The 10 most important players to their offense
6 HRS AGO - Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
We need to round out the list Last week we came to a Expand
6 HRS AGO - Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
We need to round out the list Last week we came to a reasonable top-10 for the LA Rams 2020 defense:
1. Aaron Donald
2. Jalen Ramsey
3. John Johnson
4. Michael Brockers
5. Leonard Floyd
6. A’Shawn Robinson
7. Taylor Rapp
8. Terrell Lewis
9. Troy Hill
10. Samson Ebukam
It’s totally fine to disagree with that list but votes resulted in this and surely votes after next season will give us a new order in some respects. How about the offense? Things were a little harder to define there but initial poll results have given us these first five names:
1. Jared Goff
2. Andrew Whitworth
3. Cooper Kupp
4. Robert Woods
5. Cam Akers
Things get a little murkier at five where Tyler Higbee and Cam Akers are separated by only 12 votes. Poll results for number three had Akers ahead of Higbee by 77 votes(!) and number four had him ahead by 29 votes. That’s 106 more votes than Higbee leading into the five position so that’s why Akers had to be number five. So why Collapse
Rams DC Brandon Staley breaks down rookie additions to defense
2 DAYS AGO - Here's what Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley had to say about the draft picks added to Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Here's what Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley had to say about the draft picks added to his unit during the virtual offseason program. Collapse
Bleacher Report: S John Johnson III is Rams' most promising building block in 2020
3 DAYS AGO - Rams safety John Johnson III is team's most promising young player heading into the 2020 season, Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Rams safety John Johnson III is team's most promising young player heading into the 2020 season, according to Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport. Collapse
Rams preseason schedule: Weeks 1 and 4 cancelled, per report
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Icon Sportswire
The Rams may be starting later than scheduled The LA Rams - New Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Icon Sportswire
The Rams may be starting later than scheduled The LA Rams - New Orleans Saints preseason opener will be cancelled, per reports by ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, who says that the NFL is cancelling all the preseason Week 1 and Week 4 games this season because of the coronavirus.
That also means that the Rams won’t be playing in Las Vegas against the Raiders on September 3rd.
Week One and Week Four will be the preseason weeks that are scrapped, per source.— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 1, 2020
The Rams had been set to open up and debut SoFi Stadium on August 14th against New Orleans, but if this report is true than it means that they’ll instead open up at SoFi Stadium on August 22nd against the Chargers ... as the “road” team.
Right now, LA’s preseason schedule is as follows:
August 14th, hosting Saints
August 22nd, “road” against Chargers
August 29th, hosting the Denver Broncos in the new “home debut”
September 3rd, road vs Raiders
The new Collapse
The Rams top-8 players on defense
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
You voted! On Tuesday, I ran these polls here at Turf Show Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
You voted! On Tuesday, I ran these polls here at Turf Show Times asking who you thought the most important players on the LA Rams defense currently are. The results for a top-10 aren’t quite clear yet but here’s what I feel confident in saying about the top-8 you voted on.
1. Aaron Donald
2. Jalen Ramsey
3. John Johnson
4. Michael Brockers
5. Leonard Floyd
6. A’Shawn Robinson
7. Taylor Rapp
8. Terrell Lewis
We were looking for the top-10 but I’ll explain how I got to this top-7 and what to do about the final three.
Donald, Ramsey, and Johnson had straightforward poll results. Brockers had the most votes for fourth place, but actually him an Robinson currently have the exact same number over votes in the 4th and 5th-place votes combined, whereas Floyd has more total votes in those polls than both of them but is in third place in the 4th-place poll. I decided the tiebreakers would be that Brockers gets fourth because he had the most votes for Collapse
Who are the top 10 most important players to the Rams defense?
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images
We don’t have to argue about number one. For the LA Rams to Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images
We don’t have to argue about number one. For the LA Rams to get back to the Super Bowl next season, they may need improvement on defense more so than improvement on offense. That’s not to say that their offense is better than their defense — by DVOA, the opposite was true last year — but perhaps that is the side of the ball that is closer to being elite.
And it all starts with MVP candidate Aaron Donald. (If we don’t start proposing that a player like Donald can win MVP, then they’re never going to change the votes to reflect that a player like Donald can win MVP. And why shouldn’t he if so many people agree that he’s the best player in football?)
