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These are selected questions and answers only. To read the whole chat click the link below.
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http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_21
NFL chat with Jim Thomas
Poll: Orlando Pace is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Who do you think deserves to go in next among former St. Louis Rams? Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, London Fletcher
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Jim: Get right to the good stuff -- how awful will Jeff Fisher's 2016 team be?
I didn't really watch practice like a beat writer would on Saturday, because I was writing more of a color story on the first open practice in southern California. But I watched it pretty closely on Sunday. Man, the receivers have a tough time catching the ball.
Didn't really see any "wow" plays from what I saw of Goff. The defense looked good. The pass rush looked good, as always. It's always dangerous to make judgments based on a couple hours of practice. But it looks like a 5-11, 6-10 team to me.
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If Grob struggles bad the first half of the season can you see him being moved to guard and Saffold slides to LT if healthy?
Don't know if that's even in the thought processes of the coaches right now. It's always a possibility, even though the coaches think Saffold is a better right tackle than left tackle.
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If Bradley Marquez gets beat out by Cooper and Quick gets beat out by Thomas who sticks on the roster out of the 2?
Marquez won't get beat out by Cooper; Quick won't get beat out by Thomas.
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Who's your early camp favorite for the FS spot?
I didn't write on this over the weekend, but keep an eye out for Maurice Alexander, the Eureka High product out of St. Louis who once worked as a janitor at the Edward Jones Dome. Alexander is fast and physical, his frame reminds you of Kam Chancellor.
The game is still new to him particularly at the safety level. (He's a converted college linebacker.) So he's still learning and seeing things he hasn't seen before. But he was working with the starters at free safety during my weekend in LA, and I get the feeling that's the way the coaches think it will end up.
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What would it take for the Rams to make the playoffs this year?
Very good health _ they lack the overall depth they've had in recent years. A top 10 finish by the defense, which has flirted with that in recent years but finished in the middle of the pack statistically. A better year for Gurley in 2016 than he had even as a rookie in 2015. Consistent quarterback play and improved play by the wide receivers/tight ends.
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Do you know if there are any Rams fans from St. Louis that are season ticket holders for this season? If so, you should do a story on them. I want to hear about folks sticking with the team despite the move. I'm doing everything I can by getting the Sunday Ticket package.
I'm not sure the Rams are selling season tickets to anyone from the St. Louis area. I had one fan from the area tell me he tired to get season tickets but was denied.
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Jim - I have enjoyed your coverage of the Rams and the NFL. But I'm just a casual NFL fan, mostly because we had an NFL franchise in town. So, I'm going to take Jose's advice. I'm turning my back on the Rams, and the NFL, and as an extension this chat. This is the last time I'll tune in. Best wishes to you and yours.
Best of luck.
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Do you think if Boras can't get the Offense going Fisher might swap him out with Mike Groh?
Can't see anything like that happening this year.
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Playoffs? Did I just see a question about playoffs? Playoffs?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oSFYxDGKy8
Yes you did. It's this extra round of games you get if you perform at a high standard over the course of the regular season.
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PFW has given low grades to Saffold the past few years. Is that a result of his injuries, their ratings formula being inaccurate in some way, or is no longer as good as he used to be?
Do you mean PFF, or Pro Football Focus? If you do, it could be related to injuries. And to be honest, I don't regard PFF as the end-all, be-all in player evaluations. In football, the further you get away from team analysis and lean to individual analysis, the more likely you are to be inaccurate when it comes to analytics. Just my opinion.
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True or False will Aaron Donald be the highest paid non QB defender when his contract is up?
Well, there are a lot of excellent defensive players out there, but I bet he'll be in the top 10.
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Why doesn't Hekker be our full time Kicker and punter can't be worse than Zerluin right.
Different leg motion between a punter and kicker. Doesn't transfer.
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How long will you be in LA monitoring practices?
I was just there for the weekend, I'm back in St. Louis, although I still have one more story to right off that trip from Irvine interviews. (It's on two undrafted rookies from St. Louis trying to make the team - WR Paul McRobert and CB Michael Jordan. It's scheduled to run in Wednesday's paper.
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With the way the Los Angeles franchise went above and beyond in crapping all over Saint Louis on their way out of town (and continue to do so via multiple kevin demoff comments) I almost couldn't believe when jeff fisher actually had the gall to say he hoped the people of St. Louis would continue to support the franchise. Are you kidding me? These people got what they wanted, why can't they just leave us alone and go on about the business of lowering the standards of pro football in Southern California?
I asked Fisher the question, when it was just he and I standing off to the side following his overall media session. And he tried to give me a sincere answer. That's all. I get where you're coming from, though.
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Should Akeem Ayers be looking over his shoulder for anyone?
Don't think there's anyone there to look over his shoulder at this point.
