven games, including the 34–28 OT loss to the Patriots.

The numbers likely would have been even uglier had it not been for the rapid development of Neal and LB Deion Jones, both 2016 draft picks.

So, all through the offseason program, Quinn has continued to hammer home his message.

“We talk tackling not every day, but damn near,” the third-year head coach says.

Quinn calls the Falcons a “leverage-tackling team. If the ball carrier is on [a defender’s] left side, tackle with the left shoulder; if he’s on the right side, tackle with the right shoulder.”

Sounds simple enough, right? It’s not.

“[It takes] about half a year” to learn, Quinn says, while pulling up a play where Neal flew downhill and tackled a player on his left with his right shoulder.


Keanu Neal (in red box) chasing down Greg Olsen.
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“This should be a left-shoulder hit, but his face is really in the tackle. That one to me ... I’m showing you examples of how to do it better. Keanu likes to hit on a right shoulder, but he has to be careful—if he right-shoulders there and misses, that’s an explosive play. We all have a dominant hand, you have to make sure you’re not always tackling with your dominant shoulder, make sure there’s always leverage.”

The Falcons mainly utilize a 4–3 under, three-deep zone scheme, so in an ideal setup, Quinn’s leverage strategy boxes in a ball-carrier by funneling him from defender to defender. On the screen in front of him, he runs through a series of plays from the Falcons’ 2016 season to emphasize this.

“As long as 32 keeps his leverage, he knows 59 can sprint through the hit,” he says as the next cut-up rolls, showing CB Jalen Collins (No. 32) forcing a receiver back inside so LB DeVondre Campbell (No. 59) can clean up the play.

“If 32 jumps too far inside, then the runner can come too far inside. The player who’s coming [Campbell] can be a sprint tackle, but he’s got to trust that no matter what 32’s forcing the player back to him.”


Jalen Collins (No. 32) puts pressure on Seattle RB Alex Collins (No. 36) while De'Vondre Collins (No. 59) lurks.
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DeVondre Campbell (No. 59) makes the tackle on Seattle RB Alex Collins (No. 36).
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Quinn calls this ‘compression’: “When two guys have a ball carrier trapped and they make a tackle on leverage.” His follow-up emphasis is on what the Falcons have dubbed “The Secret Sauce,” a tackling method which demands players run through contact—five steps—and finish the hit.

What the Falcons want to avoid is any situation where a defender is facing a ball carrier straight on—Quinn refers to this as a “two-way go,” because the offensive player can break left or right on his choosing, rather than reacting to how the defense is angling him.

“You don’t want a guy going straight at you,” says Quinn, who then comes out from behind his desk to demonstrate. (“Come on, I’ll have you tackle me,” he instructs my colleague Tim Rohan.) “A two-way go feeling for a defender is bad. A ball carrier wants to get that, to come [straight] at you and go. Think of all the slot receivers, Wes Welker, he was trying to get to heads up on a guy.”


De'Vondre Campbell (59) and Jalen Collins (32) bring down Seahawks' Alex Collins (36) in the 2017 NFC Divisional round.
SIMON BRUTY

The obvious reason that Quinn sells his “leverage” system is that he believes it works. During his two seasons as defensive coordinator in Seattle (2013–14), the Seahawks twice led the league in points allowed en route to back-to-back Super Bowl trips (one win, one loss on Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception). That was Quinn’s second stint with the Seahawks—he was assistant head coach/D-line coach from 2009–10—and he also made stops with the 49ers, Jets, Dolphins and University of Florida.

The other factor in this approach for Quinn? Player safety. The first slide Quinn puts up includes a “strike zone” graphic—he wants his players to focus on a knees-to-shoulders range, similar to what technically constitutes a strike in baseball. “We are throwing strikes, but fastballs,” he says later during his presentation.

Doing so is meant to help with the leverage approach, but also to keep any dreaded helmet-to-helmet contacts out of the equation. “Through the years we’ve done a lot of rugby tackling to talk the technique,” Quinn says. “I thought their sport has done a good job of keeping the head out of the hit.

“We want to hit the strike zone lower than the ball carriers’ shoulder pad,” he adds. “We want to hit with a rising blow where we’re coming up through a guy instead of just catching him.”

The Falcons invited local college and high school coaches to their earlier OTAs. ”I like them to see how we’re teaching tackling without pads, how we’re teaching concepts,” Quinn says. During Sunday morning’s practice, prior to his invitation-only lecture, a professional women’s football team takes in the Falcons’ two-hour workout.

“Ten years ago, it felt like youth football was taking a hit,” Quinn says, “and I feel it’s turned the corner now where it’s back really safe, the teaching. That part, I want the parents to know that people are putting in the time to teach the game safely for their sons and daughters.”

As noble as that cause is, Quinn’s job—like that of every coach in the NFL—hinges on wins and losses. The Falcons claimed 11 of them during the 2016 regular season, plus an NFC title, on the strength of its league-best offense.

The defense remains remarkably young—at least eight of the Falcons’ projected defensive starters have entered the league between 2013 and now. Bump that total to 10 if McKinley and fellow rookie Duke Riley manage to crack the first team.

Quinn and the front office have emphasized speed, first and foremost, when finding all those prospects, but a great deal of effort also goes into whether or not a player’s mindset fits the Falcons’ mold.

And fusing all those inexperienced players together poses a mountainous task. The flip side, though, is that Quinn can mold those newcomers in the Falcons’ desired image.

“It’s tougher for that [veteran] player,” Quinn says, “because they’ve had a lot of years ingrained in them and can say, ’I’ve made my living playing this style.’ For the college guys coming in, they’re pretty apt to get it done how you want it done. They’re trying to put their best foot forward.”

No matter the age, everyone who arrives in Atlanta is expected to buy in to Quinn’s system, even if it does require a little tear down and rebuild. It’s an ongoing process, for player and coach. Quinn’s 30-minute Sunday film session barely scratches the surface of all that’s involved.

“It’s not as difficult as you think as long as you’re drilling it and drilling it,” Quinn says. “I think if you did not have a plan as far as how to tackle, it would be really difficult.”

• 
  
  Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

A breakdown of the Los Angeles Rams' 2017 draft class and its progress after two weeks of training camp:

Gerald Everett, TE, second round (No. 44 overall): Everett at times appeared to be the No. 3 tight end in Saturday's preseason opener, with Temarrick Hemingway getting some snaps alongside Tyler Higbee with the first-team offense. But Everett has looked good catching passes with the second unit throughout training camp. He will eventually be used alongside Higbee in two-tight-end sets, with both of them capable of stretching the deep middle of the field.

Cooper Kupp, WR, third round (No. 69): Kupp, already 24, is about as polished as a rookie receiver gets. He's a precise route runner with reliable hands and great field awareness, which he showed while hauling in a couple of passes for 35 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. Kupp has already solidified a role as the Rams' slot receiver, an he will be heavily involved.

John Johnson, S, third round (No. 91): Johnson missed the offseason program because of injury, but Rams coach Sean McVay recently identified him as someone who "continues to emerge" on defense and special teams. "John’s clearly a talented athlete that had that versatility at Boston College, which is what we like so much about him," McVay said. Johnson could see time at both safety positions this season.

Josh Reynolds, WR, fourth round (No. 117): Reynolds was limited early in camp because of a quad injury, but he returned to practice late last week and should see some action in the Rams' second preseason game. Reynolds is long and can stretch the field, but he is also raw. And the Rams just traded for Sammy Watkins.



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Samson Ebukam, OLB, fourth round (No. 125): A soft-tissue injury has kept Ebukam from practicing, and others may be moving ahead of him on the depth chart. Linebackers Matt Longacre, Cassanova McKinzy and Carlos Thompson impressed in Saturday's preseason game. But the Rams like Ebukam's speed and explosiveness.

Tanzel Smart, NT, sixth round (No. 189): Smart helped seal the Rams' 13-10 win over the Cowboys by recovering a fumble late in the fourth quarter. Aaron Donald's holdout and Dominique Easley's season-ending knee injury have given Smart a lot of extra reps in camp. Smart is a 3-technique who was quick and disruptive in college, but it will take him some time to adjust to the NFL.

Sam Rogers, FB, sixth round (No. 206): Rogers -- a stocky, relentless, do-everything fullback -- has wowed onlookers with some nice moves in open space during camp. His playing time will hinge on how the Rams use Cory Harkey and how McVay integrates fullbacks into his offense.