Where does it go after Donald?
That’s an opportunity to debate which players on the defense hold the most important towards the defense working next season. We don’t know exactly how new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley will defer from Wade Phillips though we can assume that many of Sean McVay’s core Collapse
Keeping coordinators back from combine ended up paying dividends for Rams
5 DAYS AGO - A decision met externally with some surprise turned out to be a huge help in wake of a virtual Expand
5 DAYS AGO - A decision met externally with some surprise turned out to be a huge help in wake of a virtual offseason program. Collapse
What should Rams do at backup quarterback now?
6 DAYS AGO - John Wolford | Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Blake Bortles and Colin Kaepernick Expand
6 DAYS AGO - John Wolford | Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Blake Bortles and Colin Kaepernick are among available backups for Rams, who don’t have veteran presence behind Jared Goff The Cam Newton-LA Rams possibility is over now that the quarterback signed with the New England Patriots.
We recently discussed the possibility of the Rams potentially pursuing Newton. It never happened, but the reality is, they really should think of adding someone to play behind starting QB Jared Goff.
The current backups are John Wolford, and undrafted free agents Josh Love and Bryce Perkins. Wolford has no NFL experience, while Love and Perkins are nowhere close to being ready to being backups. Rams’ head coach Sean McVay does like and believe in Wolford, who was on the Rams’ practice squad last season.
But the Rams probably should consider a veteran option even if they continue to develop Wolford.
LA could bring back Blake Bortles, who backed up Goff last season. That would be simple, but the Collapse
Re-Living ‘99: The Story of Steve Stenstrom
6 DAYS AGO - It was the worst of times, it was the worst Re-living ‘99: A week-to-week look back on one of the Expand
6 DAYS AGO - It was the worst of times, it was the worst Re-living ‘99: A week-to-week look back on one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.
I had several directions that I could have gone in for this flashback and strangely enough, I’m choosing the strangest road. This is the story of Steve Stenstrom of Stanford.
Stick with me.
Stenstrom started staying alive on December 23, 1971. He grew up in Plano, Texas but his family moved to Lake Forest, California in 1987 (Orange County) and that’s when Stenstrom transferred to El Toro High. According to his father Pete, “he was known at the school as the quarterback from Texas.”
He became the starter on varsity by his junior season and in 1989 he went 178-of-270 for 2,830 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has since been inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame for his efforts. Not praised for being an exceptional athlete in any way other than his strong arm, Stenstrom made up for it with leadership, intelligence, and toughness according to former assistant Collapse
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Who will be the “surprise” star on defense?
14 HRS AGO - Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images
Which player on the defense do you think will have the most Expand
14 HRS AGO - Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images
Which player on the defense do you think will have the most surprising breakout next season? It could be easy to define outcomes for any player as a “surprising breakout” candidate next season. I suppose there is some absurd circumstance in which Aaron Donald has yet another gear that we don’t know about. (And I don’t mean that we don’t know about from Donald as he’s already at the pinnacle; I mean it would have to be something we never thought we’d see in the game like when Brendan Fraser was in The Scout.)
Instead, let’s focus on players who’ve yet to really see success in the NFL. Among those members of the LA Rams on defense, who could have a surprising breakout season when football resumes?
Inside linebackers - Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, Kenny Young, Travin Howard
The position was manned by one of the ultimate surprise breakout players in Cory Littleton and obviously Les Snead was comfortable with revolving this position based on the fact that Collapse
Random Ramsdom: The NFL isn’t interested in postponing the 2021 draft
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by NFL via Getty Images
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. On Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Photo by NFL via Getty Images
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. On Thursday, USA Today college sports writer Dan Wolken reported that the NFL is currently not considering pushing back the 2021 NFL Draft if the next college football season were to be postponed into the spring of 2021.
One nugget I picked up today. College football officials have quietly inquired with the NFL about whether they’d be willing to push back the 2021 draft in the event of a spring season. Unsurprisingly, the NFL isn’t interested— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 2, 2020
It’s understandable that more and more murmurings about a delayed college season are becoming heard as things are taking a turn for the worst, a la the pandemic. Even though there’s official dates and times for the return of the MLB and NBA season, as well as the current set dates for NFL training camps to commence, the explosion of cases in places like Texas and Florida have people feeling uneasy about a smooth Collapse
Who are the Rams top-10 players on offense?