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If EJ Gaines plays with his hair on fire any way he could beat out TRU?
He probably would've beaten out Johnson last season were it not for the injury. And they're not competing with each other this year _ they're on opposite side.
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Hands down Tavon Austin is the fastest Ram?
Don't know if it'd be hands down, but he'd certainly be at or near the top. By the way, I think the Rams have offered Austin a new contract.
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Any updates on Stedman?
None other than he's with West Virginia this season as a graduate assistant.
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Ex Ram you expect to have the best year this season?
Sorry, I answered this earlier but forgot to include the question. 1.) Richie Incognito; 2.) Chris Long; 3.) Danny Amendola; 4.) Rodney McLeod; 5.) Sam Bradford.
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Reading between the lines of what I read, the Rams shouldn't felt they could rely on Tre Mason making it to camp. Did they have an extra RB in camp to compensate?
Actually, Mason didn't show up to camp. And the Rams can't reach him. If he showed up to camp, he'd be out there. It's not as if they told him: Stay away. Without Mason, it might give Aaron Green and/or Malcolm Brown _ who both entered league as undrafted rookies _ a chance to make the squad.
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Where is Trey Watts?
Still on the suspended list.
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What if Nick Foles sat on the bench following that hit to the sternum by Clay Matthews would it have mattered?
Don't think so.
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I've been looking at the LA Times and some other West Coast media. Rams coverage seems to be buried pretty deep if you can find it. No comments on most articles. Since you've been there what's your take? Is the excitement real? If they go 6-10 will the coliseum have 50,000 by year end?
When I flew out of Orange County on Monday, both the LA Times and Orange County Register had stories about Alec Ogletree on the cover of their sports sections. So I wouldn't call that burying coverage. There is a lot more to cover in the LA area _ two baseball teams, two NBA teams, two hockey teams at the major league levels. Two major universities _ UCLA and USC are right in town. They have MLS, there was a big surfing tournament in Orange County while I was there.
Looking back in our archives over the early days of the Rams in St. Louis _ meaning the first training camp _ we had a lot more coverage. That's just the way it is in a smaller market compared to a larger market.Everyone, even the Rams if you put the truth serum in, are wondering about fan support. I found it very interesting, for example, that there were 4,000 fewer fans at the second Rams training camp practice than there was on Day 1.
I mean, there are 18 million people in that metro area, and they've been without the NFL for 21 years. It was surprising to see that kind of drop off after 1 day. Now, saying that, I've heard the Rams are expecting a huge crowd for their scrimmage this coming Saturday at the Coliseum, maybe 80,000. But I think long-term it remains to be seen what kind of support they get.
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You don't think Lauranitis is going to have a good season? He is not on your list. I will be rooting heavily for both he and Chris long.
I didn't say that. He just didn't make my top five.
By the way, here's a link to our list of ex-St. Louis Rams currently on NFL rosters throughout the league. We'll try to update it from time to time throughout he season.http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_34effc3c-e12a-5103-aa61-bb081feeb6e4.html
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I put nothing past the NFL anymore, so I going out on a limb and saying the Rams miraculously win a SB in the next 4 years. Makes the league look great for bringing the team back to LA and yet another middle to the STL fans......
In four years? As a certain radio host in StL says, I'll bet you a milkshake that's not the case.
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any word on what team's games will be televised locally?
here's a link to a story that Dan Caesar wrote on the topic a couple of weeks ago.Also, as you may know, both the Bears and Chiefs are televising their preseason games here.http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_f44cf97a-4d15-537f-b549-61232b6d3858.html
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I really resent the constant implication that the fans won't show up here. As you point out, there is a lot more sports happening here than in ST. Louis. The fans will be there when it's time for football. Also, the LA bashing has got to stop. We didn't ask for the Rams to come back...they did this on their own. Finally, I get that you all hate Kroenke, but isn't it true that without him the Rams never move to SL in the first place? Thanks for letting me vent.
Well, there is a track record of lack of support in LA, especially when the team wasn't winning. It is what it is.
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What are Duke Williams odds at making roster?
Based on what I saw over the weekend, I would say slim and none.
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Plan to watch the rams games this season, as am very interested on how the team moves forward with Goff at QB, and seeing how the draft picks from the past few seasons progress. I recall last season at this time the fans were told by media members to go to games and support the players, not the owner. Doesnt that still fit? Thanks
I have some fans in St, Louis tell me that on a pretty regular basis.
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Jim, great to see you covering the Rams in Irvine. Any word on who will do Rams radio this season?
I had heard as our Dan Caesar reported that it might be Andrew Siciliano and Eric Dickerson, but have heard nothing official.