Ejuan Price, OLB, seventh round (No. 234): The Rams addressed their linebacker depth with the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, and now it's a little bit crowded. Price, listed at 5-foot-11 and 241 pounds, is undersized, but he has good burst and can be an effective sub-package rusher. It may be hard for him to push through this season, but he did do a nice job creating pressure on Saturday.

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...ooper-kupp-already-looks-like-an-nfl-receiver

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Training Camp Report: Top Takeaways from Day 14

The team was back in full pads during Day 14 of training camp in a high intensity practice session. Today marked the team’s last full-padded practice of training camp before the team travels to Oakland to face the Raiders in Week 2 of the preseason.

The two hour practice was full of energy on both sides of the ball and featured new wide receiver Sammy Watkins being worked in with the first and second team offenses, after observing the majority of yesterday’s session. Here’s everything you need to know from Day 14 of Rams Camp:

TOP TAKEAWAYS

1. Watkins taking more reps at receiver

Watkins, who was traded to the Rams from the Bills just five days ago, saw a lot more action in his second practice on Tuesday. The receiver took a lot of reps during the individual drills, recording an impressive deep catch from quarterback Jared Goff in the offense-only section.

While Watkins begins to familiarize himself with the Rams’ playbook, McVay says he will be slowly worked into the offense during the rest of the preseason. But McVay did mention that he was “pleased” with the receiver’s progress thus far.

“He’s picking things up fairly quickly,” McVay said. “It’s a tough time to come in, in terms of where we’re at in the installation because pretty much everything is in. We’ve gotten all of our situations, so we’re going a little bit faster than you’d be accustomed to earlier on. But, I thought he picked things up well.”

During the one-on-ones session, Watkins had a nice catch in the end zone, reaching over cornerback Troy Hill for the touchdown. He also had a couple of solid grabs in the team’s 11-on-11 drills on passes from Goff and Sean Mannion. As the next two days of practice unfold, we should see him targeted more in the full team drills and situational work.

“He was able to make some nice catches and you can see the movement,” McVay said. “And once he continues to get more and more comfortable, I think you’ll see him be able to play even faster.”

2. Rookie report

One rookie who had a standout day at practice was wide receiver Josh Reynolds. The Rams drafted the former Texas A&M standout in the fourth round of this year’s draft, but has been kept off the field for the majority of training camp due to a quad injury.

After returning to camp late last week, Reynolds was flying all over the field in today’s session. The receiver was targeted heavily and recorded a slew of catches even in heavy coverage situations. In this afternoon’s 7-on-7 drills, Reynolds ran straight downfield before cutting up the middle to grab a perfectly-timed ball from Goff. Later in the team’s 11-on-11 work, the receiver had back-to-back catches on quick corner routes from Mannion, grabbing onto both balls in traffic.

Though the Rams’ offense currently has 12 receivers on its active roster, including newly-signed Watkins, Reynolds did a good job today proving himself worthy of a 53-man roster spot. After practice, McVay told reporters that Reynolds “was continuing to grow” and was excited to see him take the field on Saturday.

“He looked good. He was able to track some balls down the field,” McVay said. “Josh is one of those guys that — he’s got a great stride length, consistently made big plays throughout the course of his career in college and he’s kind of one of those guys that’s deceivingly fast. So it will be good to get Josh back out there and watch him compete.”

3. Goff bounces back

Goff once again had an up and down practice, throwing two interceptions after being picked off three times on Monday. The first came from rookie safety John Johnson during 11-on-11, when Johnson lept over wide receiver Pharoh Cooper make the pick. In the same set of drills, Goff was intercepted again — this time by safety Cody Davis on a deflected pass to Watkins.

While Goff was up-and-down throughout 11-on-11 session, the quarterback seemed virtually unfazed, bouncing back to drive the offense downfield during situational drills. After two completed passes to tight end Tyler Higbee, Goff threw a beautiful ball downfield right over the head of the defender to tight end Gerald Everett for the touchdown.

The Rams’ defense has made it tough for Goff in the passing game over the last few practices, but McVay was quick to praise his quarterback’s ability to respond in the face of turnovers.

“At some point you’re going to turn the football over — it’s an occupational hazard as a quarterback,” McVay said. “The one thing you do appreciate about him is that when mistakes occur you don’t sense that he’s phased by it. He’s able to take it for what it is and then try to correct it moving forward.”

“When you make good decisions with the football, get the ball into your playmakers hands,” he added, “you give yourself your chance to play efficient football offensively and specifically through the pass game.”

FIELD-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS

• During the special teams portion of practice wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Shakeir Ryan, and Brandon Shippen took reps as punt returners.

• Cornerback Dominique Hatfield recorded the first interception of the day picking off quarterback Dan Orlovsky in one-on-ones.

• In the same session, wide receiver Robert Woods put the moves on cornerback Mike Jordan, juking the defender for a touchdown play.

• Defensive tackle Tanzel Smart continued to prove his worth as a solid rotational option on the D-line. During team drills, he had a would-be sack on Mannion, getting past the offensive line quickly to blitz the quarterback.

• Cornerback Aarion Penton grabbed the last interception of the day, picking off a tipped pass from Mannion to tight end Temarrick Hemmingway.

PARTICIPATION REPORT

Wide receiver Tavon Austin will remain sidelined for the rest of the week. McVay said that the staff is hoping Austin will “be able to compete in some of the preseason games,” but getting him ready for the season opener against the Colts is the priority.

“In the meantime, like we’ve talked about, we’ll control what we can control and that’s him doing a great job with his rehab, staying up on it in the classroom,” McVay said. “And when that time comes that Director of Sports Medicine and Performance Reggie Scott and our training staff decide that he’s ready to go, we’ll be excited to have Tavon back out there.”

Outside linebackers Samson Ebukam and Ejuan Price, cornerbacks Kayvon Webster and Nickell Robey-Coleman, as well as wide receiver Nelson Spruce did not participate in today’s practice. Veteran linebacker Robert Quinn was limited in the afternoon session.

PRESS POINTS

After practice linebacker Alec Ogletree discussed what he thought of the defense’s performance against the Cowboys last week. Catch up on his best points from Day 14 of Rams Camp:

ALEC OGLETREE:

On what he thought of the defense as a whole in the preseason opener: “It was definitely good to get back to football again, especially against another team. I was really pleased with how we performed for the first time going out there as a group. The first game is just about, mainly getting the jitters out and just kind of going out there and doing what you’ve been doing all camp, just against another team. We definitely have a lot to work on, but I thought we got off to a good start on Saturday

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She already looks pissed off. Get used to it.
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http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/12/49ers-extending-role-for-first-female-coach-katie-sowers/

49ers extending role for first female coach, Katie Sowers
Summer internship turns into full-time gig through the season
By CAM INMAN

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

Katie Sowers, the first female coach in 49ers history, is expected to remain on staff through the season after completing her internship Friday.

A season-long position on Kyle Shanahan’s coaching staff would make her only the second full-time female assistant in NFL history, although details have yet to be finalized about her pending role.

Last year, the Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as their special teams quality control coach, and she was not retained by Sean McDermott after a coaching change this past offseason.

The 49ers declined to confirm Sowers’ status when reached for comment Saturday night.


Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group

Sowers shared the news of her season-long appointment on her Facebook page. She emphasized how grateful she was to Atlanta Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli for helping open her door into the NFL as an intern last summer with the Falcons, whose offensive coordinator was Kyle Shanahan, now the 49ers coach and Sowers’ boss.

“It’s groundbreaking and all that stuff, but the more normalized it is, the better it is,” Sowers, 31, told this newspaper last week about her then-role with the 49ers. “As a female, the more someone can ask me what I do and I say ‘I coach football,’ the less shock on their faces will mean the better direction we’re moving.”

As part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship, Sowers has worked with the 49ers wide receivers under passing game specialist Mike LaFleur, and it’s unclear if she will resume those duties or take on a generalized role.

“I’ve had coaching experiences in the past where the older generation, they don’t want to cuss around me,” Sowers added. “But that’s working it’s way out. Everybody realizes, ‘She’s a coach. She’s not a woman sitting here. We’re all coaches.’ ”

Shanahan welcomed Sowers’ request to intern on his first staff as 49ers coach this summer.

“We were in Atlanta, and people asked, ‘Why did you want to bring a girl here?’ I didn’t even look at it that why,” Shanahan told this newspaper earlier this month. “She helped us there and asked if she could do the same thing here.