3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images
This one could be trickier than the defense This week we’ve Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images
This one could be trickier than the defense This week we’ve already managed to get together an initial top-10 list going for the LA Rams defense and there really weren’t many issues before arriving at that order. I can’t imagine the offense being as easy.
Who are the top-10 most important players to the Rams offense?
Remember, this is not “who is the most talented” or even necessarily “who is the most valuable” but it is more like: Who is the player that Sean McVay most can’t afford to lose next season in order for his offense to run most effectively? And then going from the most important down to the 10th-most important.
This means that you also have to take into account how large the gap is between the starter and who his replacement would be. That’s why in spite of there maybe being “more talented” players around him, I believe Jared Goff is still the most important.
Even a writer who has been critical and skeptical of Goff would have to admit Collapse
Re-Living ‘99: Kickers, Torry Holt, and throwing your team under the bus
4 DAYS AGO - A lot of information about players you didn’t know you wanted information about Re-living ‘99: A Expand
4 DAYS AGO - A lot of information about players you didn’t know you wanted information about Re-living ‘99: A week-to-week look back on one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.
Kickers who have been drafted who are in the Hall of Fame:
Morten Andersen.
That’s it. That’s the whole list.
Of course, there are only four kickers in the Hall of Fame at all and two of them (Lou Groza, George Blanda) played other positions. Andersen and Jan Stenerud are the only two kickers in the Hall who were simply kickers.
This is a high bar (so to speak) and unfair to those who had great careers and didn’t get Hall consideration, but the prospect of ever drafting a kicker is something that has been debated for a long time and the reality is that many of those taken “early” ended up as disappointments. Great disappointments.
In 1978, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Steve Little with the 15th overall pick and he was out of the NFL three years later having gone 13-of-27.
In 1986, the St. Louis Cardinals, opting to Collapse
Video board inside SoFi Stadium officially complete
4 DAYS AGO - One of the defining features of the Los Angeles Rams' new home is now officially complete.
PFF player rankings: Aaron Donald is No. 1 in NFL
5 DAYS AGO - Aaron Donald | Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Analytics-based website believes DT is Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Aaron Donald | Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Analytics-based website believes DT is league’s most important player Pro Football Focus has ranked Rams’ defensive lineman Aaron Donald as the No. 1 player entering the NFL in 2020. Yes, that’s the No. 1 overall player in the league regardless of position.
The analytics-based website believes Donald makes the biggest impact in the NFL — beating out jaw-dropping quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (the reigning Super Bowl MVP) and Lamar Jackson (the reigning NFL MVP).
The Rams’ were so excited about Donald’s ranking by PFF that they wrote about it.
.@PFF's No. 1 player entering 2020? @AaronDonald97. "No matter how good you think Aaron Donald is, you're underselling it." — Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 28, 2020
I don’t blame them, it’s a pretty cool honor.
This incredible quote by PFF lead NFL analyst Sam Monson in the site’s piece about Donald being the No. 1 ranked player in the league this year sticks out:
“No matter Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Who is the Rams’ biggest rival?
5 DAYS AGO - Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. It’s Rivalry Week at SB Nation, so expect Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. It’s Rivalry Week at SB Nation, so expect to feel a lot of strong emotions and re-live some of the best memories you’ve ever had as a fan.
To kick things off, I thought I’d ask a simple question: Who is the Rams’ biggest rival?
Is it the Cardinals? 49ers? Seahawks?
Is it potentially a team from outside of the division?
Is it the team that the Rams play the closest every single time?
What do you all take into consideration when trying to answer a question like this?
One obvious thing to take into consideration are win-loss records and how close they have been throughout history. Here are those records within the division:
Cardinals: 44-38-2 (Rams hold edge in point differential, 1,715-1,594)
49ers: 67-70-3 (49ers hold edge in point differential, 3,016-3,142)
Seahawks: 19-24-0 (Seahawks hold edge in point differential, 892-938)
As of right now, the only team the Rams have a winning record against in the division is Arizona. Collapse
Most predicting Rams to be “fine” or “flop”
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
If all goes wrong, there won’t be a draft reward at Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
If all goes wrong, there won’t be a draft reward at the end The LA Rams went 11-5, 13-3, and 9-7 over the last three seasons, respectively. They enter the next season with Super Bowl hopes and a roster with quite a few players who participated in their NFC Championship two years ago, but national expectations seem to range from “fine” to “flop.”
