This Idea came to me, and it only took about 5 minutes to write:"Coach Fassel, You have stated you have a Brief motivational speech in mind for your pre-game speech this week-end. Here is one for you to use If you wish!

" Gentleman, this week you have done what others won't do so today you can accomplish what other can't! Now is the time to do it!

There are important people to your career watching, and a lot of Loyal Fans!"

I want you to go out there and keep one thing in mind. As the Great Jack Youngblood has said. Play every snap as if it was the final snap of your career!! Because Gentleman it Damn well could be!!
Now on 3 GO RAMS!!
Please use any or all of this, as you wish! Signed Dave Fan since 1951!!"

Any thoughts!? Am I right of Full of shit again!?!

Rams insider Myles Simmons and Super Bowl Champion DT D’Marco Farr recap Los Angeles’ loss to San Francisco, examine why LT Greg Robinson was deactivated for a second time, and discuss how attractive the Rams’ head coaching job might be compared to others around the league.

Listen to Between the Horns Podcast


Go to the 34 minute point for Coaching discussion

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins is still benefiting from his work with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, which is one reason the Rams would be smart to go after Shanahan, now offensive coordinator of the Falcons. (AP Photo/Richard Lipski)

Kirk Cousins didn’t get much playing time as a rookie quarterback with Washington in 2012.

As a lowly fourth-round pick playing for a team that just invested three first-round draft picks to move in position to draft Robert Griffin III second overall, he was destined to be a sideline mainstay.

Especially with RG3 on his way to a Rookie of the Year season while pushing Washington to the playoffs,

As professionally frustrating as that season might have been, it wasn’t a total waste for Cousins, who eventually supplanted RG3 and now has Washington on the brink of the playoffs.

In fact, the insight he gained observing then Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan provided a class study in game-planning and play-calling. The lessons from which Cousins still marvels at to this day.

Albeit from afar now that Shanahan has moved on to the Atlanta Falcons.

Which brings us to the Rams and their coaching search, which kicks into high gear next week when they finally get to sit down with current NFL assistant coaches for interviews.

Shanahan sits among the top of potential candidates for the Rams, and for good reason.

In need of vision, imagination, a proven track record of developing, fine tuning and pushing multiple quarterbacks and teams to high-level offensive plateaus, Shanahan checks off almost all the boxes the Rams should be mindful of as they prepare to make one of the most important decisions in franchise history.

Just listen to what Cousins had to say about his former coach last year ahead of a Washington-Atlanta showdown.

“When you look at creativity and the ability to not be predictable, I was on the Redskins with Kyle, knew the system and didn’t know what was coming,” Cousins said. “I don’t mean to say he was pulling stuff out of left field. The ability to be thinking of the next play and being a step ahead, I think there’s a level of having the innate ability to do it that requires a quick mind. Kyle has that.”

It’s something Cousins immediately realized.

“I remember our very first game against the Saints, when Robert Griffin and I were rookies,” he explained. “I remember calling my dad after the game and saying, ‘I cannot believe how well-called that game was.’ They kept the Saints on their toes the whole game. They had no idea what was coming next. All of it was positive plays that put (Griffin) and the offense in a good situation to be successful. So, that was kind of my first taste of how good of a play-caller Kyle really was.”

If you’re the Rams, this should leave your ears ringing.

Even though it only scratches the surface of why the 37-year-old Shanahan makes so much sense for them.

As we’ve all seen this year, the Rams are in desperate need of an offensive overhaul as they try to grow and prosper around rookie quarterback Jared Goff.

From scheme to talent to play calling, to position development , nothing short of a complete renovation is required.

Short of prying a proven head coach away from his present job, the Rams will look to current coordinators for their next head coach. Almost undoubtedly one with an offensive track record.

Shanahan and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are the two most popular names, but while McDaniels’ resume is limited to working with Tom Brady and a complete nosedive in his two years as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Shanahan brings a wide-ranging resume that includes successful coordinator stops with Houston, Washington and now Atlanta.

In fact, RGIII, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, and the Falcons’ Matt Ryan have all had their best seasons working under Shanahan, who also oversaw strong running games at all three stops.

You can argue McDaniels is simply the product of working with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Brady.

But with Shanahan, you’re talking about someone whose scheme, system and expertise have consistently resulted in top-10 offenses. It’s an attack based on a quick-strike, rhythm passing game that can get aggressive downfield in a hurry by spreading the ball around with boot-leg action quarterback roll-outs and a wide-zone run game grandfathered to him by zone-blocking guru Alex Gibbs, the offensive line coach under Shanahan’s father, Mike, during their time with the Denver Broncos.

The result being a balanced attack everywhere Shanahan has laid down roots.

It’s a resume that’s rightfully grabbed the attention of the Rams, who desperately need someone to bring out in Goff and young running back Todd Gurley everything they have to offer.

But also re-tool and develop an offensive line and overhaul a wide receiver group that presently strikes fear in no one.

That isn’t to say Shanahan will work immediate miracles if he’s hired.

But with a body of work like that, he’s exactly what the Rams should be focused on.