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Wife and I spent the last 5 years in L.A. and have recently moved back to Missouri. I can tell you that last season I was a regular at the Hermosa strand in south bay and could never find any bar that was showing the Rams games even after we all "knew" they were moving. it was all Raiders and 49er fans. I don't think they care about the team so much, they just want.
Interesting. Thanks for playing.
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JT - If you were from St. Louis and a Rams fan for the last 21 years but now live in North County San Diego, would you route for the Chargers or the Rams. I am struggling with which way to go. Keeping in mind that the Chargers could very well be playing in LA next year too and I do not want to be flip flopping.
Sorry Tim, you'll have to solve that dilemma on your own. But let me know how it works out as the season progresses.
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The more I think back over the Rams last few years in St. Louis, I sure get the feeling that Silent Stan got drunk and watch the movie Major League over and over. It is hard to imagine that an entire management team in a professional sports organization could be so absolutely incompetent. That bad of a track record almost had to be intentional. Stan was going to make serious bank regardless of the teams performance.
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I really enjoyed the Legends of the Dome game and your coverage of it. It was cathartic. One question on that game: Was Isaac Bruce not allowed to market the game with the Rams name or logo connected with it? If that's the case, at least they were allowed to show highlights on the big screens.
I'm guessing that he probably wasn't. Just like you'll see certain ads on TV that include tickets to the Super Bowl that'll say: "Tickets for the 'big game.' " And yeah, the scoreboard video highlights, and interviews, were cool.
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Just a heads up for fans still wanting to watch the team.. NFL Sunday Ticket live streaming offers a student package for $100 for the whole season and you dont need direct tv
Here you go. . . .
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Jim, don't you think there must be some serious pressure on Fisher to start winning? This is his fifth year, and 5-11 or 6-10 isn't going to help see the no doubt high priced PSL's and tickets they have in mind for the new stadium.
They need to be pretty good pretty soon, don't you think?
One would think so.
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Yeah, Jim...there is that track record. But it happened in St. Louis as well. It's pretty much a fact that a winning team draws better than a losing one.
But then there's this, a stat that colleague and friend Bernie Miklasz has pointed out: Until the last year or two in St,. Louis, the losing Rams averaged more per game than the LA Rams did in Anaheim when the team was going to the playoffs nearly every season with Eric Dickerson.
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Lack of support in LA was due to Georgia. YOU guys in st louis sure do like to throw stones in your glass house. Now that house is broken and the team went back to their rightful home. Your support in the dome was the other teams fans filling it up. It is what it is.
I believe the rightful home would be Cleveland, where they spent their first decade.
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Two-faced Fisher wants me to root for LA? I am rooting for him to become the 1st head coach in history with 5 consecutive losing seasons!!
You sound pretty serious about this.
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Who plays the most in Preseason Goff Keenum or Mannion?
I'd say Goff plays the most, followed by Keenum and then Mason.
(Mason? Tre Mason? Perry Mason??????)
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Jim, am I wrong to think that this whole LA thing may back-fire on Jerry and Stanley? I mean, Goff throws and interception in his first day of pro football training camp and he is met with instant hostility and boos? How will LA handle this Rams organization once they get more familiar with how Stan runs the show? Will they fill up a brand new 2 billion dollar stadium for a below average team?
We'll see. Just wait till the fans out there see the price of PSLs in 2019. Especially if they're still losing.
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How were you treated in LA over the weekend by Rams staff?
Great. Lots of handshakes, man hugs. Got to chit-chat informally with several coaches.Good to see the equipment guys, other staffers, etc. Love the PR staff _ we spent a lot of hours together over the years.
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About the future PSLs in2019. Formal surveys have already been sent out to season ticket holders regarding PSLs. Prices seemed pretty reasonable to me, and I'm definitely middle class.
Just curious, what kind of price range have you seen?
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In defense of LA fans, I will repeat something I mentioned last year: Anaheim is NOT LA. It was then largely a retirement community (Orange County as a whole) and residents there were from elsewhere, with no big Rams loyalty. For lots of LA residents, getting to Anaheim could easily take 2 hours or more. Georgia moved them there, she knew nothing about owning an NFL team, and it was STUPID!
Interesting perspective. Thanks for playing.
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Which organization do you think is providing the best free coverage of the LA Rams? I much prefer your daily in-depth work, but would like your opinion.
Thank you in advance for what is at best an uneasy situation for us St Louis Rams fans.
Well, the two main sources are the LA Times and the Orange County Register (which would include the LA Daily News). And eventually, I'm sure ESPN.com will be up to speed. They're kind of in-between writers since friend and colleague Nick Wagoner has been assigned to the 49ers.
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How were the fans at the practices?
The fans were great. I talked to dozens over the weekend, some have been following the team through the Post-Dispatch and stltoday.com for years. Many _ not all, but many _ feel bad for the fans in St. Louis. They went through basically the same thing 21 years ago. I posed for many pictures, and believe it or not signed a few autographs. I always put #431 next to my name, representing the number of games (preseason, regular season, postseason) played by the Rams in St. Louis.