In May, ESPN predicted an 8-8 finish.
Bleacher Report went with 6-10.
USA Today also said 6-10.
Vegas had the over/under set at 8.5 wins.
NBC Sports went a step lower than them all, predicting the Rams to finish 5-11 and in last place in the NFC West. But Patrik Walker of CBS Sports went through every game for LA and ultimately had them at 9-7.
A difference of 9-7 and 5-11 could come down to four field goals or four turnovers that didn’t go your way that season, so perhaps it’s not as big as it seems from a “quality of team” perspective. But in another way, the difference of 5-11 and 9-7 could be 10 Collapse
ESPN selects Aaron Donald as Rams' Player of the Decade
6 DAYS AGO - Defensive tackle Aaron Donald was chosen by ESPN as the Rams' Player of the Decade for the 2010s.
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Random Ramsdom: Happy Fourth of July!
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. Good Expand
1 DAY AGO - Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. Good morning, my Rams friends and family!
I hope everyone is getting the opportunity to rest, sit back, and enjoy the Fourth of July this year. I hope it’s filled with all of the hot food, cold beer, and far-too-dangerous fireworks that you’ve been wanting for so long.
My plans include some good BBQ, maybe getting out on the golf course for the first time in years, and spending some much needed quality time with the family before sports return later this month.
There’s not much news to report on today, but why don’t we go ahead and use this post as an open discussion on all things Fourth of July. Whether that means conversing about your favorite stories from this holiday, your favorite recipes, or just what you have going on today, let’s just have some good conversation!
Stay safe, everyone, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Rams News:
Brandon Staley discusses the rookies added to Collapse
Rams’ Hall of Famer Kurt Warner to be played by ‘Shazam’ star Zachary Levi in upcoming movie
3 DAYS AGO - Kurt Warner | Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
“American Underdog: Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Kurt Warner | Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
“American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story” follows the QB’s journey from stocking grocery shelves to Super Bowl champ An NFL team is nothing without a quality quarterback and a Kurt Warner biography is nothing without an actor to play the Rams’ legend.
The Hollywood huddle is now full for American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. Actor Zachary Levi announced on Instagram he will play the role of Warner in the movie. He called it an “uplifting an inspiring” role. Levi is most recently known for playing the title role in the movie Shazam.
Warner used that fact to have a little fun on Twitter upon Levi’s announcement.
View this post on Instagram
Beyond pumped for this one. Have always found @kurt13warner, and his family, and their journey, to be an uplifting and inspiring one. Can’t wait to bring their story to screens both large and small. Big thanks to the @erwinbros and Collapse
Random Ramsdom: The Oculus Board at SoFi Stadium is complete
3 DAYS AGO - Chargers.com
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. On Thursday, the Rams Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Chargers.com
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. On Thursday, the Rams released a time-lapse video depicting the raising of the Oculus Board at SoFi Stadium, which was officially completed this week.
2.2 million pounds + 70,000 square feet of digital LED.The first-of-its-kind videoboard for @SoFiStadium is officially complete. pic.twitter.com/JdQB3LuItj— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) July 1, 2020
The 2.2 million-pound marvel is currently the largest video board in professional sports. It’s also 120-yards long, meaning that the board is longer than the actual field.
According to Rams COO Kevin Demoff, the board is three times the size of the Dallas Cowboys’ in Jerry World and features over 260 speakers.
The $5 billion stadium is set to be ready for the Chargers v. Rams preseason game on the weekend of August 20-24 and is scheduled to play host to the Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
W W. @SoFiStadium is 97% complete and it is beautiful. pic.twitter.com/qBzoexyPnZ— Collapse
SoFi Stadium’s stunning new 70,000-square foot videoboard is installed
4 DAYS AGO - SoFi Stadium | Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images
The Expand
4 DAYS AGO - SoFi Stadium | Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images
The Rams’ now boast the largest videoboard in sports Does a massive, state-of-the-art videoboard exist if no patrons are there to see it? We may get that answer this NFL season as the LA Rams open SoFi Stadium.