And if it means his father joining him in some capacity, preferably in a position that impacts personnel, all the better.

After all, with the Rams in need of a talent infusion along the offensive line and at wide receiver, you could do worse than Mike Shanahan calling those shots. And with his son making the transition from assistant to head coach, he wouldn’t be a bad confidante to have nearby.

The Rams figure to touch base with a number of candidates over the next few weeks.

But from this vantage point, Kyle Shanahan is well qualified.

Bonsignore: Here's why Kyle Shanahan should be high on Rams' coaching search list

Here are the two best GM candidates to replace Les Snead in Los Angeles

December 27, 2016

| By:

Jake Ellenbogen





It's starting to look more and more like the Rams are ready to move on from Les Snead. Quite honestly the whole house could be cleaned. Here are the two best general managers to replace Snead if the Rams do in fact go that route.


Scott Pioli (Assistant General Manager w/ ATL Falcons)

This man has accolades as far as the eye can see . He has connections just as far out as his accolades, but what makes Pioli so great is the success he's had. There have definitely been some bumps and bruises (especially in Kansas City) but all in all he's just very good at what he does.


Pioli started off in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns before the move as a Pro Personnel Assistant to Bill Belichick, who he had already developed a tight knit relationship with, back in Belichick's days as the Defensive Coordinator of the New York Giants. When the Browns moved, Pioli joined the Ravens and was promoted to Pro Personnel Coordinator. He was part of the personnel that was responsible for their dominant 1996 draft that included the acquisitions of Hall of Famer's LT Jonathan Ogden, MLB Ray Lewis and even two-time Pro Bowl WR Jermaine Lewis who they found late in the draft.


Still keeping in mind that Belichick relationship, Pioli followed Belichick to the New York Jets and helped turn around a 1-15 team in two seasons into a 12-4 team with free agent signings with eight-time Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae, two-time Pro Bowler QB Vinny Testaverde and three-time Pro Bowl LB Bryan Cox (who he even works with now in Atlanta).


Pioli left the Jets with Belichick to go on and create a dynasty with the New England Patriots. They became the first Personnel Director/Head Coach duo to win three Super Bowls in four years. While there Pioli was praised a team builder and a supreme talent evaluator. He basically split the General Manager duties with Belichick and together they built an incredible and elite franchise. While some question how much Pioli really had to do with building the team, many around the league believed Pioli was the best of the best.


Pioli and Belichick were responsible for drafting one of the greatest QB's ever in Michigan sixth-round QB Tom Brady and making trades for WR's Randy Moss and Wes Welker who were part of a dominant team that went 16-0 in the regular season. Belichick didn't want Pioli to leave, but he was happy for him when he got a chance to go and build his team all by himself in Kansas City. What hurt Pioli was attachment to connections. He wanted to re-unite with Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel and it may have been his downfall. His hiring of first-year HC Todd Haley wasn't considered a bad hiring at the time, but the two clearly didn't see eye-to-eye. In what was a disastrous end to Pioli's tenure as GM of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs not only finished 2-14 and qualified for their 1st first-overall pick in franchise history, but something bigger than football happened. Pioli was forced to watch LB Jovan Belcher shoot himself dead at the team facility after he had thanked Pioli for taking a chance on him and that he loved him.


After the long rough road in Kansas City, Pioli finds himself in Atlanta assisting GM Thomas Dimitroff. Pioli should be right in the mix to become the new Rams GM if and when the position is declared open. It would be wise for Pioli seeing as though Dimitroff is signed until 2019 with Atlanta, so if he wants to be a GM again, he's going to have to wait awhile if he doesn't want to leave Atlanta. The Rams could use a talent evaluator like Pioli as they already have a solid group of players on the roster. It would also be intriguing with Pioli as he is not the only Atlanta Falcon the Rams might be interested in. Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan just so happens to be with Pioli at the moment and he could also find himself as the Rams new HC. There is plenty to think about when it comes down to Pioli in Los Angeles and it sure wouldn't be bad if the Rams gave the guy Sports Illustrated named the best GM of the decade.


Chris Ballard (Director of Player Personnel w/ KC Chiefs)

This guy has nowhere near the resume or the longevity Pioli has, but he's considered the up-and-comer. Chris Ballard started his NFL career with the Bears in 2001 and eventually was promoted to Director of Pro Scouting in 2012. Ballard is a very opinionated man and he likes to tell it the way it is, which might have scared off many teams in the past that interviewed him to be their GM. Perhaps a guy like Ballard is what the Rams need, you could argue that the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era has poisoned the franchise with mediocrity and the wrong type of passive culture. With Ballard that type of attitude would be obsolete.


If you aren't running your organization the right way Ballard is going let you hear it, but he's also going to suggest alternatives to fix it. He isn't just a toxic person in the front office. Ballard for instance is a former college coach and is considered a great people person. Back in Chicago, Ballard was adamant about trading up to select the Oklahoma star RB Adrian Peterson. While most of the organization liked Peterson, they felt it was too soon to give up on Cedric Benson. Ballard had given up on Benson and felt like Peterson could be a real game-changer. Well, to say the least Ballard nailed that one right on the head. Or did he? Well, actually he was the one who scouted Benson in Texas and two-years later he was willing to admit that Benson was the wrong guy. That's what is truly impressive about Ballard. That's also something Fisher and Snead refused to do and even tried to cover up their misses by giving certain players chance-after-chance.