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Respectfully, why are we still talking about the Rams?
Thanks for asking. We were in Orange County over the weekend for three major reasons. 1.) We're covering the NFL at large now, and the biggest story in the league entering camp was the Rams' setting up shop once again on the West Coast.
2.) The closing chapters of the team leaving St. Louis are the first practices in LA and the first home game in LA.
3.) There obviously is still much interest in the team here, either in a negative way, or from fans who still want coverage, who say they may hate Kroenke, but they still care about the players, and that it's the only team they have ever known. I hear from these people regularly. .
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Can you see Coty Sensabaugh beating out EJ?
I guess it could happen if Gaines doesn't regain his old form, but if Gaines is physically right I can't see it happening.
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What do you think the chances are of Goff starting this year? Yes, I'm still a Rams fan.
I say he starts at least 12 games.
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How do the Rams look at Isaiah Battle? Is a player from the supplementary draft considered a second year player with catching-up to do or a rookie with a head-start?
I think Battle is viewed as a player with a lot of catching up to do. He has been working at right tackle in training camp, and although I wasn't at OTAs I was told that was the case then as well. He was working with the second unit at RT over the weekend behind Saffold (and remember, without Havenstein).
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Emotionally and personally how has this move affected you?
It's been a change, and an adjustment. But I'm keeping busy, it's just a different kind of busy. I genuinely feel bad for the fans of St. Louis. St. Louis may have deserved it when the Big Red left in '88 because the region really didn't have a stadium plan. But there was a plan this time around, what some in the NFL thought was a pretty good plan, with hundreds of millions of dollars on the table for Kroenke.
A part of me likes the more varied aspects of the coverage, and not having to worry about every pulled hamstring. But I've got to tell you, I really enjoy watching football practice every day _ and I'll miss that aspect of the job.
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How were you perceived out in LA over the weekend? Did you get the "what are you doing here"?
Only by a couple of fans, and even they were friendly about it. All of the Rams employees I saw seemed genuinely happy to see me, Fisher included.
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Now that u have made a trip to LA for the Rams and its probably clear that people in STL don't care. Can u please visit Indianapolis or KC and do some type of fan recruitment tour? I could be wrong but I believe the majority of fans in STL either don't care about the Rams and the NFL or they are looking for a new team to follow
Actually, a lot of people read those stories from LA. You may not be one of them, but there are still Rams fans in StL, some still rooting for them, many rooting against them. And think about our subject matter that we covered during the trip out West. We wrote one story about the fans at the first practice; OK, I'm sure that was unnerving for some, but it had to be done. We wrote another story on the No. 1 overall pick in the draft (Goff), a story that should be of general interest no matter who drafted him.
We wrote another story on E.J. Gaines, a story that should be of general interest to fans in this market because he's a former Missouri Tiger and a native of the Show-Me State. And tomorrow's story is on two longshots who played their high school football in St. Louis, but just happen to be in Rams camp. That should be of interest to anyone who follow high school football here or follows Southeast Missouri State or Missouri Western football, where they played in college.
We will be covering other NFL teams as we go through camp. We've already written about 10 storylines in the NFL entering training camp, had a story about Mark Davis eyeing up Las Vegas as a home for the Raiders, and about Mike "The Tackle" Jones fighting to get the program going at Lincoln U.
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Jim do you think Goff will be the week 1 starter if he shows any progression in camp?
In a word, yes. You don't put all that money and give up all those draft picks for a guy and save him for later.
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Can you share a link to your podcast with O. Pace?
Sure. feedproxy.google.com
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I read both last week and in this chat today about a St. Louis based fan that wanted to buy season tickets to the LA Rams games and was denied the opportunity. It seems interesting, to say the least, that Fisher is quoted in the paper as wanting St. Louis fans to stay fans of the Rams while the are in LA and saying they are always welcome.
I am sure he does not have a say in who gets season tickets, but I think that illustrates that just about anyone, except the players, that speaks for the Rams from upper management to ownership, is full of hot air and cannot be trusted in their remarks. Thoughts?
I get what you're saying. But it was just one fan. I don't know if he sent in his request late, there was some kind of glitch, or there was a concerted effort not to sell tickets to fans here.
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Looking back, who were you favorite Rams players to talk to after the games? Anybody you kept in touch with even after they were gone?
James Laurinaitis among the latest Rams was always insightful. D'Marco Farr was a great quote. London Fletcher. But there were many. . .Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kurt Warner, Leonard Little, William Hayes, Todd Lyght, Ernie Conwell, Keith Lyle. . . .There are a few I kind of keep in touch with, but more on a professional level.