On Wednesday, the team proudly announced that their one-of-a-kind, new videoboard has been installed and is ready for operation whenever the 2020 NFL season starts. As they have often done during the construction of Sofi Stadium, the Rams documented the videoboard’s evolution on Twitter:
2.2 million pounds + 70,000 square feet of digital LED.The first-of-its-kind videoboard for @SoFiStadium is officially complete. pic.twitter.com/JdQB3LuItj— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) July 1, 2020
What a beauty!
A screen with 70,000 square feet of digital LED is unreal. I remember seeing the scoreboard at AT&T Stadium in Dallas in 2009. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the video screen during Collapse
Random Ramsdom: Rams own best offensive supporting cast of the decade
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. This Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Your source for Rams and NFL news from around the web. This morning, the fine folks over at Pro Football Focus got together and ranked the top “offensive supporting casts” in the past decade based on wins above replacement (WAR) and the 2018 Rams team claimed the #1 spot just ahead of the 2016 Falcons.
Best offensive supporting casts of the decade (All Non-QBs) per PFF WAR:1. 2018 Rams 2. 2016 Falcons 3. 2014 Cowboys 4. 2011 Saints pic.twitter.com/76khbnyOi6— PFF (@PFF) July 1, 2020
That season, en route to an appearance in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, the Rams possessed an extremely well-balanced attack that saw seven different players catch multiple touchdowns. They were also the only team in the NFL to boast a 4,500-yard passer, a 1,200-yard rusher (Todd Gurley), and a pair of 1,200-yard receivers (Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks.)
The second-ranked Falcons only had one receiver top 700 yards (Julio Jones - 1,409) while Collapse
What 3 trades would you make between NFC West rivals to help the Rams?
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
How would you do it? It is Rivalry Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
How would you do it? It is Rivalry Week at SB Nation and I wanted to throw a thought experiment at the Turf Show Times readers:
What if you could make three trades within the NFC West, not involving the Los Angeles Rams, that would most help the Los Angeles Rams?
These trades would include:
49ers and Seahawks make a deal
Cardinals and Seahawks make a deal
49ers and Cardinals make a deal
That’s it. What if you could force deals between these teams and what would you do to most hurt each roster in order to help raise the Rams to the top of the NFC West?
For example, we know that Russell Wilson is the key to everything for Seattle so it may behoove LA to send Wilson to Arizona without sending Kyler Murray back to the Seahawks. This deal would not only leave Seattle with Geno Smith as the starter immediately following the deal but it could stunt the growth of Murray, assuming that Wilson starts.
For the sake of not Collapse
Re-Living ‘99 midseason awards
5 DAYS AGO - Photo credit should read JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images
How do Kurt Warner, Marshall Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Photo credit should read JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images
How do Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce stack up against the rest of the league that year? As I continue to run through a recap of the 1999 season, I forgot to do some midseason check-ins. I really like totals, even partial totals if that makes sense, and the midway point is a good time to start to evaluate where everything stands.
Funny enough, in 1999 the St. Louis Rams didn’t stand in first place after eight games.
The Rams 6-2 record was surprising and more than respectable, but the Jaguars and Dolphins were 7-1, plus five others teams were 6-2. Today we think back to 1999 and believe that “the Greatest Show on Turf” was remarkably better than their competition — and that did prove to be true — but any number of things could have veered them off course and made the ‘99 Rams as forgettable as the ‘99 Jaguars.
A team that finished 14-2 and won a playoff game by a score of 62-7 (over that Miami team that Collapse
Cam Newton set to sign with Patriots
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
How much magic can Bill Belichick pull out Expand
6 DAYS AGO - Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
How much magic can Bill Belichick pull out of a quarterback? The Los Angeles Rams are set to host a “Super Bowl rematch” against the New England Patriots on December 10, Sunday Night Football. The Patriots were the last team in the league to not really have a known or experienced starting option at quarterback (outside of backup Brian Hoyer, who should keep the “backup” title) but that changed with their reported intention to sign Cam Newton.
Many have speculated that Newton would sign with New England because he was the most well known free agent and they had the most obvious need at the position and now Bill Belichick is able to acquire him for a contract that only goes up to $7.5 million with incentives, at most. Should Cam get paid $7.5 million, it would mean the investment must have paid off quite well for the Patriots. Should Cam not win the starting job, it only costs them around $1 million.
It’s a perfect scenario for Collapse
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