Ballard's coaching background has been his impressive factor, because he truly knows how it feels to be in the coaches shoes. He hasn't been a full on GM yet and that could seriously bode well for him. One thing Ballard can do is sell himself and his ideas to an entire room.


Now, Ballard finds himself the Director of Player Personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs. The irony is that we were just talking about Scott Pioli who is responsible for running into a wall with the Chiefs and now here is Ballard who helped bring the Chiefs back into the fold as the contender we see today. What is even crazier is the fact Ballard did seemingly the same thing Pioli did when he was with the Jets. He turned a two-win or less team around in no time at all.


Ballard brings a mentality that would be perfect for bringing in a new coaching staff. He truly wants to provide the coaches with the players they want. Ballard's also never carried a below .500 ending record with any team he's worked with. The Rams are desperately trying to claw their way over .500. Ballard would give you a hard nosed, no nonsense type of guy that the Rams desperately need. If Ballard wasn't afraid to tell his old place of work how it was and if he wasn't afraid to tell them that they needed to make serious changes. He sure as hell wouldn't be afraid to tell the Rams they need to make big changes to establish a winning culture.


On one hand you have a guy who is a proven winner and on another hand you have a guy who has all potential in the world based off the type of way he carries himself. Bottom line is this. If the Rams are serious about parting with Snead, they need to look at Pioli and Ballard to fill the void. It's time for the Rams to take the step towards winning football.

Two of the best GM Candidates for The Rams

I think we can all acknowledge that we have an issue at Left Tackle. I've been trying to come up with a solution for it, and it's been a struggle.

In terms of FA options, Matt Kalil and Andrew Whitworth are the only two LTs in FA. Personally, I wouldn't pursue Kalil. He's performed poorly the last few years and has durability issues. Whitworth is still one of the NFL's best LTs, but he's 35 years old. He might choose to call it a career. Even if he continues to play, he'll stick with Cincy if they try to re-sign him. If they don't, he still might not be interested in playing for us. He might only want to play for a contender.

Regardless, without Whitworth, that leaves us with no good options. I guess Riley Reiff of the Detroit Lions is also an option, but they moved him from LT to RT and drafted Taylor Dekker because he was not performing well at that position. I'd hate to throw a bunch of money at the guy for him to be a mediocre LT.

There is a chance that Miami cuts Branden Albert now that they have Laremy Tunsil. However, Albert hasn't played a full 16 game season in years. But he'd be the best option if he is cut. I haven't had a chance to evaluate all the guys in the draft yet, but based on what people I trust are saying, this looks like a bad class to be looking for a Left Tackle at the top of Round 2.

I know this has been a depressing post up to this point. However, I'm not posting this thread to lament our lack of options. I am posting it to offer a possible solution. It hit me today that we do have a solution in Free Agency outside of Andrew Whitworth and the other guys discussed earlier. That solution is Green Bay Packers Center J.C. Tretter. I know you're thinking I'm crazy right now. "Jrry32, a Center? Dude, we are talking about our solution at LEFT TACKLE!"

Here's why Tretter could be our solution. Tretter played Left Tackle at Cornell. At 6'4" 307 with arms around 33.5", he just barely meets the length requirements. However, Tretter being a Left Tackle in college isn't why I think he's a possible solution. David Bakhtiari, the Packers LT, missed the playoff game against the Redskins last year. J.C. Tretter was the Packers' 6th OL last season. He stepped in for Bakhtiari at LT against the Redskins. The results were mixed. Tretter struggled the first couple of drives. He even gave up a sack that resulted in a safety on a bullrush.

However, after the sack, Tretter settled in and got better as the game went on. After that sack resulting in a safety, Rodgers wasn't touched for the rest of the game. I went back and watched every play the Packers ran in that game. My evaluation of Tretter as a NFL LT is that he has the athleticism, feet, football IQ, and skill to play the position.

Tretter's lack of length and average functional strength will keep him from being a quality starter there. There will be DEs who give him problems. He'll get pushed around at times by very powerful guys. And long, athletic DEs could use their length advantage against him.

However, I believe he can provide us solid enough play to hold us over for a year or two while we find our permanent solution. The good news is that once we find our permanent solution, Tretter can slide inside to Center or Guard and provide Pro Bowl caliber play in a Zone Blocking Scheme. The other good news is that Tretter is both a Center and a Cornell grad. He's a very intelligent guy, which means we can count on him to know his assignment and carry it out properly. Additionally, he mirrors well and is very athletic. At minimum, he can get in front of his guy, even if that guy pushes him around. Finally, he blocks extremely well on the second-level and is a well-coached player in terms of technique.