“Because of what she did in Atlanta, we’d love her to be here,” Shanahan added. “She helps out. She’s good in the room. It helps her because she learns, too. But I like hearing Katie’s opinion. She does a good job for us.”

Several players and 49ers ownership also have been impressed by Sowers, who grew up in Hesston, Kansas, and played professional football up until last year. She’s served both as an adviser for USA Football and as general manager of Kansas City Titans in the Women’s Football Alliance, where her twin sister, Liz, is a star receiver. Their father, Floyd, coached Bethel College’s women’s basketball team.


Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

The NFL has over 50 women working in teams’ football operations, and the 49ers are represented from their business office (Hannah Gordon, Patti Inglis) to training staff (Laura Schnettgoecke). The 49ers, co-owned by Denise DeBartolo York, have a fellowship named in her honor that introduces a female to the franchise’s various departments.

The 49ers did not go out of their way to hype Sowers’ initial arrival, simply listing her brief bio among the seven other interns in alphabetical order when they were announced in June. In other words, this was a coaching move more than any marketing or public relations effort.

“Katie called me personally and asked (for an internship),” Shanahan said. “Since I saw how she worked and she was good, we got her here. I don’t know if anyone (in 49ers heirarchy) knew until they saw it” on the press release announcing interns.

Here's OCRamRef68...

I attended todays practice. I just wanted to give everyone an eyewitness account. I just want to preface my remarks by saying that I don't have an agenda when it comes to Goff. I just want to give you my honest assessment. This is my 7th practice including the joint practice with the Chargers. This wasn't one of Goff's better days. I feel he's s made great strides in the practices I've attended, and has done a really good job of taking care of the football and avoiding turnovers. That wasn't the case today.

The 1st pick came on a red zone 11-11 segment. Connor Barwin lined up as though he was going to rush the QB, and at the snap, ran right to the middle of the field in coverage. This took away Goff's first read. As he reset his feet, he decided to force the ball to the outside LATE. Tru jumped the route for the pick. This is a situation were he needs to run the ball or throw it away and take the three points. This is a great situation to learn from.

The second pick came on a throw in to the end zone from about 35 yards out. This one was just tough luck. He had his receiver up the seam. It was a pretty good throw but the DB made a good play and knocked it away. The ball bounced off the receiver into a teammates arms. I'm OK with that one. I think they have to take some shots down the field.

The third pick came on an out route by Kupp. It looked like the play was designed to go there. It wasn't the best route by Kupp,, but Goff needs to pull that one down and go to the next read. BTW, Mcvay pulled Kupp aside after the play and discussed the route. I'm not saying it was Kupps fault, but to be fair each shared some blame on the play.

I was standing on the rail right next to Alden Gonzales as Goff had a nice TD to Kupp. I told him to write something positive about Goff. He said "when he gives me something positive to write about" jokingly. I said "what about that one?" He laughed. Well........ he never seemed to mention that play in any of his post game notes. Just saying!

There was one other good throw by Goff down the seam for about 30 yards. The throw had nice touch over the LB and in front of the safety. So it wasn't all bad

Mannion had an up and down day. He did have some good throws including a nice throw to Everett in the end zone and a little dump off to J Davis who walked into the end zone untouched, but he also had three throws that should have been picked. 2 were dropped and I don't know how the other one was completed for a TD to Hemingway. He was double covered and the DB just missed the ball.

I really think our defense is going to be good. Mike Jordan was a beast today and Troy Hill made some nice plays. I think the Rams felt Gaines was expendable because of the play of some of our DB's. Every practice I've been to, the secondary has been buzzing. Having to go against our Defense every day, has to make our offense better. I hope!

Tavon Austin was doing some work with a trainer on the sideline. I think he's getting close to coming back.

Ebukam was also out there doing some side work, but didn't participate. He looks close to coming back as well

J Reynolds and M Thomas were both back and full go

Goff stayed after practice to work with Watkins

In closing, I wouldn't over react one way or another in regards to Goff. Everyone seems to have an agenda when it comes to their assessment of him. From what I've seen in the practices I've attended, there are some real positives that you can take from his play, but he's not at the level we need him to be at yet. I personally think he'll get there. Let's let the process take place before we pass judgment. Completing 3 of 4 passes in a preseason game doesn't make him the greatest thing since sliced bread and 3 picks in a practice doesn't mean he's a bust either. We should know by about week 6 or 7.

Sorry I couldn't remember the name of every person involved in the plays I was describing. There was a lot to digest and I wasn't writing anything down.

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Training Camp Report: Everything You Need to Know From Day 13

Less than 48 hours after playing in their first preseason game, the Rams were back on the practice field to finish up their last week of training camp at UC Irvine. Following this Saturday’s matchup against the Raiders, Los Angeles will resume training at its regular-season facility at Cal Lutheran.

In this afternoon’s non-padded session, much of the practice was focused on unscripted situational drills and technique. After fumbling the ball six times in the Rams' win over the Cowboys, ball security was one of the main points of emphasis on offense. While on defense, the team centered the majority of its drills on man-coverage and pass deflections.

Here’s everything you need to know from Monday’s practice:

TOP TAKEAWAYS

1. Ball security as a point of focus 


Day 13 of training camp featured a new portion of practice — ball security drills. While preseason football can sometimes be sloppy as teams work out kinks in their systems, Saturday’s fumbles left much to be desired from the Rams’ offense.

Although the preseason opener was Los Angeles’ first taste of live tackling all year, head coach Sean McVay said taking care of the football would be a point of emphasis moving forward.

“When you are able to get tackled with live hits, [the] ball gets a little bit loose when you’re not as conscientious about it,” McVay said after Saturday’s win. “Those are things that I as a coach have to do a better job of finding ways to creatively implement a more structured environment, so that it can be something that we do a better job with.”

Today, the team stressed controlling the ball through a couple of drills aimed at the receivers, tight ends, and running backs. The staff hit the players with a variety of dummies, would-be blocks, and other distractions in an effort to promote ball protection as a necessary skill. The running backs and quarterbacks also participated in exchange drills aimed at reducing the number of fumbles and turnovers.

2. Working in Watkins at wide receiver 


Wide receiver Sammy Watkins made his Rams camp debut this afternoon, taking the field for the first time as a Ram, since he was traded from the Bills last Friday.

The receiver did not fully participate in today’s practice, spending the majority of his time watching from the sidelines. But he did see some action during the position drills and one-on-one sessions. McVay said the staff wanted “to be mindful of his workload” in this first practice, especially with all Watkins has had to deal with in the last week.

“He was going to go through individual, he’s getting some routes right now just to get some timing and get a feel for what’s going on,” McVay said. “But, with all the traveling that he’s done [and] a little jet lag, we’ll start to work him into practice starting tomorrow.”

Although Watkins has yet to fully familiarize himself with the Rams’ offense, he is still expected to play in the team’s second preseason game against the Raiders. After practice, the Rams’ newest wide receiver said that it may take him about “a week and a half to get everything dissected and master the playbook,” but that he will be prepared for “whatever the coaches have for [him]” come Saturday. “I’m just trying to help win games and that’s the main thing. Whatever the coach needs me to do, whatever position, I’m just out here trying to help, learn the playbook and get acclimated,” Watkins said.

While with the Bills, Watkins had 153 career receptions, 2,459 receiving yards and 17 scores in 37 games. Once fully integrated into the Rams’ offense he is expected to provide the team with a dynamic, vertical threat.

3. Defense impresses 


After a strong showing in Saturday’s preseason opener, the Rams’ defense under Wade Phillips was on full display once again this afternoon. Though Day 13 was a non-padded session that did not feature any live tackling, the secondary was very impressive throughout the afternoon, recording three interceptions and a slew of pass deflections.

The defensive backs group started off strong in the one-on-ones with cornerback Mike Jordan rising high into the air to force an incomplete pass, and corner Dominique Hatfield beating wide receiver Brandon Shippen for a great deflection on a would-be touchdown.

Cornerback Troy Hill also raised some eyebrows in today’s session. Hill began practice with an impressive deflection during red-zone drills, knocking the ball out of its path on a pass from quarterback Jared Goff to wide receiver Justin Thomas. A few minutes later, the corner recorded the first interception of the day, picking off Goff in the endzone. Later this afternoon, cornerback Kevin Peterson had a nice read, intercepting a pass from Goff and taking it to the house for a pick six.

“I thought it was a great job by the defense forcing a lot of turnovers. They did a great job creating pressure,” McVay said. “Certainly, we can always try to help put our guys in good positions, but I credit the defense for getting their hands on some balls and they make it tough on the offense.”