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http://sports.live.stltoday.com/Event/NFL_chat_with_Jim_Thomas_21
NFL chat with Jim Thomas
Poll: Orlando Pace is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Who do you think deserves to go in next among former St. Louis Rams? Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, London Fletcher
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Jim: Get right to the good stuff -- how awful will Jeff Fisher's 2016 team be?
I didn't really watch practice like a beat writer would on Saturday, because I was writing more of a color story on the first open practice in southern California. But I watched it pretty closely on Sunday. Man, the receivers have a tough time catching the ball.
Didn't really see any "wow" plays from what I saw of Goff. The defense looked good. The pass rush looked good, as always. It's always dangerous to make judgments based on a couple hours of practice. But it looks like a 5-11, 6-10 team to me.
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If Grob struggles bad the first half of the season can you see him being moved to guard and Saffold slides to LT if healthy?
Don't know if that's even in the thought processes of the coaches right now. It's always a possibility, even though the coaches think Saffold is a better right tackle than left tackle.
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If Bradley Marquez gets beat out by Cooper and Quick gets beat out by Thomas who sticks on the roster out of the 2?
Marquez won't get beat out by Cooper; Quick won't get beat out by Thomas.
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Who's your early camp favorite for the FS spot?
I didn't write on this over the weekend, but keep an eye out for Maurice Alexander, the Eureka High product out of St. Louis who once worked as a janitor at the Edward Jones Dome. Alexander is fast and physical, his frame reminds you of Kam Chancellor.
The game is still new to him particularly at the safety level. (He's a converted college linebacker.) So he's still learning and seeing things he hasn't seen before. But he was working with the starters at free safety during my weekend in LA, and I get the feeling that's the way the coaches think it will end up.
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What would it take for the Rams to make the playoffs this year?
Very good health _ they lack the overall depth they've had in recent years. A top 10 finish by the defense, which has flirted with that in recent years but finished in the middle of the pack statistically. A better year for Gurley in 2016 than he had even as a rookie in 2015. Consistent quarterback play and improved play by the wide receivers/tight ends.
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Do you know if there are any Rams fans from St. Louis that are season ticket holders for this season? If so, you should do a story on them. I want to hear about folks sticking with the team despite the move. I'm doing everything I can by getting the Sunday Ticket package.
I'm not sure the Rams are selling season tickets to anyone from the St. Louis area. I had one fan from the area tell me he tired to get season tickets but was denied.
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Jim - I have enjoyed your coverage of the Rams and the NFL. But I'm just a casual NFL fan, mostly because we had an NFL franchise in town. So, I'm going to take Jose's advice. I'm turning my back on the Rams, and the NFL, and as an extension this chat. This is the last time I'll tune in. Best wishes to you and yours.
Best of luck.
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Do you think if Boras can't get the Offense going Fisher might swap him out with Mike Groh?
Can't see anything like that happening this year.
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Playoffs? Did I just see a question about playoffs? Playoffs?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oSFYxDGKy8
Yes you did. It's this extra round of games you get if you perform at a high standard over the course of the regular season.
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PFW has given low grades to Saffold the past few years. Is that a result of his injuries, their ratings formula being inaccurate in some way, or is no longer as good as he used to be?
Do you mean PFF, or Pro Football Focus? If you do, it could be related to injuries. And to be honest, I don't regard PFF as the end-all, be-all in player evaluations. In football, the further you get away from team analysis and lean to individual analysis, the more likely you are to be inaccurate when it comes to analytics. Just my opinion.
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True or False will Aaron Donald be the highest paid non QB defender when his contract is up?
Well, there are a lot of excellent defensive players out there, but I bet he'll be in the top 10.
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Why doesn't Hekker be our full time Kicker and punter can't be worse than Zerluin right.
Different leg motion between a punter and kicker. Doesn't transfer.
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How long will you be in LA monitoring practices?
I was just there for the weekend, I'm back in St. Louis, although I still have one more story to right off that trip from Irvine interviews. (It's on two undrafted rookies from St. Louis trying to make the team - WR Paul McRobert and CB Michael Jordan. It's scheduled to run in Wednesday's paper.
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With the way the Los Angeles franchise went above and beyond in crapping all over Saint Louis on their way out of town (and continue to do so via multiple kevin demoff comments) I almost couldn't believe when jeff fisher actually had the gall to say he hoped the people of St. Louis would continue to support the franchise. Are you kidding me? These people got what they wanted, why can't they just leave us alone and go on about the business of lowering the standards of pro football in Southern California?
I asked Fisher the question, when it was just he and I standing off to the side following his overall media session. And he tried to give me a sincere answer. That's all. I get where you're coming from, though.
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Should Akeem Ayers be looking over his shoulder for anyone?
Don't think there's anyone there to look over his shoulder at this point.