Now, the downside here is that J.C. Tretter has had major problems staying healthy thus far in his career. He's looked quite good when he's on the field, but he's only managed to stay healthy for all 16 games once in his four-year career. The upside is that will drive the price down on him. He's only 25 years old. We could get ourselves a serviceable LT at a relative bargain. And once we find our LT of the future, we can move him inside to give us quality play at Center or Guard. The other good news is that Greg Robinson will be on the team.(well, maybe not good news) If Tretter gets hurt, we have Greg to fall back on.(even if that's not our ideal situation)

And if we get lucky and find a LT in the Draft or Greg excels under a new coaching staff, we have ourselves one of the best Centers in the game. Looking at our options, I think J.C. Tretter presents our best option. He gives us a guy who can likely be a serviceable LT at a reasonable cost. He offers the ability to play any position on our OL if Greg and the other young guys improve under a new coaching staff. And he's an incredibly smart player, which we definitely need more of on this team.

Thus, the Rams signing J.C. Tretter in Free Agency is my proposed (temporary) solution to our Left Tackle problems. Now, we just have to hope that the Packers cannot re-sign him before he hits Free Agency.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/n...obs-l-a-is-hot-buffalo-and-cleveland-are-not/

What is the NFL's best potential head coaching job?

Including any possible openings one could imagine, accounting for potential retirements or even coaching trades, how would the jobs stack up? It's an inexact science, and obviously there would be differences of opinion over which owners and general managers would be the best bosses. But after speaking to some long-time NFL execs I trust, who have no vested stake in how any of these openings would be filled, and seeing how they might rank them, one personnel man suggested we make the process a little more analytical.

So together we put together a formula to weight the overall strength of each franchise, and create a scale to account for things coaches look for in an opening (geography, ability to have or land a quarterback, current roster strength, difficulty of winning the division, etc). In some cases we could rely on existing statistics and/or metrics (cap space, pending free agents, for instance) and in others we had to apply numbers ourselves after nailing down the merits of each team. I was sworn to secrecy by my co-conspirator, who I suspect may be using a similar exercise on his own to evaluate potential candidates and/or openings in the future, but suffice to say we looked at seven categories, ranked from 1-11, with the lowest score indicating the best situation (i.e., best location of job, best owner to work for, etc).

Ultimately, I don't expect there to be 11 head coaching openings. I'd bet on roughly half that number. And in many cases, Week 17 could play a huge role in whether one or more of these an owners begins sniffing around for an upgrade. And there is a very real chance the Saints trade coach Asshole Face, which is why New Orleans is among the 11 teams. In addition, many coaches believe Bruce Arians might retire, though he has rebuffed that notion. And should the Lions lose a third straight to miss the playoffs, one would have to consider that possibility, especially after rookie GM Bob Quinn mulled replacing Jim Caldwell a year ago, and knowing that this might be his shot to land a coveted coordinator like Josh McDaniels, his former colleague in New England.

So all the hot coaching candidate need to be weighing options to determine which jobs you would want to interview for first, etc. We took a shot at conducting our own.

There were two ties, including one for first after we complied the numbers. Ultimately, outside of the Cardinals coming in tied as the "best" job, I'm not sure much really surprised us in the end. It broke down clustered as you might expect, with a group of four teams shaping up as the most attractive, the Saints kind of in the middle, and then five teams bringing up the rear not separated by many points ... except the Browns, who are dead last by a wide margin.

Los Angeles Rams: 26 points
Location, location, location! If you have to work 80 hours a week, at least your wife and kids can hang on the beach. The owner has to spend to win now, generally stays out of the way and there is a sense the right coach could convince Stan Kroenke of a need to have more say in personnel matters. This is a blank slate and whatever you might think of Jared Goff, his salary isn't going to cripple the team and he could be gone in two years. They have some beasts on defense, the pass rush factor is strong. They move into a football palace in two years. The metric working most against them? Of the 11 teams here, their offensive talent ranked 10th, and the QB is an unknown quantity.

Arizona Cardinals: 26 points
They have work to do to keep guys like Calais Campbell and Chandler Jones, and Carson Palmer appears to some to have hit the wall ... but weighed against the other options this is a prime destination. GM Steve Keim has a super strong reputation and ownership, since Bill Bidwill stepped aside in favor of his family, is now a major plus, especially when weighed against the rest of this bunch. Despite this franchise's need for a QB of the future soon, should Arians' family urge him to move on, this job came in within the top five across the board.

San Diego Chargers: 29 points
We did this assuming the team is moving to Los Angeles, because all of my reporting since Week 1 continues to point strongly in that direction. Ownership needs to make a splash and capture a new market. Philip Riversshould have a few years left. They have amassed some intriguing individual talent. But owner Dean Spanos is married to his power structure -- so no coach is going to get the full keys to the kingdom -- which put the math on this one just behind the top two but well within range.

Indianapolis Colts: 31 points
Andrew Luck, playing in a traditionally weak division and having a dome work in Indy's favor. The owner is a bit of a wild card, however, but if Jim Irsay ends up in the market for a new coach, then he's most likely looking for a new GM as well. So a proven coach might get to take over the building, though Irsay has resisted this idea in the past. They need to add bite on defense -- especially the pass rush -- which holds them back.