FIELD-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS

• Not participating in today’s practice: cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, outside linebacker Ejuan Price, and wide receiver Nelson Spruce. Linebacker Samson Ebukam and wide receiver Tavon Austin remained out with injuries. 


• Earlier today tight end Johnny Mundt was taken off of the PUP list after passing his physical. This afternoon was Mundt’s first active practice of training camp. 


• Running back Todd Gurley had some exciting plays today, both in the run and passing game. During the 11-on-11 drills he cut across the field for a first down play along the outside and also recorded a nice one-handed catch in the end zone over middle linebacker Alec Ogletree during one-on-ones. 


• Wide receiver Cooper Kupp also had a solid practice today. Both Goff and quarterback Sean Mannion connected with Kupp on a variety of different routes, showcasing off the receiver’s good hands and quick speed. 


• Tight end Temarrick Hemingway had two great grabs from Mannion during the unscripted portion of Monday’s practice. The quarterback threaded the needle on a touchdown pass to Hemingway, before recording another completion on the following drive for a first down. 


• The entire team, McVay included, participated in wind sprints at the end of the day to cap off Day 13 of practice.

PLAY OF THE DAY

Today’s play of the day came from tight end Gerald Everett. The Rams’ second-round draft pick out of South Alabama has shown a lot of development throughout the course of training camp. And while he recorded a series of catches in this afternoon’s practice, there was one particular grab that stood out.

During the team’s red zone drills, Everett jumped above his defender, Isaiah Johnson, to snatch the touchdown on a fade route from Goff, much to the delight of both his coaches and the nearby crowd.

PRESS POINTS

After practice Watkins spoke to the media about reuniting with his former teammate Robert Woods. Catch up on his most interesting points from Day 13 and watch his full press conference below:

SAMMY WATKINS:
On if he is excited to play with WR Robert Woods again: “Definitely excited. I never thought I was going to be playing with him again. He’s a great leader. I had him for three years and he just helped my game out mentally. He’s a great guy to be around because every day he comes out and works. Even days when I didn’t want to work I’ve seen him working so it’s like we both feed off of each other.”

Not many to share today. Sort of got a little side tracked by a little something that would qualify for the booty thread...

Let's see what fun you guys can be....

The 2017 Los Angeles Rams are NFL's most boom or bust team


https://www.downtownrams.com/single...-Angeles-Rams-are-NFLs-most-boom-or-bust-team

Think about a team with loads of potential, but too much uncertainty to take the potential to the bank. That is the Rams the most boom or bust team in the NFL. Not just the Rams, but the 2017 Los Angeles Rams. This team is led by a 31-year old Head coach in Sean McVay, a hopeful franchise QB in 22-year old Jared Goff and a transcendent defensive end who is holding out of camp and preseason right now, Aaron Donald.

The Rams are considered by many to barely win five or six games. This team keep in mind only won four games last year in what was one of the most brutally shocking seasons a Rams fan has witnessed. The question remains, can Sean McVay turn this team around and get that win total up past six? It seems very possible, but it is going to take a lot of work let alone all the chips falling in the right place. Of course, what the Rams mainly have to worry about are injuries, because with the lack of depth in certain areas such as offensive line. A hypothetical injury of LT Andrew Whitworth would be a total gut punch to the Rams and their season.

Mainly with injuries though, the obvious player that comes to mind is new Rams number one receiver Sammy Watkins. The Rams were able to acquire Watkins from the Buffalo Bills who had moved on from him with the new regime in place. The Bills in return netted themselves Rams CB E.J. Gaines and a second round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Overall, it just proves how boom or bust the Rams truly are. There was clear risk in place with this trade as Watkins is set to hit free agency after the season. So, not only could the Rams lose their top receiver, but they could also lose him for nothing. Yes, the Rams would likely qualify for a third-round compensatory pick, but this is an organization that hasn't had a star receiver since Torry Holt and this is a receiver that has had a rough time staying on the field. Watkins has missed 11 games in his three years in the league which appears to be the biggest risk as Watkins and the Rams prepare for the new season.

Speaking of injuries, players like WR Tavon Austin, LG Rodger Saffold, OLB Robert Quinn and sometimes even FS LaMarcus Joyner all pose a serious concern with their history of being unable to stay on the field. We saw first hand what injuries can do to a talented team, just look at the Rams 2011 season that completely collapsed after losing practically all of their starters. It really doesn't end there, just look at the signal-caller position for the Rams. They have had a hard time staying healthy at the position with former QB's Sam Bradford, Nick Foles and Case Keenum all leaving games or seasons due to injury.

The bust in boom or bust doesn't necessarily mean injury ridden. There is a lot of room for bust due to the uncertainty. Think about this, the Rams start a quarterback who was 0-7 last year, a running back who averaged only 3.2 yards per carry, a wideout who as previously mentioned has missed 11 games, a left tackle who is 35 years old, a left guard as previously mentioned above as well can't stay healthy, a center that has not started since 2014. That, of course, is just the offense. There is plenty of uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball starting Robert Quinn at outside linebacker who continues to battle injuries every single year. The other uncertainties remain with possible defensive end's Louis Trinca-Pasat and Ethan Westbrooks having to start with teammate Dominique Easley going down with injury. Just so much uncertainty.

However, with the uncertainty and the "bust" there comes upside and the "boom". With that being said Jared Goff has a new coaching staff that understands offensive scheming and player development. Goff has clearly shown in camp that he is light-years ahead of where he was last year. Even so, the Rams have a starting running back that had a rough year, but Todd Gurley was, of course, the 2015 Rookie of the Year. That's not even factoring the potential boom with the transplant of the Bills starting wide outs last year Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins. Watkins has shown the ability to be an elite receiver and Woods was arguably the most underutilized player on the roster. With that, all being said the Rams drafted a rookie receiver that has already picked up the offense, catches everything and can play every spot according to CBS Sports' Pete Prisco and that is Cooper Kupp.

The upside really doesn't end there however, you have to mention Tavon Austin who has struggled to find a significant role and production with past offenses and coaching staffs. With the new coaching staff in place, the creativity will likely be there for the offense to get Austin going. Factor in the fact the Rams added another pass catcher in second-round pick Gerald Everett to go with second-year tight ends Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway and you have to start seeing the help Goff has received going into year two. Even the offensive line is starting to look promising, unlike last year in which their lack of play caused the Rams in some capacity to finish as the worst offense in football.

More upside? Try the new Wade Phillips led defense on for size. While it's not guaranteed, Phillips brought over two former players he coached starting cornerback Kayvon Webster and former outside linebacker Connor Barwin. The hope is that Webster, who was buried on the depth chart in Denver behind elite talent ends up showing out in his first true season as a starter and for Barwin, the Rams are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with a veteran that was asked to switch to a different defensive scheme. To go with that the Rams moved their stud nickel cornerback LaMarcus Joyner to safety in an attempt to possibly emulate star defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. Now, like many of the moves the Rams have done, this one could backfire, but even so, the Rams have the depth to at least try it out.

Yes, the Rams are just some 4-12 team that made a lot of moves and made a lot of change. Yes, they did just let their first 1,000-yard receiver since 2007 leave in free agency and yes they haven't made the playoffs since 2004, but with the amount of uncertainty and upside around the Rams, it's become clear the Rams are going to be exciting to watch. There are too many storylines to say they will bust or boom, but one thing's for certain there is no team with as many question marks and potential as the 2017 Los Angeles Rams.

this kid is exciting!...Lord, please solve his fumbling issues...i know a tiger doesn't change his stripes, but he is one explosive kid... and why wasn't he drafted again? i have not seen a burst like that since Marshall was around these parts...come on kid, shock the world...

as for Gurley, he seems to take a while to get rolling... i know, offensive line yada yada yada...but how many carries since his last 25 yard run? until proven otherwise, you are what you are...when he gets to the second level he is gone, but he needs the blocking to step up...and where is the power?

can we give Marcus Dupree another tryout?

go Rams....shall we burn some sage?

Here's an OG possibly worth trying to trade for, he and his brother Chris supposedly made some anti-Trump comments following the Charlottesville violence. No word yet on whether this lead to problems in camp :

Kyle Long booted from Bears practice for fighting multiple times
Sporting News,Yahoo7 3 hours ago
Kyle Long woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Monday.

The Bears left guard was kicked out of practice for fighting multiple times. The incidents were with both offensive and defensive players and during both individual and team drills, according to ESPN.com.