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If EJ Gaines plays with his hair on fire any way he could beat out TRU?
He probably would've beaten out Johnson last season were it not for the injury. And they're not competing with each other this year _ they're on opposite side.
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Hands down Tavon Austin is the fastest Ram?
Don't know if it'd be hands down, but he'd certainly be at or near the top. By the way, I think the Rams have offered Austin a new contract.
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Any updates on Stedman?
None other than he's with West Virginia this season as a graduate assistant.
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Ex Ram you expect to have the best year this season?
Sorry, I answered this earlier but forgot to include the question. 1.) Richie Incognito; 2.) Chris Long; 3.) Danny Amendola; 4.) Rodney McLeod; 5.) Sam Bradford.
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Reading between the lines of what I read, the Rams shouldn't felt they could rely on Tre Mason making it to camp. Did they have an extra RB in camp to compensate?
Actually, Mason didn't show up to camp. And the Rams can't reach him. If he showed up to camp, he'd be out there. It's not as if they told him: Stay away. Without Mason, it might give Aaron Green and/or Malcolm Brown _ who both entered league as undrafted rookies _ a chance to make the squad.
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Where is Trey Watts?
Still on the suspended list.
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What if Nick Foles sat on the bench following that hit to the sternum by Clay Matthews would it have mattered?
Don't think so.
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I've been looking at the LA Times and some other West Coast media. Rams coverage seems to be buried pretty deep if you can find it. No comments on most articles. Since you've been there what's your take? Is the excitement real? If they go 6-10 will the coliseum have 50,000 by year end?
When I flew out of Orange County on Monday, both the LA Times and Orange County Register had stories about Alec Ogletree on the cover of their sports sections. So I wouldn't call that burying coverage. There is a lot more to cover in the LA area _ two baseball teams, two NBA teams, two hockey teams at the major league levels. Two major universities _ UCLA and USC are right in town. They have MLS, there was a big surfing tournament in Orange County while I was there.
Looking back in our archives over the early days of the Rams in St. Louis _ meaning the first training camp _ we had a lot more coverage. That's just the way it is in a smaller market compared to a larger market.Everyone, even the Rams if you put the truth serum in, are wondering about fan support. I found it very interesting, for example, that there were 4,000 fewer fans at the second Rams training camp practice than there was on Day 1.
I mean, there are 18 million people in that metro area, and they've been without the NFL for 21 years. It was surprising to see that kind of drop off after 1 day. Now, saying that, I've heard the Rams are expecting a huge crowd for their scrimmage this coming Saturday at the Coliseum, maybe 80,000. But I think long-term it remains to be seen what kind of support they get.
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You don't think Lauranitis is going to have a good season? He is not on your list. I will be rooting heavily for both he and Chris long.
I didn't say that. He just didn't make my top five.
By the way, here's a link to our list of ex-St. Louis Rams currently on NFL rosters throughout the league. We'll try to update it from time to time throughout he season.http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_34effc3c-e12a-5103-aa61-bb081feeb6e4.html
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I put nothing past the NFL anymore, so I going out on a limb and saying the Rams miraculously win a SB in the next 4 years. Makes the league look great for bringing the team back to LA and yet another middle to the STL fans......
In four years? As a certain radio host in StL says, I'll bet you a milkshake that's not the case.
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any word on what team's games will be televised locally?
here's a link to a story that Dan Caesar wrote on the topic a couple of weeks ago.Also, as you may know, both the Bears and Chiefs are televising their preseason games here.http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_f44cf97a-4d15-537f-b549-61232b6d3858.html
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I really resent the constant implication that the fans won't show up here. As you point out, there is a lot more sports happening here than in ST. Louis. The fans will be there when it's time for football. Also, the LA bashing has got to stop. We didn't ask for the Rams to come back...they did this on their own. Finally, I get that you all hate Kroenke, but isn't it true that without him the Rams never move to SL in the first place? Thanks for letting me vent.
Well, there is a track record of lack of support in LA, especially when the team wasn't winning. It is what it is.
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What are Duke Williams odds at making roster?
Based on what I saw over the weekend, I would say slim and none.
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Plan to watch the rams games this season, as am very interested on how the team moves forward with Goff at QB, and seeing how the draft picks from the past few seasons progress. I recall last season at this time the fans were told by media members to go to games and support the players, not the owner. Doesnt that still fit? Thanks
I have some fans in St, Louis tell me that on a pretty regular basis.
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Jim, great to see you covering the Rams in Irvine. Any word on who will do Rams radio this season?
I had heard as our Dan Caesar reported that it might be Andrew Siciliano and Eric Dickerson, but have heard nothing official.