Detroit Lions: 32 points
Matt Stafford has played like an MVP candidate, and this is storied franchise with an owner who won't meddle in a division with only one quarterback you have to fear (though it is Aaron Rodgers). Quinn had a nice first year making personnel decisions and while the roster still needs lots of work, particularly on defense, there is reason for optimism. Had this job opened up a year ago, top candidates would have been salivating, and if it opens this year the same will hold true.

New Orleans Saints: 39 points
All the uncertainty makes this one difficult to assess. Drew Brees has one year left, owner Tom Benson is in declining health with legal wars in the past over who takes over the team, and his wife is unproven in the role. The power structure there is not the norm and they still have issues on defense, though not as many as some might think -- the defensive line has big-time potential. And The Big Easy ain't for everyone, especially those who have young kids.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 50 points
It's clear the front office would rather not blow out quarterback Blake Bortles, though they say they are open to it. There is no tradition of winning and owner Shahid Khan has been disinclined to alter the front office structure. Firing their coach on the team plane is the kind of thing that won't sit well with other coaches, and something we tried to quantify. The overall market's stability is a question mark, too.

New York Jets: 52 points
I don't believe this job opens up, based on everything I've heard, though the recent run of blowout losses won't help Todd Bowles. When I did my own gut-reaction list before talking to others, I figured this would be middle of the pack. Owner Woody Johnson hasn't been the most stable owner, and the pressure to win right away in New York can be hinder long-term sustainability. They have a big quarterback problem, too. Still, at key positions like defensive line and receiver there is abundant talent, and the transition to youth will be underway.

Buffalo Bills: 53 points
Short and long-term issues, and western New York in the winter isn't exactly the place to be. The stadium is out of date and the team hasn't been to the playoffs in 17 years. Owner Terry Pegula is still getting his feet under him it seems, and most problematic, the owner seems wedded to a front office set up that has been prone to fractions and highly-questionable decisions, all of which which would top candidates significant pause. It's been an in-fighting disaster through the Doug Marrone and Rex Ryan regimes, yet ownership refuses to make sweeping changes to its decisions makers, which will likely bodes more of the same moving forward. The Bills actually were middle of the pack at QB, but that's with Tyrod Taylor running the show. And that is deceiving because the front office does not intend to pick up his option. There are people in the organization high on Cardale Jones.

San Francisco 49ers: 53 points
Frankly, I thought this job would score much closer to the Browns. The issues at ownership are impossible to get around, outside of the brief Jim Harbaugh era they have had great difficulty luring top candidates despite a rich history. They also don't have a quarterback. They will be picking high, however, and with GM Trent Baalke almost certainly on his way out, a new coach would come in at a time when he could likely reshape the organization and command significant authority.

Cleveland Browns: 72 points
Have accomplished virtually nothing under owner Jimmy Haslam, and this coaching job has long been viewed as a career killer. I doubt coach Hue Jackson would lose a power struggle in the offseason, so I don't think this job opens up even at 1-15, but if it did man, good luck getting qualified people. No one has done losing and dysfunction like the Browns, and I keep waiting to see what rock bottom is. They came in dead last in five of the seven categories.

I was taken aback a bit by the disparity of points and how it basically was clustered around a couple of vales (with 7 being the best possible score and 77 the worst possible). In the end, if you have a quarterback or something close to one, you were around 30 on the scale and if you lacked a QB and a proven competent owner, you ended up around 50. Regardless, you can expect the candidates positioned well enough to call their own shots -- Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Asshole Face, and the like -- to be manning those positions in the top half of this list if they take new jobs in 2017.

Why yes he can, hard as that may be to believe...

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-hold-weekly-news-conference-seattle-seahawks

A privilege ??? Wow, Dick...

I'm kinda surprised that I haven't seen anything about Britt, but we got our first 1000 yard receiver since 2007. He would have been there last year too but we know about all the bad throws that came his way. I hope we resign him and continue to let Goff or Mannion grow with him..

This article implies it isn't a slam dunk this interim coach title is just a formality and the move away from the Ryans was to lock in Lynn...

His tone is interesting:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...nn-says-was-business-decision-start-ej-manuel

If my memory is correct, this season we somehow avoided Jeff Triplette, the absolute worst ref in the NFL.
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http://www.footballzebras.com/2016/12/27/week-17-referee-assignments-2016/

Cardinals at Rams, 4:25 p.m. — Craig Wrolstad

Wrolstad's 2016 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Barry Anderson, head linesman Mark Hittner, line judge Julian Mapp, field judge Steve Zimmer, side judge Jeff Lamberth, and back judge Lee Dyer.

Practice Report 12/27: Rams Tinkering with Offensive Line

By Myles Simmons

There are likely more changes coming to the Rams’ offensive line for Week 17 against the Cardinals.

With right tackle Rob Havenstein day-to-day with an ankle injury, Los Angeles is looking at the possibility of moving around offensive lineman Rodger Saffold once again. Saffold started his second game of the 2016 season at left tackle on Saturday, having spent the year primarily at left guard.

For Tuesday’s light practice — which interim head coach John Fassel characterized as more of a walk-through — L.A. had Saffold working at both left and right tackle. When Saffold was at left tackle, rookie Pace Murphyworked opposite him. With Saffold on the right, Greg Robinson worked as the left tackle.