"There's a certain standard we have and it's something we weren't very pleased with," Bears coach John Fox said. "I haven't had a chance to visit with him yet, but it's something that we'll handle it internally."

Long has been sidelined since November when he tore a ligament in his right ankle against the Buccaneers. The team has been working with him to increase his practice and workout time as he recovers.

MORE:
Chris and Kyle Long speak out on hometown Charlottesville

As to why Long got into several fights, Fox didn't offer any information nor did he try to dive into the issue.

"I really can't answer that at this point, I'm sure obviously there was some frustration — again, that's not how we operate," Fox said. "I didn't really see everything, just know that there was a disturbance and we don't need that. That's why he left the field."

Mcvay likes to defer to game tape before he makes sweeping judgements on how players performed. It's amazing how much a careful play, pause, rewind, repeat reveals when you review each play until you see each players full part on each play.

I looked at our interior lineman. Our backups, since they played the bulk of the game. I came away with the following observations:

60 Eldrenkamp - played LG for a bit then bulk of the game at center until the last drive. He was very solid in both run and pass pro. Some good blocks springing runs but was beaten bad in one running play resulting in a 3 yard loss. His man cut inside and he couldn't get there quick enough to slow the defender down. Overall he doesn't have a lot of power but sound technique and no missed. Assignments. Was only beat once and otherwise has a very solid game!

66 Blythe played C for a bit and then the bulk of the game at RG until the last offensive possession. Real good blocks even to the 2 level springing Justin Davis on multiple occasions for big runs. Really quick and very sound in run game getting a block on the right guy then quickly getting second level blocks. A little push in run game but not a whole lot. But locks on well and uses his body text book perfect, to shield defender.

He did give up 1 big pass pressure due to picking up wrong man on stunt. Which looked like confusion in diagnosing who to pick up.

69 Wichmann. RG and then mainly LG. Lots and lots of push in run game even flattening lineman. Reminded me of Richie Incognito. Opened big holes for Justin Davis. He has a lot of work to do locking on and sustaining the block after initial engage. He had 3 pass pressures allowed. Ouch. All of which could have resulted in sacks. He has massive potential opening holes for Gurley but will be a liability in pass pro until he can figure out how to lock onto a guy to sustain a block.

Summary:
Personally I want to see Blythe at RG with the first team before preseason ends. The PFF ratings are accurate on him. They rated him as our highest rated player for the Dallas game. I think he's our primary interior backup if he doesn't beat out Brown. Elrenkamp also needs more look. When him and Blythe were in at C and RG the interior line was moving people and pass protecting perfectly for almost two quarters, albeit vs backup defenders.

Wichmann has huge run blocking potential but he is still too raw as a pass protector. I wonder if he can improve there.

Irsay: No guarantee Luck is ready for season opener

• By Conor Orr

A murky return timeline for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck became a little clearer Sunday following a pair of comments made by the team's owner and general manager.

Speaking to the team's broadcasters Sunday, general manager Chris Ballard said that "[Luck] is actually doing really well. His strength levels are probably better right now than they ever were in the last season he played."

Owner Jim Irsay said, via CBS4 in Indianapolis: "I can't say that Luck will be ready for the [regular-season opening] Rams game but he will be ready for the start of the season. He is throwing."

Both confirmed that Luck was throwing regularly after taking extreme caution with his surgically repaired shoulder all offseason.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Irsay also said that the Colts considered a veteran quarterback to backup Luck but the "price was too high." Currently, the team is rolling with 29-year-old career backup Scott Tolzien. Tolzien was with the club last year and made a start while Luck was initially suffering from the shoulder issue that required offseason surgery.

On Sunday, Ballard said Tolzien "has had his moments. He's been a little inconsistent, but he's gotta continue to get reps; get better and get the rhythm in the offense."

While Ballard told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that Luck would almost certainly be off the Physically Unable to Perform list by the start of the regular season, it seems to be clear that Tolzien will need to make at least one start in the regular season. Irsay initially expected Luck to be on the field for Sept. 10 game against the Rams but could not confirm the date on Sunday. Either way, keeping Luck sidelined for one or two games is a worthwhile price for having him healthy for almost an entire season -- especially if his "strength levels" are really something to gush about.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...-no-guarantee-luck-is-ready-for-season-opener

I have created one standard 10 team league on yahoo and could make more as needed. Anyone who is interested here just let me know and follow the link below.

https://football.fantasysports.yaho...on?key=f5882d3aa52a3456&ikey=927306c6e4b92e87

I believe @Mojo Ram and @DrHavenstein were both interested so there are still 7 spots available.

A while back I wrote a post about How Jared Goff graded for 2016 and made people mad by just referring to my site and having a pay wall on the information. I ended up attaching the information to this site to make up for it. Hopefully no bad feelings. I have finished grading every QB for the 2016 season and I am in the process of writing up a post on my site for each QB as I count them down. Jared Goff did rank last but I don't think that makes him the worst QB in the league. Here is what I wrote so that you don't have to go to my site to see it.

Goff was severely held back by his surrounding cast, so I will not make any declarations of what kind of QB he will be. The Rams just weren’t very good at anything when it came to offense. They couldn’t block, they couldn’t run, they were too vanilla with play design and as the season progressed the receivers dropped more passes. The team couldn’t even run screen plays very well to at least chalk up some cheap yards for Goff. Penalties, dropped passes, ineffective screen passes that lost yardage and a poor running game consistently put Goff in bad 3rd down situations and made it hard for him to succeed. That led to sacks from holding the ball because Goff wanted to get first downs. That is where I saw the most consistent problem with Goff. He didn’t check the ball down on 3rd and long when better options weren’t available. When that happens, the QB receives a slightly negative grade because checking the ball down is always better than a sack. Brady does it well and it leads to plenty of drive extensions. I feel like I gave Goff these types of grades more than any other QB. To be fair, it is most likely that the Rams still wouldn’t have succeeded because of how bad they were and the yardage needed in many instances but it is still on the QB to at least give his team a chance.

Ultimately, Goff wasn’t as bad as people, nor this grade suggest he was. I feel like he graded so poorly because his team severely limited his opportunities and then he didn’t take advantage of the few opportunities that he did have. To show this in action, I will give examples of 2 different situations. QB ‘A’ has 10 drives with 5 of them ending without negative influence from his team. He leads 3 touchdown drives but is at fault for 2 drives with bad passes on 3rd down. That would be around a 0.46 drive rating if the team was balanced in terms of run and pass. QB ‘B’ has 10 drives with 3 of them ending without negative influence from his team. He leads 1 touchdown drive but was at fault for 2 drives with bad passes on 3rd down. That would be a .03 drive rating if the 1 scoring drive was balanced. Both QB’s made mistakes that ended 2 drives but QB ‘A’ had 2 other opportunities that were conducive to success and that allowed him to have a much better game. This is where Goff’s grade is hurt the most as he was by far the worst QB in drive rating. There are different reasons for a poor drive rating. It can be that the QB played poorly, made game killing mistakes, wasn’t very influential to his team’s success or because he had a limited amount of opportunities and just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities he had. With Goff, it was because of limited opportunities because of how bad the team was around him.

Since Goff’s season was so bad, people looked for faults in Goff rather than accepting that his team wasn’t that good. The most frustrating thing I heard was during the Patriots game. The announcers claimed that Belichick said that Goff stares at the rush, so the Patriots were going to go after him. I had not noticed that at all so I’m not sure where that assessment came from. The Patriots certainly did go after Goff but I think it’s because the Rams were so inept at picking up the rush and not necessarily because of Goff looking at the rush. There was 1 play during the game where they backed up the claim of Goff watching the rush. Of course, the rusher was instantly in Goff’s face and he was trying to avoid the guy. I’m not sure that is the same as a guy that fails to get rid of the ball because he is worried about where a non-existent rush is coming from or a guy that does a poor job of moving in a pocket where room is available. The funny thing; I graded Tom Brady after Goff and I saw him stare at the rush on multiple occasions. I saw it from other QB’s too. Just because you see a guy do something 1 time, doesn’t mean it is a flaw. It must be a consistent issue, to be considered a flaw. I never saw Goff have an issue with staring at the rush enough to consider it a flaw.

While Goff was the lowest graded QB, I have the wherewithal to understand that there was too much that he had to overcome because of the team he played on. Especially for a guy that had a lot to learn about the pro game in the first place. I think he will improve as he develops and the team around him becomes more talented than it was last year, which isn’t very hard. Based on the games that I graded of him in college, he showed great ability to play under pressure and made plays downfield against it. That should be able to translate to the NFL unless he just isn’t smart enough to understand the pro game. That is the biggest question he needs to answer.