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Wife and I spent the last 5 years in L.A. and have recently moved back to Missouri. I can tell you that last season I was a regular at the Hermosa strand in south bay and could never find any bar that was showing the Rams games even after we all "knew" they were moving. it was all Raiders and 49er fans. I don't think they care about the team so much, they just want.
Interesting. Thanks for playing.
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JT - If you were from St. Louis and a Rams fan for the last 21 years but now live in North County San Diego, would you route for the Chargers or the Rams. I am struggling with which way to go. Keeping in mind that the Chargers could very well be playing in LA next year too and I do not want to be flip flopping.
Sorry Tim, you'll have to solve that dilemma on your own. But let me know how it works out as the season progresses.
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The more I think back over the Rams last few years in St. Louis, I sure get the feeling that Silent Stan got drunk and watch the movie Major League over and over. It is hard to imagine that an entire management team in a professional sports organization could be so absolutely incompetent. That bad of a track record almost had to be intentional. Stan was going to make serious bank regardless of the teams performance.
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I really enjoyed the Legends of the Dome game and your coverage of it. It was cathartic. One question on that game: Was Isaac Bruce not allowed to market the game with the Rams name or logo connected with it? If that's the case, at least they were allowed to show highlights on the big screens.
I'm guessing that he probably wasn't. Just like you'll see certain ads on TV that include tickets to the Super Bowl that'll say: "Tickets for the 'big game.' " And yeah, the scoreboard video highlights, and interviews, were cool.
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Just a heads up for fans still wanting to watch the team.. NFL Sunday Ticket live streaming offers a student package for $100 for the whole season and you dont need direct tv
Here you go. . . .
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Jim, don't you think there must be some serious pressure on Fisher to start winning? This is his fifth year, and 5-11 or 6-10 isn't going to help see the no doubt high priced PSL's and tickets they have in mind for the new stadium.
They need to be pretty good pretty soon, don't you think?
One would think so.
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Yeah, Jim...there is that track record. But it happened in St. Louis as well. It's pretty much a fact that a winning team draws better than a losing one.
But then there's this, a stat that colleague and friend Bernie Miklasz has pointed out: Until the last year or two in St,. Louis, the losing Rams averaged more per game than the LA Rams did in Anaheim when the team was going to the playoffs nearly every season with Eric Dickerson.
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Lack of support in LA was due to Georgia. YOU guys in st louis sure do like to throw stones in your glass house. Now that house is broken and the team went back to their rightful home. Your support in the dome was the other teams fans filling it up. It is what it is.
I believe the rightful home would be Cleveland, where they spent their first decade.
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Two-faced Fisher wants me to root for LA? I am rooting for him to become the 1st head coach in history with 5 consecutive losing seasons!!
You sound pretty serious about this.
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Who plays the most in Preseason Goff Keenum or Mannion?
I'd say Goff plays the most, followed by Keenum and then Mason.
(Mason? Tre Mason? Perry Mason??????)
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Jim, am I wrong to think that this whole LA thing may back-fire on Jerry and Stanley? I mean, Goff throws and interception in his first day of pro football training camp and he is met with instant hostility and boos? How will LA handle this Rams organization once they get more familiar with how Stan runs the show? Will they fill up a brand new 2 billion dollar stadium for a below average team?
We'll see. Just wait till the fans out there see the price of PSLs in 2019. Especially if they're still losing.
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How were you treated in LA over the weekend by Rams staff?
Great. Lots of handshakes, man hugs. Got to chit-chat informally with several coaches.Good to see the equipment guys, other staffers, etc. Love the PR staff _ we spent a lot of hours together over the years.
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About the future PSLs in2019. Formal surveys have already been sent out to season ticket holders regarding PSLs. Prices seemed pretty reasonable to me, and I'm definitely middle class.
Just curious, what kind of price range have you seen?
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In defense of LA fans, I will repeat something I mentioned last year: Anaheim is NOT LA. It was then largely a retirement community (Orange County as a whole) and residents there were from elsewhere, with no big Rams loyalty. For lots of LA residents, getting to Anaheim could easily take 2 hours or more. Georgia moved them there, she knew nothing about owning an NFL team, and it was STUPID!
Interesting perspective. Thanks for playing.
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Which organization do you think is providing the best free coverage of the LA Rams? I much prefer your daily in-depth work, but would like your opinion.
Thank you in advance for what is at best an uneasy situation for us St Louis Rams fans.
Well, the two main sources are the LA Times and the Orange County Register (which would include the LA Daily News). And eventually, I'm sure ESPN.com will be up to speed. They're kind of in-between writers since friend and colleague Nick Wagoner has been assigned to the 49ers.
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How were the fans at the practices?
The fans were great. I talked to dozens over the weekend, some have been following the team through the Post-Dispatch and stltoday.com for years. Many _ not all, but many _ feel bad for the fans in St. Louis. They went through basically the same thing 21 years ago. I posed for many pictures, and believe it or not signed a few autographs. I always put #431 next to my name, representing the number of games (preseason, regular season, postseason) played by the Rams in St. Louis.