“That’s kind of the lineups we’re tinkering with,” Fassel said. “Very likely, by tomorrow, we’ll have something pretty determined because that’s our big practice. But they’ll be ready.”

Saffold did work at right tackle for much of the Rams’ offseason program and training camp, with Havenstein recovering from offseason surgery at that time. And so the veteran lineman said after Tuesday’s practice that he’s embracing the challenge of getting prepared for wherever the coaches decide to place him for Sunday’s game.

“It’s basically like telling you to go from being left handed to just, hey, just start being right handed — which is not the easiest,” Saffold said. “Makes this last week pretty eventful. I already watched a lot of film, so I’m on the right track to get it done.”

As for Robinson, the third-year tackle was deactivated for the second time this season against the 49ers. Fassel said after the game that decision was not made to make Robinson a kind of scapegoat, but with the thinking that Saffold at tackle and Jamon Brown at left guard could help spark the run game.

“It probably caught me off guard at the beginning of the week,” Robinson said. “It was a decision they made as a staff and I just took it on the chest and tried my best to be positive about it.”

“My mindset hasn’t changed all season,” Robinson continued. “All I can do is just focus on me personally getting better and trying my best to perform at the best of my ability week-in and week-out. I don’t think, as a competitor, that I would let it get to me because then it would hinder me a little bit. So I think the best thing is just, go out to practice each week and try my best to get better.”

While Fassel mentioned on Monday there had been some discussion among the coaching staff regarding moving Robinson to guard. But that will not come to fruition this week.


“Greg — benched last week — I talked to him about being ready to go this week, he took to it and I would imagine that he would perform at the highest of his ability,” Fassel said.

Really, I think the best thing for him is to give him one spot and let him really just focus on that,” Fassel added. “That was a discussion, but I would imagine that there will be one position picked for him and master this position. I think that’s where he’s at and that’s what’s best for him.”

Likely because of that, Robinson did not appear to have a position change on his mind when asked about it following practice.

“If that opportunity ever presents itself to me, and I feel it’s best for me, then that would be the time to talk about it,” Robinson said. “But, right now, that’s in the wind — I don’t know anything about that.”

Generally, though, the offensive line as a unit would like to finish the season on a high note by protecting quarterback Jared Goff well and springing running back Todd Gurley for a big day on the ground.

“That’s definitely the goal, but in order to run the ball, it’s going to take more than the offensive line,” Saffold said. “In order to protect the quarterback, it’s going to take more than the offensive line. Everybody has to do their job and we need to be consistent at doing their jobs. So, we’ll just see how it goes.”

EXTRA POINTS

— Fassel said he’s expecting all players who are healthy to be available for Sunday’s game, whether they’re rookies or veterans.

“There hasn’t been any resistance from any players where you could imagine some of them maybe, they don’t want to play in the last game because they don’t want to risk an injury,” Fassel said. “But there hasn’t been any resistance, really from any guys with that mindset, which I think is good because you play football and if you start ducking out of piles or kind of standing around piles, that’s when you get hurt. You play football the right way, there’s a good chance you’re going to be perfectly fine.

“And also our dress list requires 46 guys, most of the inactives are the guys that are dinged up that, for sure couldn’t play — or a quarterback,” Fassel added. “So, the guys that are healthy or could play will play.”

— After Saturday’s game, Fassel mentioned he had a motivational tactic in mind that he’d share with the team this week. While he hasn’t revealed it to the club just yet, he said Tuesday it might be getting a bit blown out of proportion at this point with players already asking him what it is.

“I feel like, ‘Gosh I’m going to disappoint them’ — because they think it’s going to be hot, and it’s really going to take about a minute,” Fassel said with a laugh. “It’s just something I remember when I got it from a coach a long time ago. Maybe 15 years down the road when some of these guys are coaching, they’ll yank it out when they feel they need it.”


[www.therams.com]

Honestly! What do other NFL teams know about managing offensive lines, that we don't?
I'll start this out with a couple questions that will make us all think about why our line is bad, every year.


Why is the Dallas Cowboy o-line so good?

Why is nearly every other NFL team's o-line better than ours?


.
Can my granddaughter try out for the O-Line? (She owns equipment)

So he can bring back the Loafing Charts.

Seriously 2016, Fuck you.

http://people.com/movies/carrie-fisher-dies/

So after reading this little tidbit,

Jared Goff is a rookie, understood. But 11 of 24 for 90 yards, a TD and two picks against the worst defense in the league? Hand Rams fans a cold beer, please.

Click to expand...

It infuriates me even more that we looked so bad against such a bad defense.

Not just because we lost, but we were dominated "Statswise" by the worst defense in the NFL.

Rex Ryan is no longer the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo announced Tuesday that Ryan and his twin brother Rob (Bills assistant head coach) were relieved of their duties. Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was named the team's interim head coach.

Ryan finished his first season 8-8, a record which he could have achieved again this year. The Bills(7-8) finish their 2016 campaign against Ryan's former team, the New York Jets, this weekend.