I would be happy to provide a link to my site if people want to follow along for the rest of the rankings but I won't do it without permission. I can also provide a rankings list on here if that is preferred.

These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below. Scroll down to read about the Sammy Watkins trade.
***************************************************************
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/14/tampa-bay-buccaneers-roberto-aguayo-jason-licht-draft-bust-nfl

Monday Morning QB: Bucs GM Jason Licht ‘Owning Up’ to Roberto Aguayo Mistake
After Tampa Bay cut the kicker it traded up to draft, the man behind the decision reflects on the disappointment: ‘We’ve ripped off the band-aid ... and we’re moving forward.’

Sections include: Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension, and what it says about commissioner Roger Goodell; the future of the Bills after trading away Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby

Plus notes on the highlights of Week 1 of the preseason, Marshawn Lynch sitting for the anthem, Andrew Luck’s Indianapolis beer recommendations and much more
By Peter King


DON JUAN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES

ATLANTA — So many stories on the NFL training camp trip. One actually happened on the phone in my hotel room, late Saturday afternoon. Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht, internet punching bag du jour, sounded defeated.

“How do you feel?” I said to Licht, half a day after he cut Roberto Aguayo, the kicker he traded up to draft in the second round just 16 months ago.

“You never feel good when you shatter someone’s dream,” Licht said. “That is always tough, especially someone you had such high hopes for. You don’t have good feelings about that. It is a little bit of a sense of, I don’t want to say relief, but we’ve ripped off the band-aid, and we move on. We’re moving forward.”

Huge news dump late in the week: Ezekiel Elliott suspended six games for domestic violence, the Rams trading for the disappointing Sammy Watkins, the Bills making moves to own the 2018 draft, and the Saturday whopper: the sacking, after one lousy preseason game, of one of the most controversial draft picks in recent history. And the Sunday post-script: The Bears claimed Aguayo and will try to resuscitate his career.

“It's officially the worst draft pick in NFL history,” ESPN’s Trey Wingo tweeted Saturday. Quite an over-the-top take about the 59th overall pick in 2016, and seeing that the NFL has held 82 drafts. But Wingo had company over the weekend. Licht got avalanched for dealing third-round and fourth-round picks in 2016 to move into the second round to draft a kicker.

He, and the world, watched Aguayo turn into football’s Rick Ankiel before our eyes. Just as phenom pitcher Ankiel couldn’t find home plate for the St. Louis Cardinals 16 years ago, Aguayo was the kicker who internalized the pressure, tried to please everybody and, apparently, just blew a mental fuse.

Friday night in Cincinnati, Aguayo boinked a PAT off the right upright, and shanked a 44-yard field-goal try. The kicker entered this year with Nick Folk as competition and had close to zero room for error. After the game, Licht and coach Dirk Koetter talked about it, and the GM said: “Let me sleep on it,” Licht said.

When he woke up Saturday morning, Licht knew Tampa Bay had to get off the kicker-go-round. With HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in the house Saturday morning—I’m told NFL Films got the whole scene and will show some of it Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET—Aguayo was released.

Hours later, his reputation punched in the jaw, Licht faced the music.

“I’m owning up to it,” he said quietly. “I’m owning up to it by releasing him. It was a bold move and it didn’t work out. I don’t know what else to say. I know I have the support of my coach and my ownership.

“At the time, I was bound and determined to get the best kicker we possibly could. I thought Roberto had the chance to be a special kicker in the league for a long time. That’s a position that had been a rough spot for us. What did I learn from this? I’ve said this before, but when we took him, we essentially anointed him.

If I could do it again, I would have gone back and brought in competition to challenge him. I look back on that a lot. Roberto is a great kid, but the magnitude of that position, and the pressure on a 21-year-old—his performance is affecting the lives of men who have families to support. That got tough.”

When we spoke, I got the impression—through his words and his tone—that he didn’t want the Aguayo pick to make him gun-shy. This is a flame-out, and a big one. Using the 74th and 106th picks to trade up for a kicker who’d been just 71-percent accurate from beyond 40 yards in college.

The 74th and 106th picks are team-builders. Licht used the 61st and 124th one year earlier on a couple of players (Ali Marpet, Kwon Alexander) who should be Bucs cornerstones for a while.

“Look, I want to digest this for a while,” Licht said. “But this is not going to make me afraid of making bold moves. You can’t make decisions, or not make them, based on fear. I will say that you have to learn from things that didn’t work out. Whatever that is in this case, we’ll figure it out.”

Here’s what it is: You should take only an extraordinary kicker in the second round, a generational kicker. And Aguayo, fairly average on the long college kicks, hadn’t proven himself to be one at Florida State. He also hadn’t kicked in an unusually high number of high-stress situations with games on the line—which is what NFL kickers have to do eight or 10 times a year. It’s good to be bold, but not for bold’s sake.

But bigger names than Licht have made worse picks, as it turned out. Hall of Famer Al Davis chose JaMarcus Russell first overall in 2007. Bobby Beathard, up for the Hall this year, picked Ryan Leaf second overall in 1998. Licht is right: He can’t allow the Aguayo mega-mistake to make him skittish on future draft days.

“I gotta snap [out of it],” Licht said. With the opener four weeks away, he’s got no choice.

Tampa Bay has employed seven kickers since 2013.

Connor Barth tore his Achilles in 2013; gone for the year. Lawrence Tynes developed MRSA in 2013 and never kicked in a game. Rian Lindell kicked for the 2013 season. Patrick Murray kicked in 2014. Kyle Brindza and Barth kicked in 2015. Roberto Aguayo kicked in 2016. Nick Folk, so far, is the kicker in 2017. Rent, Nick. Don’t buy.

* * *

ON THE EZEKIEL ELLIOTT DECISION


TOM PENNINGTON/GETTY IMAGES

The NFL gave Baltimore running back Ray Rice a two-game ban initially; howls of protest. The NFL gave Giants kicker Josh Brown a one-game ban; howls of protest. The NFL draws a line and says “a baseline suspension of six games” for league employees found to have engaged in domestic violence. Then the NFL gives Ezekiel Elliott a six-game ban.

It’s stunning, and Elliott will fight it, but it’s not unexpected. This is what America, and the owners, wanted: action on domestic violence. Maybe not the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, but the other owners do. They want domestic abuse punished, and significantly.

This story can go so many ways … but the first thing I thought of when I heard about the Elliott ban was the future of Roger Goodell. In his first 11 years as commissioner, Goodell has had—in my estimation—five major influential owners as the cornerstones of his power base: Pittsburgh’s Dan Rooney, Carolina’s Jerry Richardson, Jerry Jones of Dallas, Robert Kraft of New England, and the Giants’ John Mara. Rooney died this year.

Richardson, 81, has declining influence. Jones, as Adam Schefter reports, is furious with the commissioner for the Elliott suspension, and as I believe, thinks the commissioner is too suspension-happy. Kraft is still wounded over the Brady suspension and verdict. Mara’s still in Goodell’s corner—rock-solid, I believe.

That’s quite a change in the Goodell power base. How much will that factor into Goodell’s long-term future? We’ll see.

Now to the Elliott story. First, the legal expert for Sports Illustrated, Michael McCann, gives us a weekend update of where we stand after the league’s suspension of the defending NFL rushing champion.

MMQB: So many are asking: How can the NFL suspend a guy for six games when he was never charged with a crime by investigating authorities in the case?

McCann: The relevant standard is the key. In a court of law, probable cause is required for a criminal charge. In the NFL system of justice, probable cause is not required. The NFL standard for whether someone committed a wrong is up to the discretion of the commissioner, on a case-by-case basis. The authorities have not charged him; the NFL would say that’s irrelevant.

They would say the reputation of the league is at stake, and the commitment to curbing domestic violence … Without having seen the evidence, it’s hard to draw the conclusion that the league [made the correct ruling]. The key question is what’s the guiding force for the NFL here? Is it a PR strategy? Does the league want to appear tough in the wake of Ray Rice and Josh Brown?

That said, the panel that Roger Goodell used is very credible; they are authoritative voices. We have reason to believe that outside experts of that caliber would be committed to make the right decision.

MMQB: The league points to significant forensic evidence in suspending Elliott. Did the local authorities not have that evidence?