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Respectfully, why are we still talking about the Rams?
Thanks for asking. We were in Orange County over the weekend for three major reasons. 1.) We're covering the NFL at large now, and the biggest story in the league entering camp was the Rams' setting up shop once again on the West Coast.
2.) The closing chapters of the team leaving St. Louis are the first practices in LA and the first home game in LA.
3.) There obviously is still much interest in the team here, either in a negative way, or from fans who still want coverage, who say they may hate Kroenke, but they still care about the players, and that it's the only team they have ever known. I hear from these people regularly. .
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Can you see Coty Sensabaugh beating out EJ?
I guess it could happen if Gaines doesn't regain his old form, but if Gaines is physically right I can't see it happening.
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What do you think the chances are of Goff starting this year? Yes, I'm still a Rams fan.
I say he starts at least 12 games.
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How do the Rams look at Isaiah Battle? Is a player from the supplementary draft considered a second year player with catching-up to do or a rookie with a head-start?
I think Battle is viewed as a player with a lot of catching up to do. He has been working at right tackle in training camp, and although I wasn't at OTAs I was told that was the case then as well. He was working with the second unit at RT over the weekend behind Saffold (and remember, without Havenstein).
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Emotionally and personally how has this move affected you?
It's been a change, and an adjustment. But I'm keeping busy, it's just a different kind of busy. I genuinely feel bad for the fans of St. Louis. St. Louis may have deserved it when the Big Red left in '88 because the region really didn't have a stadium plan. But there was a plan this time around, what some in the NFL thought was a pretty good plan, with hundreds of millions of dollars on the table for Kroenke.
A part of me likes the more varied aspects of the coverage, and not having to worry about every pulled hamstring. But I've got to tell you, I really enjoy watching football practice every day _ and I'll miss that aspect of the job.
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How were you perceived out in LA over the weekend? Did you get the "what are you doing here"?
Only by a couple of fans, and even they were friendly about it. All of the Rams employees I saw seemed genuinely happy to see me, Fisher included.
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Now that u have made a trip to LA for the Rams and its probably clear that people in STL don't care. Can u please visit Indianapolis or KC and do some type of fan recruitment tour? I could be wrong but I believe the majority of fans in STL either don't care about the Rams and the NFL or they are looking for a new team to follow
Actually, a lot of people read those stories from LA. You may not be one of them, but there are still Rams fans in StL, some still rooting for them, many rooting against them. And think about our subject matter that we covered during the trip out West. We wrote one story about the fans at the first practice; OK, I'm sure that was unnerving for some, but it had to be done. We wrote another story on the No. 1 overall pick in the draft (Goff), a story that should be of general interest no matter who drafted him.
We wrote another story on E.J. Gaines, a story that should be of general interest to fans in this market because he's a former Missouri Tiger and a native of the Show-Me State. And tomorrow's story is on two longshots who played their high school football in St. Louis, but just happen to be in Rams camp. That should be of interest to anyone who follow high school football here or follows Southeast Missouri State or Missouri Western football, where they played in college.
We will be covering other NFL teams as we go through camp. We've already written about 10 storylines in the NFL entering training camp, had a story about Mark Davis eyeing up Las Vegas as a home for the Raiders, and about Mike "The Tackle" Jones fighting to get the program going at Lincoln U.
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Jim do you think Goff will be the week 1 starter if he shows any progression in camp?
In a word, yes. You don't put all that money and give up all those draft picks for a guy and save him for later.
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Can you share a link to your podcast with O. Pace?
Sure. feedproxy.google.com
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I read both last week and in this chat today about a St. Louis based fan that wanted to buy season tickets to the LA Rams games and was denied the opportunity. It seems interesting, to say the least, that Fisher is quoted in the paper as wanting St. Louis fans to stay fans of the Rams while the are in LA and saying they are always welcome.
I am sure he does not have a say in who gets season tickets, but I think that illustrates that just about anyone, except the players, that speaks for the Rams from upper management to ownership, is full of hot air and cannot be trusted in their remarks. Thoughts?
I get what you're saying. But it was just one fan. I don't know if he sent in his request late, there was some kind of glitch, or there was a concerted effort not to sell tickets to fans here.
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Looking back, who were you favorite Rams players to talk to after the games? Anybody you kept in touch with even after they were gone?
James Laurinaitis among the latest Rams was always insightful. D'Marco Farr was a great quote. London Fletcher. But there were many. . .Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kurt Warner, Leonard Little, William Hayes, Todd Lyght, Ernie Conwell, Keith Lyle. . . .There are a few I kind of keep in touch with, but more on a professional level.
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