Ryan is now 61-66 as a head coach over eight total seasons. His two playoff appearances with the Jets in his first two seasons (2009 and 2010) stand alone as his only trips to the postseason in his time in charge. TheBills are pivoting toward the offseason early in an effort to find their next head coach.

That starts with a look at Lynn, who was mentioned by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport as a potential head coaching candidate elsewhere this offseason. Lynn, 48, has been a running backs coach in the NFL since 2003. He was elevated to offensive coordinator of the Bills earlier this season when the team let go of Greg Roman.

Lynn played in the NFL for six years as a member of the Broncos and 49ers.

Buffalo Bills fire head coach Rex Ryan

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161226/rams-john-fassel-reflects-on-career-with-rams

Rams’ John Fassel reflects on career with Rams
By Rich Hammond, rhammond@scng.com, @Rich_Hammond on Twitter


Scott Varley — Staff Photographer

THOUSAND OAKS >> Roots don’t exist in the NFL. It’s a transitory life, one that players and coaches accept without asking for empathy, but that doesn’t make it any easier around this time of year.

The end is near for the Rams. Not just in terms of this season, which mercifully will conclude Sunday at the Coliseum against Arizona. It’s possibly the end of a long journey for interim coach John Fassel, many of his colleagues and, likely, many players who might wear the Rams’ colors for the final time.

“Maybe because it was Christmas,” Fassel said Monday afternoon, “and I finally got to see my kids — it’s been a long time — I was just thinking back, not only to this past year but the last four years in St. Louis, where there’s been a lot of great times, a lot of great memories built, a lot of fellowship built, a lot of great relationships built. It’s going to change.”

The true aftermath of the firing of Jeff Fisher will begin next week, when the search for his permanent replacement begins. The Rams’ assistant coaches, who have continued on for the past two weeks, have no reasonable expectation that they will be retained, and major roster turnover also could take place.

The Rams have nine pending unrestricted free agents, most notably cornerback Trumaine Johnson, receiver Kenny Britt and safety T.J. McDonald, but the new coach — and perhaps a new general manager — might decide to overhaul the roster and make other changes.

It all started to hit Fassel over the weekend. He’s been with the Rams since 2012, when Fisher took over, and he has made the entire five-season, two-state journey with eight other assistant coaches and several players.

Asked if he felt any nostalgia over the probable end of the run, Fassel started to answer and then, as his voice caught, he backed away for 20 seconds and took a sip of water before he continued.

“You know, my second daughter was born in St. Louis,” Fassel said. “A lot of coaches have had kids born, and a lot of coaches on our staff still have their families back in St. Louis. They didn’t move out here with them. So a lot of coaches miss their families. We’ve had a lot of players have first-borns this year. There’s probably been six or seven players that have had kids since March, when we moved out here.

“It takes a long time to build relationships with coaches and players. I’ve been able to do that over five years, and it’s hard to think of that just being done.”

Fassel will be fine. A respected special-teams coach before Fisher’s firing, he will land somewhere else in the NFL if the Rams don’t retain him. And Fassel has at least one more task with the Rams.

The Rams (4-11) have lost 10 of their last 11 games, and while Fassel admitted that team morale has declined in recent weeks, he doesn’t believe the team will quit this week in his final game as head coach.

“Maybe I’m naive,” Fassel said. “I don’t think anybody on our coaching staff or anyone in the locker room is looking at it like, ‘Let’s just get out of here and hope we survive this last game.’ That’s not the feeling I get, even though, no doubt about it, it’s been a struggle over the last three months. I just have faith in our coaches and players that we’ll rally one more time. Whether it’s good enough, we’ll see.”

for better or worse, who is the one player that has changed your mind about them this season?

For me it's GZ. I was ready to make him walk home from a game last year. This year? I feel that he has taken strides. I will be pleased if we retain him long term.

Another player was one we let go. I was all for letting him walk and keeping Johnson, but boy and I kicking myself in the ass. Jenkins is the real fucking deal.

Roster moves:

Demote Lance Kendricks to backup / Promote Tyler Higbee to starter
Demote Case Keenum to inactive / Promote Sean Mannion to backup
Cut Brian Quit / Replace him on roster with someone who possesses give-a-F

Run the 11 personnel grouping for at least 80% of non-redzone snaps. Higbee lines up as conventional TE. Gurley lines up as RB. Wideouts are Tavon, Coop, and Britt.

But here's where it gets nasty:

Gurley lines up out wide to give us a 01 personnel grouping look, keep him opposite of Tavon. Use him heavily in the first half on short routes, bubble screens, and as a rub option for crossing routes to spring Cooper or Britt. I would also have a double reverse ready where they don't know which guy will get it, Tavon or Gurley. If and when the defense resorts to a dime package, motion him into the backfield and hammer that MFer up in there.

Higbee would be completely overlooked in all this and would serve as my secret weapon in the first half. And I would dial up plenty of first quarter routes for him right up the middle on slants and sluggos, or sitting down in a zone across the middle etc. By the second quarter when they start keying on Higbeest it ain't gonna matter because Goff should be in his comfort zone and Arizona's blitz schemes are in the trash can due to the Rams' offense dictating to them.