McCann: It’s a little hard to think a private company that does not have subpoena power would be able to obtain more evidence and better evidence than law enforcement. That said, the NFL may have the capacity to get people to talk—people who might be unwilling to talk to law enforcement. They may have access to additional electronic evidence than law enforcement.

MMQB: What’s next?

McCann: It appears Elliott will file an appeal. After an appeal is filed, the NFL would have 10 business days to hold a hearing. I think the appeal will be influenced by whether Elliott expresses contrition. This commissioner has lowered sanctions when players have voiced contrition or said they’ve done something.

If there is an appeal that doesn’t have the outcome Elliott wants, he would have the option of filing a federal lawsuit. The NFL will rush to court, to the New York Southern District federal court, most likely. They would have the positive Brady verdict from the Second Circuit there as precedent. So we’ll see.

MMQB: Do you believe it’s most likely Elliott starts the season suspended?

McCann: I think that’s extremely likely—unless his appeal works with Roger Goodell and it’s totally vacated. He would have to get an injunction, and it’s hard to imagine that happening in this case.

Elliott will appeal, of course, and he should if he believes he’s been wronged. We shouldn’t pass judgment until the Elliott team has had its day in the appeals process. But what could the Elliott side have left? I’m reminded of the Saints’ bounty case, when New Orleans owner Tom Benson and coach Asshole Face flew to New York to make their case fervently and with finality before Roger Goodell issued his ruling.

It was impassioned, I was told afterward, with Payton, in particular, saying he wasn’t aware of many of the bounty-related charges the NFL felt were solid. Payton threw it all on the table, but Goodell still suspended him for a year. When Elliott and his representatives met with the NFL weeks ago to argue their side, surely they used their most persuasive arguments and evidence. So what’s left now? Elliott must hope there’s something.

As one legal expert told me over the weekend, the Elliott side must hope to be able to poke holes in the NFL “metadata” points, and in the fact that the alleged victim, Tiffany Thompson, had some inconsistencies in her story.

Goodell relied on the metadata—quite literally, a collection of data about data—to make this call. In this way: When you take a picture on your smartphone, the photo has a time stamp. But the time stamp, and the location on the photo, can be doctored. What can’t be doctored are the GPS coordinates and the information embedded in the phone that show when and where a photo was taken, and also some information on data (photos, texts) shared by the phone-owner.

That’s the metadata discovered by the analysts who looked at Thompson’s phone, and the phones of those with whom she shared her texts and photos. As for the incriminating photos of bruises, the league relied on two medical authorities who established the medical equivalent of time stamps on when the bruises on Thompson occurred.

There’s no question that the Elliott side, in its appeals and attempts to make Elliott able to play on opening night, will attack the credibility of the experts attempting to link the time Elliott and Thompson spent together in July 2016 and the bruises she suffered and photographed as proof of his alleged abuse.

If you think an appeal is open-and-shut in the league’s favor, don’t. The Greg Hardy 10-game domestic-assault ban was reduced to four games in 2015. So let’s give Elliott his due process. The league has fumbled frequently in the domestic-violence arena, so make no predictions here. But the Cowboys have good running back depth (Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris), and I’m not buying the gloom and doom predictions if Elliott misses six games.

Let’s give Elliott his fair chance to prove his innocence. If he can’t, let’s acknowledge the fact the NFL had a major problem in image and morality and moved to address it, and did exactly what it said it would do.

* * *

TRADES LIKE THIS? IN AUGUST?

TOM SZCZERBOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES

“We researched trades at this time of year,” Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said Sunday afternoon, “and there’s aren’t many like this.” Trades for picks, the Bills’ GM meant. There was Sam Bradford from Philadelphia to Minnesota last year for first- and fourth-round picks, Vontae Davis from Miami to Indy for a second-rounder in 2012, and Greg Olsen from Chicago to Carolina for a third-rounder in 2011 … all in the preseason.

Beane did two of them in one day. On Friday he sent wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams for a second-round pick plus cornerback E.J. Gaines; then he traded cornerback Ronald Darby to Philadelphia for a third-round pick plus wide receiver Jordan Matthews.

Everyone would say Darby is a better corner than Gaines, and Watkins is a better wideout than Matthews. I don’t worry about the Darby deal for Buffalo, because he hadn’t bought into the new administration of Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, and because he wasn’t a great scheme fit for McDermott’s zone coverage.

Buffalo did get a gutty, durable (Matthews played 46 of 48 games in three NFL seasons) possession receiver who will take Watkins’ spot in the Bills’ offense. The Watkins deal could hurt in the long run, for two reasons. He’s healthy this year after being plagued by a nagging foot injury. And the veterans on the Bills loved him, and won’t be happy with this deal. I can’t imagine LeSean McCoy singing kumbaya over this trade for the future. He wants to win now.

The reality of this situation, though, is that the Bills are not going to win now, even if Darby and Watkins had been playing great. Playing for 2018 is smarter. And Buffalo also had to worry about Watkins and the cap.

Because the team didn’t exercise the fifth-year option for Watkins, ensuring that he’d be a free agent after this season, Beane would have had to try to sign Watkins late this season (when the team has just $8.1 million remaining under the cap) or likely face franchising him next spring. So they risked Watkins playing great this year and looking dumb for letting him go … or trading him now for real value. A pick around number 40 or 45 in 2018 appealed more to Beane.

Interestingly, Beane didn’t tell McDermott about his tentative deal with the Rams before their game against Minnesota. Imagine the Rams’ shock when, on the first four plays of the game on offense for Buffalo, Tyrod Taylor threw to Watkins.

Beane wanted McDermott, in his first game as coach, not to be shackled but rather to be able to use his 90 players the way he saw fit. They didn’t discuss the chance for the trade until after the game.

The trades leave Buffalo and Cleveland with a league-high six picks in the first three rounds next year. “The onus is on me and my staff,” Beane said on Sunday. “We have to draft well. We’ve taken the first step—accumulating high picks.”

Interestingly, Beane said: “If this was baseball, we’d probably have kept Sammy, because we wouldn’t have had the cap to worry about. But every decision you make in football, with the cap, is a calculated risk. We had four inquiries for Sammy, and three offers, and got to a point where the Rams were willing to give a high pick, and we thought it was the best thing for us.”

The Rams, with speed threat Tavon Austin idled by a hamstring injury, now could have a three-man starting receiver set of all new guys: vets Robert Woods and Watkins, and rookie Cooper Kupp. With the uncertainty surrounding 2016 top overall pick Jared Goff, it’s hard to envision Watkins putting up premier-receiver numbers. So the Bills may not look bad. But at some point they’ve got to start keeping their top picks. That’s a big reason why Buffalo hasn’t been in the playoffs in 17 years.

* * *

THE BILLS HAVE TO STOP BLOWING UP THEIR TEAM

First thing I thought Friday when I saw Beane had traded Watkins and Darby: Owners Terry and Kim Pegula have to mentally commit to Beane and McDermott for the next five years. Period. The mayhem in Buffalo must stop.

• Five general managers in the past decade. GMs of the Bills since 2007: Marv Levy (2007), Russ Brandon (2008-09), Buddy Nix (2010-12), Doug Whaley (2013-17), Brandon Beane (current).

• Six coaches in the past decade. Coaches of the Bills since 2007: Dick Jauron (2007-09), Perry Fewell (2009), Chan Gailey (2010-12), Doug Marrone (2013-14), Rex Ryan (2015-16), Sean McDermott (present).

Of the 20 players Buffalo chose in the top four rounds between 2012 and 2016, only six remain on the team—and a couple of those could be on the chopping block on cutdown weekend. The three solid players that remain from the top of the five drafts between 2012 and 2016: defensive end Shaq Lawson (though still unproven because of injury), guard John Miller and tackle Cordy Glenn. Three of 20. That’s a .150 batting average. That’s absolutely awful.

That happens when you have four franchise architects and three head coaches in that period. Philosophies change, sometimes drastically. Thus the dealing of wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Rams and cornerback Ronald Darby to the Eagles in a quick flurry that changed three teams. But the carnage from these drafts will set the Bills back for years.

* * *

PRESEASON PSA OF THE WEEK

The absurdity of paying legitimate NFL prices for preseason games cannot be overstated. When is a responsible owner going to do something about it and slash prices to preseason games? The following players did not play in their teams’ first preseason games, which fans paid to see from coast to coast, and they paid for parking too ($40 in Foxboro, for instance):

Antonio Brown, Dez Bryant, Julian Edelman, Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones, Jeremy Maclin, Jordy Nelson.

Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Jay Cutler, Carson Palmer, Dak Prescott, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Ezekiel Elliott, LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Mike Pouncey, Joe Thomas, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Witten.

Donta’ Hightower, Sean Lee, Malcolm Butler, Tyrann Mathieu, Devin McCourty, Patrick Peterson.

Madness. Just madness. The madness isn’t premier players being kept out of the games. The madness is fans paying big-league prices to watch backups.

By the way, if you attend home games in Green Bay or Foxboro, and you go to preseason games, there’s a good chance you won’t see Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers play in person this summer. The Patriots and Packers have home games in weeks one and four, and those two players didn’t play in week one and are unlikely to play in week four.

* * *

“I should probably have four or five rings if those two would have just gotten along … People were pissed because we knew we could have made history. And those two blew it. Flat out. Plain and simple. They blew it.”

—Former Dallas safety Darren Woodson, on “The Doomsday Podcast” in Dallas with Ed Werder and Matt Mosley, on the divorce of Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson with the Cowboys after Dallas’ second Super Bowl title in the ’90s.

* * *

POD PEOPLE

This week: Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn and Green Bay receiver-turned-running back Ty Montgomery.

• Lynn, who is black, on the Rooney Rule, which mandates every NFL team interview at least one minority when it has a head-coaching vacancy: “The first interview was with the Jets. This was after Rex got fired. I did not want to do that interview because I knew what that interview was all about. You had to interview a minority before you hired the guy you wanted. I wouldn't do it, and Rex called me and said, ‘Do it for the experience.’ Todd Bowles called me and said do it.

So I finally did it, knowing that it was a token interview, but the knowledge and the experience that I got from that interview … we connected, and it was really a good interview. I learned a lot about what they were looking for, and it helped me prepare for the next interviews. Those guys spread the word, and that’s how this thing got started. …

The Rooney Rule has some very good intentions, but I just believe that a lot of organizations abuse it, and I don't want to be a part of that. I told two teams to interview a minority before you call me. And one team did, and the other team didn’t call back, so I knew what they were all about.”

• Lynn on coordinators not making the best head coaches: “I just think it is a different skill set, coordinating and leading a team ... I tell people all the time, and I've told some owners this. Look at the criteria right now, for how we are hiring head coaches.

Everyone thinks it has to be tied to a coordinator position. It does not. Look for a guy that can lead men, get the most out of men, relate, communicate, guy they can trust, organize. Look for those things in a head coach; that is totally different than calling plays.”

• Montgomery on preferring running back as a position over receiver: “It’s just me. It feels natural. It’s fun. I like being back there. From the running back position, I can still motion out and go run a route, go run a 15-yard comeback. I think of the perfect drive I want to have in a game. I want to be able to have a few good runs, have an explosive run inside and outside.

Go get the yards on a third-and-short. Motion out from the backfield, run a route, catch a football. Stand in there and pick up a few blitzes as Aaron [Rodgers] throws a touchdown pass. Or if that doesn’t happen, we get to the goal line and then I get a goal-line score. Just to be able to do everything. Running back gives me the ability to do everything.”

* * *

THINGS I THINK I THINK

1. I think, catching up on the notables of the preseason weekend:

a. The most interesting thing about the impressive debut of Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky (18 of 25, 166 yards, one touchdown, no picks) was how he threw on the move. Watch that reel of all 25 throws. Three or four times, once in the middle of a dead gallop, he whipsawed a perfect throw for a completion. The book on Trubisky didn’t have a big chapter on mobility and being accurate on the run, but in this game, at this time, that trait is huge.

b. DeShone Kizer throws a better deep ball than we thought. Two excellent ones against the Saints, including a perfect touchdown bomb at the end. On the evidence of the first preseason game, and nothing else, it would be surprising if Kizer doesn’t start more games than any other Browns quarterback in 2017.

c. Another big receiver shines for the Lions—6'4" third-round rookie Kenny Golladay from Northern Illinois. He scored twice and was the best player on the field Sunday in Indianapolis.

d. Anyone wonder why the Steelers used their late first-round pick on T.J. Watt? After one season of major-college pass-rushing, Watt walked into Steelers camp and has looked like a vet from the start. His two sacks against the Giants were no surprise.

e. Injury of the weekend: Detroit defensive end Kerry Hyder, who tore his Achilles at the Colts. Not only is he one of the 10 most important (and versatile) Lions, he’s the kind of player Jim Caldwell can point to as a great example of what hard work can do to his middle-class roster. A shame he’s injured.

f. Good weekend for young quarterbacks. Christian Hackenberg was mostly protected by safe play calls, but he looked sure of himself and impressive. And Andy Reid said first-round rookie Pat Mahomes will begin to get second-string reps because of his impressive play against the Niners. Deshaun Watson, in his preseason debut against the Panthers, looks like it’s a matter of time before he beats out Tom Savage.

g. Jimmy Garoppolo? He’s going nowhere—until at least 2018. Best backup quarterback in football.

h. Less than 22,000 for the Chargers’ first preseason game, and that is not a good sign. Still, it’s the preseason. Let’s see the numbers in the regular season before we pass judgment.

2. I think the Dolphins got some very good news this week with word that running back Jay Ajayi, out for two weeks with a concussion, is cleared to practice. In this Miami offense, with a quarterback still needing name tags for his teammates, the offensive regularity provided by Ajayi, the Dolphins' physical and productive starting running back, is vital.

In games in which Miami called runs on 50 percent or more of the plays in 2016, the Dolphins were 7-0, and coach Adam Gase is a huge believer in offensive balance. (This note was clarified from my early-morning post, and thanks to all for pointing out Ajayi should be ready to go this week.)

3. I think Mike Glennon blutarskied his debut for the Bears: He recorded a 0.0 passer rating against Denver on Thursday night.

4. I think, in case you’re having trouble understanding “blutarskied,” I leave this YouTube clip, from the best movie in the history of movies, “Animal House.” In the 1978 classic, John Belushi’s student character, Mr. Blutarsky, ran afoul of the academic standards at august Faber College with a grade-point average that just didn’t get the job done.

5. I think I’ll be surprised if Brock Osweiler makes it out of Browns camp with a job. In his four series of plays in the preseason opener, he threw seven passes wildly high. He’s just not accurate enough to be trusted with a starting job, and probably not a high-profile backup job either.

6. I think my first reaction after reading what Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette told James Palmer of NFL Network after his preseason debut was this: The kid’s going to regret saying that, and he’ll regret it opening day. Fournette told Palmer, about the speed of the NFL:

“It’s a lot slower than I really thought.” I’m all for guys telling the truth in their talks with the media—and I’m sure this is what he believes. Jacksonville opens against Houston, and the Texans had the number one defense in football last year, and J.J. Watt returneth. I know a few Texans. And you can be sure they have heard Fournette’s words as of this morning—or they soon will.

7. I think I’m not being critical of the NFL’s decision to make at least 21 officials full-time employees for the 2017 season. But I don’t think it’s going to affect officiating very much. Mistakes are made because of the speed of the game and the instantaneous calls human being have to make. Having officials do more studying, and even having them work on reaction time (if that’s possible), is not going to make the game significantly cleaner in officiating.

And the league is not mandating that officials who become full-time give up their other jobs entirely. So are these officials really full-time? If Ed Hochuli, for example, is one of the full-timers but allowed to keep his lawyer job in Arizona, is he really a full-time NFL employee? Roger Goodell’s a full-time commissioner; it’s all he does. Seems a little misleading to call employees full-time when they keep their other jobs—even if they’ll do those jobs less than they did previously.

8. I think I want to share this reaction from Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB, who felt strongly that the NFL’s initial verdict on Ezekiel Elliott is fair and fact-based: “Elliott will appeal the discipline, and that is certainly his right to do so. But from everything we know at this point, the NFL followed the evidence to make a decision. And that’s exactly the standard for which the media and the public has been calling for the past three years.”

After watching the game again I thought NT Mike Purcell did a real good job of clogging up the middle of the line.

Now that we have Sammy W as a Ram - a move that I'm really happy with btw - how quickly will he be able to pick up the playbook? Anyone out there with knowledge of learning a playbook? How quickly does it take, I know everyone's different, but how many plays can you pick up in a week or so?

On a side note the Rams now have 4 of the WRs I wanted us to draft over the last few years.

Sammy Watkins
Robert Woods
Tavon Austin
and Cooper Kupp

Sometimes I wish people would just listen to me in the first place

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