Goff lines up in the gun. Period. He can work on his drops in next year's camp. I put him where he's comfortable and adjust the scheme to him. All week I run practice drills with a stopwatch and bullhorn, and blow that MFer in his ear every time the ball isn't out in 2.3 seconds.

30+ baby.

Surprised I have yet to see one. Lions driving... Go Lions!

Source: Login to view embedded media View: https://mobile.twitter.com/TesslerSports/status/813457604873687041


How do we feel about this?

Height: 6'6
Weight:220
40 yard: 4.47
Vertical: 36 inch

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Here's a mock draft that has absolutely no trades in it. Shocking, I know. Anyway, ready, set, go!

Hire:

Sean McVay (HC)
Jeff Davidson (OC)
Mike Singletary (DC)
John Fassel (ST)

(Keep Fassel at ST, Groh as wide receivers coach, Waufle at defensive line, and promote Wilson to defensive backs coach.)

Cut

Rodger Saffold
Tre Mason
Eugene Sims
Tim Barnes
William Hayes
Lance Kendricks.

(Saffold is injury-prone and saves us a ton of money. Kendricks drops too many passes, and he saves money. Mason is no longer on the team, Sims and Hayes have been ineffective. Barnes can be replaced.)

Re-sign:

Greg Zuerlein
Dominique Easley
Ethan Westbrooks
Matt Longacre
Louis Trinca-Pasat

(Zuerlein should get a long term deal as he's bounced back well. Easley, Westbrooks, Longacre, and LTP are all under our control and should be re-signed.)

Release

Trumaine Johnson
T.J. McDonald
Benny Cunningham
Kenny Britt
Brian Quick
Case Keenum
Chase Reynold
Cam Thomas

(Johnson is let go in free agency. I'd love to keep Cunningham, but he's talented enough to start for a couple teams. McDonald is replaced by Mo. Britt and Quick are let go to put in some new young blood in the wide receiver position. Keenum is replaced by Mannion. Chase Reynolds is pure special teams and easily replaceable, and Thomas is JAG.)

Convert:

Lamarcus Joyner (CB - FS)

(Can you imagine Joyner and Alexander as our two safeties? Opposing wide receivers will have nightmares before and after facing them.)

Free Agency:

Alshon Jeffery, WR
Chandler Jones, DE
Andrew Whitworth, LT
Larry Warford, RG
J.C. Tretter, C

(Whitworth gets a short term deal as a starting left tackle. Warford immediately becomes our starting right guard. Tretter starts at center. Chandler Jones gets a long term deal and moves Quinn to left end. Jeffery solves our number one receiver problem.)

Draft:

2 - Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State.

3 - Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado

4 - Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan.

4 (Comp.) - Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova.

5 - Elijah McGuire, RB, UL Lafayette.

6 - J.J. Dielman, OL, Utah.

6 (Comp) - Psalm Wooching, LB, Washington.

7 - Josh Augusta, DT, Missouri.

(Conley, Witherspoon, and Darboh are starters right away. Kpassagnon is raw, but extremely talented; I liken him to a poor man's Julius Peppers. McGuire is the backup running back, Dielman backs up four positions on the line, Augusta competes for snaps behind Brockers, and Wooching competes with Josh Forrest for snaps at SLB.)

Starting Lineups:

QB - Jared Goff
RB - Todd Gurley
WR - Alshon Jeffery
WR - Tavon Austin
WR - Amara Darboh
TE - Tyler Higbee
LT - Andrew Whitworth
LG - Greg Robinson
C - J.C. Tretter
RG - Larry Warford
RT - Rob Havenstein

LE - Robert Quinn
DT - Aaron Donald
DT - Michael Brockers
RE - Chandler Jones
MLB - Alec Ogletree
OLB - Mark Barron
CB - Gareon Conley
CB - Akhello Witherspoon
CB - E.J. Gaines
FS - Lamarcus Joyner
SS - Maurice Alexander

Thoughts, comments, and critiques are all welcome.

Yes, it's another Goff thread. Sue me bitches.

I figured we could take the time to really compare Goffs rookie season thus far to other successful QBs in NFL history.

The most notable one is Eli Manning. You know, that two time Super Bowl Champion iron man.

His rookie season: 2-7
95/197 1043 yards 6 TDs 9 INT 55.4 QB rating

Yuck. Those are some bad numbers.

But Manning took the time to work and get better. And 3 years later he won a Super Bowl.

Another guy is Matt Stafford.

His rookie season: 2-8

201/377 2267 yards 13 TDs 20 INTs 61.0 QB rating

And now he's one of the best QBs in the league with 5 seasons straight of 4000 yards and have brought Detroit out of the deep dark hole they were stuck in for an eternity.

There's many more examples like Alex Smith, Terry Bradshaw(6-24 TD/INT ratio!!!!).

Hell, Troy Aikman might be the best example. Dude went 0-11 his first season.

So if you have concerns about Goff, that's fine. But don't be surprised when he lights it up next season. And trust me, I'll be here to remind you.

Discuss.